TIMING LAUGHS

Evening Star, Issue 22881, 12 February 1938, Page 5

TIMING LAUGHS

HOW LAUREL AND HARDY WORK FROM STAGE TO SCREEN Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy make up secret of their regard for slap-stick methods in the “ funny, business.” ■Laurel, in a recent talk on the work of himself and his partner, declared •that people were more apt to laugh at a, hard fall than at a witty line. Cinema patrons wanted' action, and plenty, of it, and fun-making for the films, could be just as strenuous as any ■port. “ You’d- never think of comparing comedy with boxing, polo, tennis, golf, or- swimming,” the comedian continued, •“ but all have one element in common ■ —diming. A good boxer must time his punches so that they will do the most damage at the right time. A_ comedian has to time his laugh-provoking antics and dialogue so that they will have the desjred effect at the, psychological mtfment.” ' Through Stan Laurel’s veins courses the blood of a long line of British entertainers. His mother and father were professionals on the English stage. His father was also one of the pioneers in the, British cinema industry. Laurel’s education was very spasmodic. His greatest knowledge was the back-stage •lore of the music halls of London and the Continent, obtained while travelling with his parents. When he was 15 years old, Laurel left home to embark on a . career of his own. He toured Europe in musical comedy, vaudeville, and pantojnime, singing, dancing, and clowning. Following two years of this, he joined the Fred Kamo’s London Comedians, and came to the United States. When this troupe disbanded after three and a-half years, Laurel tried motion pictures, but disliked them, and returned to the stage. But in 1922 he returned to the screen at the Hal Roach studios. Laurel is -very English in appearance and manner. His eyes are a clear blue. His hair is light brown, fine and unruly. Laurel plans and assists in the direction af all Laurel and Hardy productions. Contrary to his screen characterisations, he is one of the shrewdest actors in the picture business. Oliver Hardy by training is an attorney—a graduate of the University of Georgia—but his heart was always in the show business, and he never practised at law. During high school and college vacations he “ blew off a little steam ” by trouping through nearby southern States with vaudeville acts and minstrel shows. With his graduation came the parting of the ways, and in direct opposition to his parents’ wishes, the rotund “ Ollie swerved sharply to the stage, appearing in vaudeville, minstrels, musical comedy, and dramatic stock. :ln 1913 he discovered the possibilities of the screen, and transferred his. professional affections from the stage to the cinema. In this new field he advanced slowly from comedy “ heavy ” to a featured fun-maker. In 1926 he met Stan Laurel at the Hal Roach studios. A year later the two joined forces to make film_ history. They nave appeared together in more than 60 short comedies and a number of feature-length comedies.