{"id":1585,"date":"2024-08-01T07:17:10","date_gmt":"2024-08-01T07:17:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/?p=1585"},"modified":"2024-08-01T10:27:10","modified_gmt":"2024-08-01T10:27:10","slug":"when-comedy-was-king","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/01\/when-comedy-was-king\/","title":{"rendered":"When Comedy Was King"},"content":{"rendered":"

RAJGOPAL NIDAMBOOR<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy\u2019s rib-tickling genius knows no age, because they beamed the lighter side of life, the child and the adult, wrapped within our psyche, like never before.<\/p>\n

Oliver Hardy: “Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into.”<\/p>\n

Stan Laurel: “Here’s another nice mess I got you into.”<\/p>\n

It\u2019s such a simple metaphor. Yet, it has profound effects, because there never was comedy\u2019s greatest awesome twosome, like them, before, or after, in movie history. Nor, there will be another ever. The benchmark tagline, or catchword, first surfaced in The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case <\/em>[1930]; it also scoots in several of their films, including one of their finest rip-roaring movies, Sons of the Desert <\/em>[1933]. The best part is the catchy phrase emerges in myriad forms. Hardy, in Thicker than Water <\/em>[1935], for instance, tells his great pal, “Here’s another kettle of fish you pickled me in.” In Saps at Sea<\/em> [1940], Hardy is at it again, “Here’s another nice bucket of suds you’ve gotten me into.”<\/p>\n

What a mess they\u2019d often get themselves into. This was, and is, eternal bliss \u2014 during their time, yesterday, today, and for tomorrow too. It holds a magical spell, never before, or after, incarnate.<\/p>\n

Most of us know that laughter is the best medicine \u2014 a natural remedy for a host of ills and moody blues. Modern science testifies to such a credo, not just in terms of possibility constructs, but also actual precepts. So, what could be everyone\u2019s best example of true laughter than the images of Laurel and Hardy \u2014 comedians par excellence <\/em>\u2014 who laughed their way through the Great Depression? This is not all. Their fascinating impressions are still with us, as instant deliverers from our own sense of ennui, not just because they were the most remarkable two-man ensemble, the first great \u2014 and, perhaps, the last \u2014 Hollywood motion-picture comedy team, in a genre of their own, but also because they were to slapstick what the falling apple was to Sir Isaac Newton.<\/p>\n

The moment their charming, immortal faces were made by god, in heaven, and launched on earth, generations were assured of deriving enormous mirth by way of their timeless magnetism. Just because of one, unique, element called pure hilarity and side-splitting surrealism. While one of them made us laugh, with his child-like, innocent wails, in times of adversity, the other was equally at home with personified conviviality, thanks to his straightforward, \u2018smiley-like\u2019 corpulence, toothbrush moustache and infectious hypnotic grin. Fat fellas are, doubtless, winners in smile and champions in size.<\/p>\n

Laurel [June 16, 1890-February 23, 1965] was the greatest of them all. He\u2019s one of a kind; his natural \u2018foil,\u2019 Hardy [January 18, 1892-August 7, 1957], was another, who\u2019s equally great. They never ever rationed their hilarious template; they never held back anything in the physics and chemistry of their sparkling \u2018stand-in\u2019 comedy. They shared every frame\u00a0 \u2014 and, expanded on their histrionic brilliance \u2014 for sheer fun, replete with not just sublime thought, but also uplifting intonation and sizzling action. In addition, they drew upon the ground spring of their own images and ideas that came spontaneously, without forced effort. In so doing, they fashioned their truly holistic, \u2018individualised\u2019 character and personality on celluloid \u2014 of slapstick and outright droll. Aside from this, they were immensely creative. As a matter of fact, none of their roles or histrionic leanings had in it any fully preconceived, rigid \u2018decree\u2019 \u2014 to any given situation, perforce. It was improvisation at its best \u2014 not merely \u2018sticking\u2019 to the script, as it were.<\/p>\n

Life was nasty, rough and short for most people, and cinema, in particular, bound for travelling fairs and beer halls. \u2018Ollie\u2019 and his dear friend, Stan, had to reflect this grim reality, besides other forms of human behaviour that could make one laugh and forget life\u2019s innumerable adversities. Not that life is any different, today. Wait a moment. As the awesome duo achieved its apogee in grand style, impressively, articulately and compellingly, a legion of their admirers, in a host of climes, incessantly tried to imitate them in their own \u2018game,\u2019 without ever achieving anything more than unconvincing masquerade. Ollie and Stan were inimitable. There was none like them before; there won\u2019t be any in the future too, even with cloning. While it is likely that a legion of under-25s today may find their famed \u2018clich\u00e9s\u2019 a tad dated, they would do well to know that modern comedy is, most often than not, an apology for hilarity.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s highlight just one \u2018scenic\u2019 example from one of their immortal films. The telephone rings. Hardy attends to the call. His acquaintance, who is on the line, \u2018invites\u2019 him and Stan, for a boisterous, fun-filled party. Hardy, enticed by the invite, holds back from committing himself, since he\u2019s promised his wife \u2014 and, Laurel his \u2014 that they would take them for an outing. Ollie, to paraphrase, tells the caller, \u201cIf a Hardy makes up his mind [to ignore the get-together], it\u2019s like the Rock of Gibraltar.\u201d A moment later, Hardy has second thoughts. The \u2018rock\u2019 crumbles, when the caller tempts him with mouthwatering names of the spirits they would be entertained with. Hardy confirms his acceptance. The drama unfolds, with a \u2018blinding\u2019 headache.<\/p>\n

The departure time for the train approaches. Hardy, with a gloomy countenance, asks his wife to get going, along with Mrs Laurel, promising that they would join them later. As the ladies leave, bedlam reigns. In his urgency, one of Hardy\u2019s feet gets \u2018jammed\u2019 in Laurel\u2019s boot, which he thinks is his. Annoyed with his own gaffe, Ollie tells his mate, \u201cAnother fine mess…\u201d\u2014 the duo\u2019s theme song. Soon, the ladies return home, because they\u2019ve \u2018missed\u2019 the train. The timeless \u2018medley\u2019 of confusion worse confounded begins anew. The audience is taken on yet another fabulous trip of unadulterated, rollicking mirth.<\/p>\n

When Hardy first studied law at the University of Georgia, US, he knew, sort of, that a career in legal matters would not be his cup of tea. Not only that. At age 17, Hardy launched his home-town\u2019s first movie theatre. Destiny was manifest. Lured by the tinsel bug, and his love for acting, Hardy joined the Lubin Film Company in 1913. He started not only working with lights and props, but also as a small-time actor, \u2018donning\u2019 the villain\u2019s role. He didn\u2019t look dangerous, of course. It was status quo<\/em> for a while, albeit the moment he would finish his work at the studio, he\u2019d rush to indulge in his other passion \u2014 golf. An avid golfer, Hardy was not in the big league, all right, but he\u2019s good enough to pursue his love for the sport with as much ease as he\u2019s to portray his enormous talent on celluloid.<\/p>\n

Life for Hardy changed when he made his major debut in films. The movie: Outwitting Dad <\/em>[1914]. Destiny was, again, manifest, in 1917-1918, when Hardy met his alter ego<\/em> at Hal Roach Studio, where he\u2019s now acting, and Laurel, an Englishman, was writing scripts. Shape of things to come? Yes. As their fantastic rapport seemed to click, right from the word go, The Lucky Dog<\/em> [1921], their maiden film together, announced their arrival, juxtaposed by the success of yet another film, Slipping Wives <\/em>[1927], followed by Putting Pants on Philip <\/em>[1927].<\/em> As their popularity amplified, the two discovered that they had acted in as many as 24 films, in as many months \u2014 what with their professional contract with their good producer taking effect to last for the next 12 years. After that? Voila!<\/em> The laughing pair never lost its magical touch till its last act together\u2014Robinson Crusoeland<\/em> [1951].<\/p>\n

As the awesome twosome conquered many a sad heart, the amazing success of one of their finest films, A Chum at Oxford [1939]<\/em>, initiated a new process, a great idea \u2014 novel in concept and practical in economics. The duo began to be featured in films consisting of sequences adapted from several movies. As many as eight were made, on the basis \u2014 the most popular among them being, When Comedy Was King <\/em>[1960]. It was a perfect \u2018shot\u2019 and great teamwork. Or, take the classy biopic, Stan & Ollie<\/em> [2018], which chronicles a poignant, also untold, tenderly touching \u2018final chapter\u2019 in the lives of comic duo. Aside from that, one ought to doff one\u2019s hat for a host of Laurel and Hardy\u2019s mirthful rallies, such as The Battle of the Century <\/em>[1927], <\/em>Leave \u2019em Laughing <\/em>[1928], <\/em>The Music Box <\/em>[1932], The March of the Wooden Soldiers <\/em>[1934], Way Out West <\/em>[1937], Block Heads <\/em>[1938] and The Flying Deuces <\/em>[1939],<\/em> among the 100-odd films they worked together in a grand partnership that lasted for 26 glorious, fun-filled years. It was a stupendous achievement \u2014 no more, no less.<\/p>\n

The comedy mould, so to speak, was made for them, in letter, word and spirit. If Hardy got initiated into films through his movie house, Laurel\u2019s baptism emerged by way of his involvement as a stage comic with Levy and Cardwell\u2019s Pantomime Company, which also had his father working as one of the stage managers. Laurel\u2019s career was all set to move up the ladder of fame, sooner than later, when he arrived in the US, in 1910, with Fred Karno Company, which also had another \u2018recruit\u2019 who\u2019s to become comedy\u2019s first knight. No prizes for guessing. His name: Charlie Chaplin.<\/p>\n

A comparison, albeit odious, to use a clich\u00e9, would, therefore, be imminent. Chaplin came into films with his talent inherited from his parents, who were vaudevillians \u2014 small-time entertainers who could sing popular songs with topical allusions, dance, or perform, humorous skits and spoofs. Having been subject to parental instability and abject poverty, it was this Freudian impression that had the most profound effect on Chaplin. He could mime and dance superbly and with consummate skill \u2014 qualities that were so essential for the era of silent films. Hardy and Laurel were different. Theirs was a great, combined team effort. Sound, unlike Chaplin, was their \u00e9minence grise<\/em>, so also their riveting dialogues. What\u2019s more, they made the transition from silent films to sound motion pictures like duck to water.<\/p>\n

Laurel and Hardy were two sides of the same coin. They were great friends, with no one-upmanship, because each wanted the other to do better. This, perhaps, was the secret of their celluloid longevity and success. They were also, perforce, never ever complete without the other. Their animated, vibrant and fascinating presence on the screen tells it all\u2014of their wonderful canvas and their exquisitely coherent dialogues.<\/p>\n

Their genius, or art, knows no age, because they beamed the lighter side of life, the child and the adult, wrapped within our psyche, naturally; also, spontaneously. One couldn\u2019t have asked for anything more, primary or auxiliary, apart from such an entertainingly engaging cannonade. This isn\u2019t all. Their spirit lives on, striking a special chord, as it were, while upholding their omnipresent element of joie de vivre<\/em> in every human heart.<\/p>\n

\u2014 First published in The Financial Chronicle<\/em><\/p>\n[Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy, Photo: Courtesy<\/em>, Flickr<\/a>, under Creative Commons License 2.0]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RAJGOPAL NIDAMBOOR Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy\u2019s rib-tickling genius knows no age, because they beamed the lighter side of life, the child and the adult, wrapped within our psyche, like never before. Oliver Hardy: “Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into.” Stan Laurel: “Here’s another nice mess I got you into.” It\u2019s such […]\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-1585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-literature-culture","tag-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1585"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1585\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1611,"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1585\/revisions\/1611"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rajnidamboor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}