ANOTHER Fine Mess I’ve Gotten Myself Into!
By Four Walls
@FourWalls (76345)
United States
June 23, 2022 8:03am CST
Here’s another fine mess I got myself into…and something you probably never thought about. Oliver Hardy, half of one of the most iconic comedy duos in film history, was a southerner. A Georgian.
I knew that…but it didn’t really pop into the forefront of my brain until I passed a sign near Harlem, Georgia that indicated the Laurel & Hardy Museum was at the next exit.
The museum isn’t much. I didn’t see any personal artifacts of Oliver Norvell Hardy there. It’s basically a couple of rows of Laurel & Hardy ceramic items, statues, dolls, and a theater playing L&H short films. And, on a 102-degree Georgia afternoon, it was a great place to be.
While lacking in personal memorabilia, there are quite a few fascinating facts around. Did you know Hardy played the Tin Man in the 1925 version of The Wizard of Oz? Or that Hanna-Barbera made a cartoon show of Laurel and Hardy? Speaking of the latter, there was a display showing the influence that Stan and Ollie had on The Flintstones.
In the collage you can see one of the photos of a “normal” Oliver Hardy. There were also a number of photos of their movie scenes (including one of Hardy in The Wizard of Oz and promotional photos (the funniest of which, to me, was Laurel lying on the ground with a golf ball on his head while Hardy stood over him with a golf club, ready to tee off).
Although their movie partnership was over, Englishman Laurel and southerner Hardy remained friends until Hardy’s death from complications of a stroke in 1957. “Babe (Hardy’s nickname since childhood) was like a brother to me,” Stan told newspapers upon hearing of Hardy’s death. (Laurel died in 1965.)
It was a nice pause to enjoy cool air and memories of a classic cinematic comedic team.
COLLAGE:
*Hardy ready to tee off on Laurel’s head
*Oliver Hardy without the make-up
*Displays in the museum, including (background) a wooden car (even the tires were wooden) with figures of Laurel & Hardy holding mannequins of themselves
*Photo of the 1925 version of the Wizard of Oz, featuring Hardy as the Tin Man.
14 people like this
11 responses
@Marilynda1225 (85171)
• United States
23 Jun 22
I remember them and would have enjoyed visiting that little museum. I like your collage
3 people like this
@FourWalls (76345)
• United States
23 Jun 22
I’m not the world’s biggest Laurel & Hardy fan, but I made a beeline for that place when I saw the informational sign. Thanks for he kudos about the collage. I even had my picture taken with them. 
6 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (85171)
• United States
23 Jun 22
@FourWalls I love love love the picture!! how much fun was that having your picture taken with Laurel an Hardy 
4 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (118768)
• Marion, Ohio
23 Jun 22
Interesting stop. I never knew he was in the Wizard of Oz at all
3 people like this
@FourWalls (76345)
• United States
23 Jun 22
I know, that was a shock to me. Of course, who even remembers that there was a Wizard of Oz BEFORE 1939? 
2 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (118768)
• Marion, Ohio
24 Jun 22
@FourWalls I think they just made it up
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (152573)
• United States
23 Jun 22
I saw a couple of their shows. (I didn't think they were funny.
) Dad giggled through the shows. I went and found something else to do.
) Dad giggled through the shows. I went and found something else to do.2 people like this
@FourWalls (76345)
• United States
23 Jun 22
It was an era. I remember Robert Klein saying that some woman from Sweden thought the Three Stooges were really hurting each other and didn’t find them funny.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (152573)
• United States
23 Jun 22
@FourWalls Mom claimed dad pickled his brain when he was younger and that's why he thought it was funny. 
I'm not suggesting that's what happened to you, but... 
I'm not suggesting that's what happened to you, but... 2 people like this
@FourWalls (76345)
• United States
23 Jun 22
I got there about half an hour before the museum closed, or I would’ve parked myself in that cinema and watched their films all day.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (357648)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Jun 22
@FourWalls You'll know next time - get there much earlier - and take popcorn.
2 people like this
@aninditasen (17204)
• Raurkela, India
23 Jun 22
I too have seen films of Laurel and Hardy in my childhood and read a lot of comics about them when I was school.
2 people like this
@FourWalls (76345)
• United States
23 Jun 22
They were definitely pioneers in team comedy.
2 people like this
@aninditasen (17204)
• Raurkela, India
24 Jun 22
@FourWalls Yes they were and will be remembered forever.
2 people like this
@FourWalls (76345)
• United States
24 Jun 22
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Nice to see the town pay homage to their biggest gift to the world.
2 people like this
@CarolDM (203409)
• Nashville, Tennessee
24 Jun 22
@FourWalls Yes it is very nice. And thanks to you for sharing the smiles.
2 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (49971)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
23 Jun 22
You'd think they'd've used non-glare glass on those photos... I can see your arm reflected in a couple of them.
Interesting realization of the Tin Man.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (76345)
• United States
23 Jun 22
I tried to keep that to a minimum, but there’s nothing I could do. And, it was free, so you get what you pay for. 
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (76345)
• United States
24 Jun 22
The Three Stooges had such a brilliant combination of physical and spoken humor that it’s hard not to love them.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (76345)
• United States
23 Jun 22
It was. I’m sorry it just scratched the surface, because there was a lot more to them. Stan Laurel was a director (his first work with Hardy was as a director of a movie he was in), for instance. But it was, to me, more of a small town paying homage to its favorite native son than a true “museum of Laurel and Hardy.” I enjoyed it nevertheless.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (193645)
• United States
24 Jun 22
Great photos. Sounds like an interesting place to visit. Drive safely.
2 people like this
@FourWalls (76345)
• United States
24 Jun 22
Nice and quaint, just like the town.
2 people like this
@dgobucks226 (36662)
•
3 Jul 22
Nice trivia facts which I enjoyed. Here I thought both were British 
Our Elementary school would play Laurel and Hardy shorts in the auditorium when we had inclement weather. Loved his stylish Bowler hat
Our Elementary school would play Laurel and Hardy shorts in the auditorium when we had inclement weather. Loved his stylish Bowler hat 1 person likes this
@FourWalls (76345)
• United States
4 Jul 22
Must have been the bowler that made him look British.
You know what I saw when I looked at that picture of Oliver without the hat? Sergeant Schultz on Hogan’s Heroes!
You know what I saw when I looked at that picture of Oliver without the hat? Sergeant Schultz on Hogan’s Heroes!1 person likes this
@FourWalls (76345)
• United States
4 Jul 22
@dgobucks226 — sit down for this one! You’ll see and hear the other side of Sgt. Schultz!
Both Klemperer and Banner had to flee Europe in the 30s. Werner’s father was Otto Klemperer; and, although Otto married a Catholic and converted to that faith, that didn’t matter to herr Hitler. Banner spent some time interred in a camp, as did Leon Askin (General Bulkharter). Robert Clarey was interred at Buchenwald, and most of his family didn’t survive. In a case of poetic justice, Clarey is the only original cast member still living.
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1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (36662)
•
4 Jul 22
@FourWalls Hey yea, although they both were always wearing their hats/helmets on screen. Wonder what Schultz looked like without that helmet?
His mannerisms were classic That twidling of his tie and nervous laughter were comic genius, lol.
His mannerisms were classic That twidling of his tie and nervous laughter were comic genius, lol.1 person likes this
