Posted By Dan Greenfield on Oct 11, 2024 | 2 comments

By the co-founder of Wandering Planet Toys — makers of the new Laurel & Hardy action figures…

When I was a kid in the early 1970s, it seemed like Laurel & Hardy were everywhere. Go to the movies? Laurel & Hardy were on a lobby mural. Turn on the TV in the New York metropolitan area? There they were on Channel 5 or maybe it was 9, or 11 — or all three at any given time. Go the Spectors’ house? There were the Laurel & Hardy decanters on their bar.

I knew they were “old” but they seemed so popular, it was like they were still current. They were definitely part of the zeitgeist.

Gradually, they slipped into the past, except for the hardcore fans out there. So I was tickled when I saw that Wandering Planet Toys — makers of those groovy Prisoner action figures (soon to be joined by a Nancy Drew line) — had a Kickstarter going for a set of Laurel & Hardy action figures, in both color and black and white:

These are the first-ever 1/12-scale, fully articulated action figures of the comedy legends. The campaign is already funded, so this is happening, but it still has about a week to go, giving you time to get in on the ground floor — and get access to package deals.

Just one of the pledge packages.

With that in mind, Wandering Planet Toys co-founder Gavin Hignight has put together a list of his 13 favorite Laurel & Hardy films.

Check out the fine mess he’s gotten us into:

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By GAVIN HIGNIGHT

Classic comedians from the Golden Age of Hollywood, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were Oscar-winning filmmakers who started in the silent era, and moved seamlessly into the age of sound. Together they made 32 silent shorts, 40 sound shorts, and 23 feature films. With 95 movies to the duo’s credit, it can be hard to know where to dive in.

These 13 are all great places to start:

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Them Thar Hills (1934. Directed by Charley Rogers) and Tit for Tat (1935. Directed by Charley Rogers). Them Thar Hills and Tit for Tat make an amazing short film and short film sequel, which is so uncommon. Stan and Ollie at their best, and the guest stars almost, almost steal the show. Just hilarious. And both films I somehow never saw when I was younger, so it was a real treat to discover and watch them on the big screen a couple years ago thanks to the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles.

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Perfect Day (1929. Directed by James Parrott). Stan, Ollie, Edgar Kennedy and a car… need I say more?

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The Hoose-Gow (1929. Directed by James Parrott). Love this one, the rice/radiator bit at the end… you just have to see it.

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Night Owls (1930. Directed by James Parrott). I just love the vibe and tone of this film. Stan and Ollie down on their luck, getting into a mess in the middle of the night for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The bit with the cat meowing and bricks… James Finlayson. You just have to see it.

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Blotto (1930. Directed by James Parrott). The table drinking/laughing bit in this movie is one of the funniest moments ever committed to film. Full stop. Watch it now.

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Below Zero (1930. Directed by James Parrott). Below Zero always rises to the top of my brain whenever people ask me what my favorite Laurel & Hardy film is. Like Night Owls, it just conveys a mood and tone so well. In the case of Night Owls it’s the late night, in the case of Below Zero, it’s the cold winter and being down on your luck. I just love it. I can watch it over and over.

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Be Big (1931. Directed by James W. Horne). Be Big Oliver. That’s all I have to say.

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Pardon Us (1931. Directed by James Parrott). For the longer Laurel & Hardy films, this is my favorite. Flying Deuces is a close second, but I really enjoy this film.

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The Music Box (1932. Directed by James Parrott). This Oscar winner is definitive Laurel & Hardy. A simple premise, stretched into so much comedy. It’s world famous for a reason.

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County Hospital (1932. Directed by James Parrott). Stan at his absolute worst, which means his absolute best! Not the friend you want visiting when you are in the hospital that is for certain. I just laugh thinking about it. Poor Ollie.

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Oliver the Eighth (1934. Directed by Lloyd French). The guest stars steal the show in this one, the weird beats of… weirdness at the dinner scene… and Stan and Ollie’s reaction, I laugh every time I see it. It’s a fun one.

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The Live Ghost (1934. Directed by Charley Rogers). Once again, they sell such a mood, and time and place in their films. The comedy is front and center, but I love the world they inhabit in this one.

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For more information on the Kickstarter, click here.

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