Laure and Hardy : This is your Life

On 4th December 1954 NBC dedicated an episode of their show 'This is Your Life' to Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. The show began with a short introduction from host Ralph Edwards before the surprise was sprung on Stan and Ollie. The Boys, along with their friend (and lawyer), Ben Shipman, went to the Knickerbocker Hotel in LA to meet Bernard Delafont, their booking agent for their Tours in Britain. As they chatted, doors burst open and the tv crew filed in, much to the surprise (and shock) of the two of them and they were invited to join the show back in the studio.

There then followed several minutes of bad ad-libbing from Edwards as he awaited the arrival of his guests to the set. This delay was later attributed to Stan's initial reluctance to take part in the show. He was, however, persuaded to go on, but obviously was uncomfortable and whilst polite, he only spoke a handful of words.

The show had several 'surprise ' guests, including Leo McCary (who produced some of their earlier work) and Frank Fouche (a director from Stan's solo day's), both of whom received a genuinely warm reception from the two. Sadly the people who were an integral part of many of the Laurel and Hardy shorts and features - such as Mae Busch, James Finlayson, Thelma Todd and Arthur Housman - had passed away, explaining the lack of stars who had worked on screen with them. However, Viviane Blaine, who starred with them in Jitterbugs, did make an appearance. Also appearing on the show was an old sweetheart of Ollie's and a friend from Stan's childhood day's, both of who shared stories about Stan and Ollie growing up. The show ended with the Boy's wives Ida and Lucille joining them on stage.

In his book 'The Comedy World of Stan Laurel', John McCabe recounts Stan's annoyance at the event. "I was damned if I was going to put on a free show for them", was Stan's response when asked about it. The reason for this was twofold.

In 1952, in an interview with the Daily Express, Stan said " Television is the thing of the future and we are considering it very seriously" yet two years later they still were without a contract from any television studios. Television executives had treated them poorly, refusing them the chance to make new shows, whilst showing badly edited versions of their old shorts which were much better suited to the larger screen. Comedies made for the big screen sometimes appear very slow moving when on television and need to be re-edited in order to be viewed correctly. In later years Stan would offer his services to help edit the shorts, but was never taken up on it. Television executives would not pay for Stan and Ollie, but still wanted them to appear on 'This is Your Life ' for nothing. Stan also complained that they were being used to sell products they never heard of, with no remuneration.

The second reason for Stan's uncharacteristic attitude to the show was one of simple professionalism - Stan was meticulous in his film making, from it's in initial conception through it's production and onto it's final editing. The thought of appearing on an unrehearsed network show like 'This is Your Life' appalled him.

Ollie's reaction to the show was better than Stan's and after the initial shock he seemed to enjoy it. While Stan remained for the most part quiet, Ollie joked freely with the host and guests and seemed very happy to be there. It is interesting that he appeared more comfortable with the shows unrehearsed format than Stan, though he later claimed that he couldn't eat for a week after it! In later years, Stan was quoted to have said that in retrospect he was very appreciative of the tribute made to them but not of the show itself.

To commemorate the Boy's appearance on the show Hal Roach Jnr. added his own personal tribute and had the lake in his studios 'Lot of Fun' renamed after them both and erected the following plaque:

Lake Laurel and Hardy.

So named because these two world famous comedians were first teamed here at the Hal Roach Studios and because they, more than any others, were in and out of these waters.

Roach later agreed to a new television series with the Boys called 'Laurel and Hardy's Fabulous Fables', but unfortunately sickness, first with Stan and later with Ollie, prevented the shows ever been made.

Whilst not a brilliant piece of entertainment, Laurel and Hardy's appearance on 'This is Your Life' is very important as it gives us a chance to catch a rare glimpse of them when they were not 'in character', and shows us their different reactions when faced with a un-rehearsed situation. Sadly, it also marked their last television appearance together.