PERFECT DAY (1929)

Two families embark on a pleasant Sunday picnic in their Ford Model T, but manage to run into a variety of issues with the temperamental automobile. Each incident requires repeated exits and reboardings by Laurel, Hardy, their wives and grouchy, gout-ridden Uncle Edgar. A brick-throwing argument with a neighbor threatens to escalate into an all-out turf war until the local parson gets involved. The families manage to finally get their day underway, only to plunge neck-deep into a seemingly shallow, water-filled pothole.

The boys on set with Stan's daughter Lois.

BRATS (1930)

Laurel and Hardy are spending a night in with the kids. The fathers are playing checkers and snooker, but are constantly distracted by their own incompetence and by their children, constantly bullying each other and trying to stay up late. The film begins with Stan and Ollie playing a game of checkers, and Stan Jr. and Ollie Jr. playing a game of hide and seek. They smash a vase and are sent to bed. Ollie Jr. goes into the bath and chases Stan Jr. out (leaving the taps on), but slips on the soap causing part of the ceiling to crash onto the pool table. Stan and Ollie are furious and rush upstairs. When Oliver opens the door the water from the bathroom gushes out.

Stan Laurel, Elmer Raguse, James Parrott, Oliver Hardy and 2 unknowns on the "Brats" set.

A couple of rare photo of Thelma Todd on the 'bathroom' set of Brats

A CHUMP AT OXFORD (1940)

With Stan in drag, the boys get jobs as a butler and maid for a dinner party at the Vandevere's. After that ends in disaster, they're reduced to sweeping streets, and accidentally capture a bank robber. The grateful bank president sends them to Oxford for a proper education. There they become victims of student pranks, getting lost in the Maze and taking over the Dean's quarters as their own. But then a knock on the head gets Stan to believing he's the famed Lord Paddington, scholar and athlete extraordinaire. Suddenly erudite and supercilious, he retains Oliver as his valet, "Fatty."

WRONG AGAIN (1929)

Among the horses stable hands Stanley and Oliver are tending is a thoroughbred named "Blue Boy." But when they overhear two men talking about a $5000 reward for the return of the stolen "Blue Boy," they miss the part about it being the painting, not the horse. They get the owner's address, though, and bring the horse along to claim the reward. They wonder at the rich man's instructions to put "Blue Boy" on the piano but, Oliver explains, "these millionaires are peculiar."

Shooting the film.

BLOCKHEADS (1938)

It's 1938, but Stan doesn't know the war is over; he's still patrolling the trenches in France, and shoots down a French aviator. Oliver sees his old chum's picture in the paper and goes to visit Stan at the Soldier's Home. Thinking Stan is disabled (it's just that he's sitting on his leg), Oliver takes pity on him and takes him home for a nice home-cooked meal. But Oliver's wife has other ideas and leaves him to fend for himself. After blowing up the kitchen, Oliver is helped by his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Gilbert... until the big-game hunting Mr. Gilbert comes home unexpectedly, carrying a shotgun.

This was supposed to have been Stan and Ollie's farewell film with the Hal Roach Studios. Roach was moving into more serious films, and felt the Laurel and Hardy films had done their course. The problem is that Laurel and Hardy were under separate contracts, and when Stan's contract expired, he refused to sign on again unless Roach signed both he and Ollie together as a team, and separate contract players. Roach refused, Stan left while Ollie was still under contract. Roach tried to team Ollie with Harry Langdon (Langdon and Hardy) the following year in a film call Zenobia. The audiences didn't accept this and Laurel and Hardy returned to Roach for a two feature deal in 1940, after making an independent feature in 1939 called "The Flying Deuces."

Stan celebrates his birthday with a cake presented to him by the cast of Blockheads.

Between takes, Ollie has his hand prints taken by a palmist.

Shooting the 'kitchen' scene.

Preparing for the 'dump truck' scene.

Minna Gombell visits the boys on the 'Blockheads' set.

with Harry Langdon on the 'Blockheads' set.

Meeting young fans and signing autographs while on location filming 'Blockheads'.




Stan with child actress Patsy May.

THE BULLFIGHTERS (1945)

The boys are detectives working in Mexico. Laurel happens to resemble a famous matador who has disappeared, and he is enlisted to replace him in the bullring.

Stan Laurel's daughter Lois with her dad on the set of The Bullfighters.

Stan Laurel's daughter Lois with her dad, best friend Julia Baker (daughter of Clyde Cook) and Oliver Hardy on the set of The Bullfighters.

TOWED IN A HOLE (1932)

Laurel and Hardy are in the fish business. They drive around town seeing if they can sell any. Stan suggests they catch their own fish and could keep all the profits when selling them to people. Ollie likes the idea so they buy a boat at the junk yard and try, sometimes unsuccessfully, to fix it up. When the boat is finally fixed up, the whole operation goes south.

Director George Marshall with Laurel and Hardy filming the puddle scene at the Arnaz ranch.

The boys enjoy a coffee break between takes.

Waiting to film a scene.

Larking around off camera with director George Marshall.