- This list contains only the films that Laurel and Hardy made together. For their solo films see Stan Laurel filmography and Oliver Hardy filmography.
Laurel and Hardy were a motion picture comedy team whose official filmography consists of 106 films released between 1921 and 1951.[1] Together they appeared in 34 silent shorts,A 45 sound shorts, and 27 full-length sound feature films.B In addition to these, Laurel and Hardy appeared in at least 20 foreign-language versions of their films and a promotional film, Galaxy of Stars (1936), produced for European film distributors.[2]
.jpg)
Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) were established as film comedians prior to their teaming, with Laurel appearing in over 50 silent films and Hardy in over 250. (Hardy also appeared in three sound features without Laurel.)[3] Although they first worked together in the film The Lucky Dog (1921), this was a chance pairing and it was not until 1926 when both separately signed contracts with the Hal Roach film studio that they appeared in film shorts together.[4] Laurel and Hardy officially became a team the following year with their 11th silent short film, The Second Hundred Years (1927).[5] The pair remained with the Roach studio until 1940.[6] Between 1941 and 1945, they appeared in eight features and one short for 20th Century Fox and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[7] After finishing their film commitments, Laurel and Hardy concentrated on stage shows, embarking on a music hall tour of Great Britain.[8] In 1950, they appeared in their last film, Atoll K, a French/Italian coproduction.[9]
In 1932, Laurel and Hardy's short The Music Box won the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film (Comedy).[10][11] In 1960, Laurel was presented with an Academy Honorary Award "for his creative pioneering in the field of cinema comedy."[12] In 1992, 1997, 2012 and 2020 respectively, Big Business (1929), The Music Box, Sons of the Desert (1933) and The Battle of the Century (1927) were added to the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[11][13][14] For their contributions to cinema, Laurel and Hardy have been awarded separate stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[15][16]
Filmography
Official films
The following is a list of Laurel and Hardy's official filmography as established in Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies by Randy Skretvedt and Laurel and Hardy by John McCabe, Al Kilgore, and Richard W. Bann. Each book lists 105 films and Skredvedt's adds a 106th in its appendix, Now I'll Tell One, a previously lost film that was partly rediscovered.[17]
Except where noted, all of these films were photographed in black and white, produced by Hal Roach, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Except where noted, all short films are two reels in length. All films produced prior to 1928 are silent and all films made after 1929 are sound. Releases from 1928 are silent except as noted. 1929 releases are identified as silent, all-talkie, or sound films with music and sound effects only.
| Release date | Title | Short / feature | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 1, 1921 | The Lucky Dog | Short | Produced by Shiller Productions[18] Public Domain |
| December 13, 1926 | 45 Minutes from Hollywood | Short | Released by Pathé Exchange Hardy in a supporting role and Laurel in a bit part[19] Public Domain |
| March 13, 1927 | Duck Soup | Short | Released by Pathé Exchange[19] Based on "Home from the Honeymoon", a sketch written by Arthur J. Jefferson (Stan Laurel's father)[19] Public Domain |
| April 3, 1927 | Slipping Wives | Short | Released by Pathé Exchange[20] Public Domain |
| June 12, 1927 | Love 'em and Weep | Short | Released by Pathé Exchange[19] Public Domain |
| July 17, 1927 | Why Girls Love Sailors | Short | Released by Pathé Exchange[19] Public Domain |
| August 28, 1927 | With Love and Hisses | Short | Released by Pathé Exchange[21] First Laurel and Hardy film where Hardy sports his iconic narrow mustache. Public Domain |
| September 10, 1927 | Sugar Daddies | Short | Public Domain |
| September 25, 1927 | Sailors, Beware! | Short | Released by Pathé Exchange[22] Public Domain |
| October 5, 1927 | Now I'll Tell One | Short | Partly lost film[17] Public Domain |
| October 8, 1927 | The Second Hundred Years | Short | The first "official" Laurel and Hardy film in which they are presented as a team[5] Public Domain |
| October 15, 1927 | Call of the Cuckoo | Short | Laurel and Hardy and Charley Chase in supporting roles[23] Public Domain |
| November 5, 1927 | Hats Off | Short | Lost film[24] Public Domain |
| November 20, 1927 | Do Detectives Think? | Short | First film in which the duo appear in their standard costumes Public Domain |
| December 3, 1927 | Putting Pants on Philip | Short | Their first "official" film together as a team.[25] Public Domain |
| December 31, 1927 | The Battle of the Century | Short | Once partly lost film,[26] but found in 2015.[27] Added to the National Film Registry in 2020. Public Domain |
| January 28, 1928 | Leave 'Em Laughing | Short | Public Domain |
| February 12, 1928 | Flying Elephants | Short | Public Domain |
| February 25, 1928 | The Finishing Touch | Short | Public Domain |
| March 24, 1928 | From Soup to Nuts | Short | Public Domain |
| April 21, 1928 | You're Darn Tootin' | Short | Public Domain |
| May 19, 1928 | Their Purple Moment | Short | Public Domain |
| September 8, 1928 | Should Married Men Go Home? | Short | The first Hal Roach film to bill Laurel and Hardy as a team. Previous appearances together were billed under the Roach "All-Star Comedy" banner. Public Domain |
| October 6, 1928 | Early to Bed | Short | Public Domain |
| November 3, 1928 | Two Tars | Short | Public Domain |
| December 1, 1928 | Habeas Corpus | Short | Sound (music and synchronized sound effects only)[28] Public Domain |
| December 29, 1928 | We Faw Down | Short | Sound (music and synchronized sound effects only)[29] Public Domain |
| January 26, 1929 | Liberty | Short | Sound (music and synchronized sound effects only)[30] |
| February 23, 1929 | Wrong Again | Short | Sound (music and synchronized sound effects only)[31] |
| March 23, 1929 | That's My Wife | Short | Sound (music and synchronized sound effects only)[32] |
| April 29, 1929 | Big Business | Short | Silent[33] Added to the National Film Registry in 1992.[13] |
| May 4, 1929 | Unaccustomed As We Are | Short | Sound (all-talking)[34] |
| May 28, 1929 | Double Whoopee | Short | Silent[35] Features a notable early appearance by Jean Harlow |
| June 1, 1929 | Berth Marks | Short | Sound (all-talking)[36] |
| June 29, 1929 | Men O' War | Short | Sound (all-talking)[37] |
| August 10, 1929 | Perfect Day | Short | Sound (all-talking)[38] |
| September 21, 1929 | They Go Boom | Short | Sound (all-talking)[39] |
| October 19, 1929 | Bacon Grabbers | Short | Sound (music and synchronized sound effects only)[40] |
| November 16, 1929 | The Hoose-Gow | Short | Sound (all-talking)[41] |
| November 29, 1929 | The Hollywood Revue of 1929 | Feature | Sound (all-talking)[42] All-star revue produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer[43] Nominated—Academy Award for Best Picture[44] |
| December 14, 1929 | Angora Love | Short | Sound (music and synchronized sound effects only)[45] |
| January 4, 1930 | Night Owls | Short | |
| January 21, 1930 | The Rogue Song | Feature | Operetta film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer with Laurel and Hardy in supporting roles Filmed in Technicolor Partially lost Public Domain |
| February 8, 1930 | Blotto | Short | Three reels[46] |
| March 22, 1930 | Brats | Short | |
| April 26, 1930 | Below Zero | Short | |
| May 31, 1930 | Hog Wild | Short | |
| September 6, 1930 | The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case | Short | Three reels[47] |
| November 29, 1930 | Another Fine Mess | Short | Three reels[48] Remake of Duck Soup |
| February 7, 1931 | Be Big! | Short | Three reels[49] |
| February 21, 1931 | Chickens Come Home | Short | Three reels[50] Remake of Love 'Em and Weep |
| April 1, 1931 | The Stolen Jools | Short | Presented by National Variety Artists and released by Paramount Cameo appearances by Laurel and Hardy[51] Public Domain |
| April 4, 1931 | Laughing Gravy | Short | |
| May 16, 1931 | Our Wife | Short | |
| August 15, 1931 | Pardon Us | Feature | |
| September 19, 1931 | Come Clean | Short | |
| October 31, 1931 | One Good Turn | Short | |
| December 12, 1931 | Beau Hunks | Short | Four reels[52] |
| December 26, 1931 | On the Loose | Short | Stars ZaSu Pitts and Thelma Todd Cameo appearances by Laurel and Hardy[53] |
| January 23, 1932 | Helpmates | Short | |
| March 5, 1932 | Any Old Port! | Short | |
| April 16, 1932 | The Music Box | Short | Three reels[54] Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film[55] Added to the National Film Registry in 1997.[11] |
| May 21, 1932 | The Chimp | Short | Three reels[56] |
| June 25, 1932 | County Hospital | Short | |
| September 10, 1932 | Scram! | Short | |
| September 23, 1932 | Pack Up Your Troubles | Feature | |
| November 5, 1932 | Their First Mistake | Short | |
| December 31, 1932 | Towed in a Hole | Short | |
| February 25, 1933 | Twice Two | Short | |
| April 22, 1933 | Me and My Pal | Short | |
| May 5, 1933 | The Devil's Brother | Feature | Based on the opera Fra Diavolo by Daniel Auber[57] |
| August 3, 1933 | The Midnight Patrol | Short | |
| October 7, 1933 | Busy Bodies | Short | |
| October 28, 1933 | Wild Poses | Short | Our Gang film with cameo appearances by Laurel and Hardy[58] |
| November 25, 1933 | Dirty Work | Short | |
| December 29, 1933 | Sons of the Desert | Feature | Added to the National Film Registry in 2012.[14] |
| January 13, 1934 | Oliver the Eighth | Short | Three reels[59] |
| June 1, 1934 | Hollywood Party | Feature | A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production[60] Public Domain |
| June 23, 1934 | Going Bye-Bye! | Short | |
| July 21, 1934 | Them Thar Hills | Short | |
| November 30, 1934 | Babes in Toyland | Feature | Based on the operetta by Victor Herbert and Glen MacDonough Reissued as March of the Wooden Soldiers, March of the Toys, and Revenge Is Sweet[61] Public Domain |
| December 11, 1934 | The Live Ghost | Short | |
| January 5, 1935 | Tit for Tat | Short | Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.[62] |
| February 26, 1935 | The Fixer Uppers | Short | |
| August 6, 1935 | Thicker than Water | Short | |
| August 23, 1935 | Bonnie Scotland | Feature | |
| February 14, 1936 | The Bohemian Girl | Feature | Adapted from the opera by Michael William Balfe and Alfred Bunn[63] With Darla Hood |
| May 11, 1936 | On the Wrong Trek | Short | Charley Chase comedy with cameo appearances by Laurel and Hardy[64] |
| October 30, 1936 | Our Relations | Feature | |
| April 16, 1937 | Way Out West | Feature | |
| May 21, 1937 | Pick a Star | Feature | Cameo appearances by Laurel and Hardy[65] |
| May 20, 1938 | Swiss Miss | Feature | |
| August 19, 1938 | Block-Heads | Feature | Cameo appearance of Tommy Bond. |
| October 20, 1939 | The Flying Deuces | Feature | An RKO Radio Pictures production[66] Public Domain |
| February 16, 1940 | A Chump at Oxford | Feature | Released by United Artists[67] |
| May 3, 1940 | Saps at Sea | Feature | Released by United Artists[68] |
| October 10, 1941 | Great Guns | Feature | A 20th Century Fox production[69] |
| August 7, 1942 | A-Haunting We Will Go | Feature | A 20th Century Fox production[70] |
| April 4, 1943 | Air Raid Wardens | Feature | A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production[71] |
| April 17, 1943 | The Tree in a Test Tube | Short | One-reel film (in color) produced by the United States Department of Agriculture. Laurel and Hardy, appearing in cameos, made this during the filming of Jitterbugs.[72] Public Domain |
| June 11, 1943 | Jitterbugs | Feature | A 20th Century Fox production[73] |
| November 1, 1943 | The Dancing Masters | Feature | A 20th Century Fox production[74] |
| September 22, 1944 | The Big Noise | Feature | A 20th Century Fox production[75] |
| December 6, 1944 | Nothing but Trouble | Feature | A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production[76] |
| May 18, 1945 | The Bullfighters | Feature | A 20th Century Fox production[77] |
| November 21, 1951 | Atoll K | Feature | A co-production of Les Films Sirius (France), Franco-London Films (France), and Fortezza Films (Italy); released in the United Kingdom as Escapade; reissued in the United States as Robinson Crusoe-Land and Utopia[78] Public Domain |
Foreign-language versions
During the early days of sound American motion picture companies often made foreign-language versions of their films. The following is a list of known foreign-language versions of Laurel and Hardy films.[79]
| Year | English | French | German | Spanish | Italian | Esperanto |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Night Owls | Ladrones (Thieves) | Ladroni (Thieves) Currently lost | Ŝtelistoj (Thieves) Currently lost | ||
| 1930 | Blotto | Une Nuit Extravagante (An Extravagant Night) | La Vida Nocturna (The Night Life) | |||
| 1930 | Brats | Les bons petits diables (Good Little Devils) Currently lost | Glückliche Kindheit (Happy Childhood) Currently lost | Dos Buenos Chicos (Two Good Boys) Currently lost | ||
| 1930 | Below Zero | Tiembla y Titubea (Shivering and Shaking) | ||||
| 1930 | Hog Wild | Pêle-mêle (Pell-Mell) Currently lost | Radiomanía (Radio Mania) Currently lost | |||
| 1930 | Berth Marks and The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case | Feu mon oncle (My Late Uncle) Currently lost | Spuk um Mitternacht (Haunting at Midnight) | Noche de Duendes (Night of the Goblins) | ||
| 1930 | Chickens Come Home | Politiquerias (Playing at Politics) | ||||
| 1931 | Be Big! and Laughing Gravy | Les Carottiers (The Chiselers) | Los Calaveras (The Skulls) |
| Year | English | French | German | Spanish | Italian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | Pardon Us | Sous Les Verrous (Under the Locks) Currently lost | Hinter Schloss und Riegel (Under Lock and Key) Only a handful of clips survive | De Bote En Bote (From Cell to Cell) | Muraglie (Walls) Currently lost |
Note: A lost German-language version of The Hollywood Revue of 1929, Wir Schalten um auf Hollywood (We Switch to Hollywood), was made and released in 1931. Apparently Laurel and Hardy do not appear in it.[80]
Promotional film
| Release date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Galaxy of Stars | A promotional short film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer only for MGM exhibitors in Europe and Africa, featuring Laurel and Hardy. Rediscovered in 2005.[2] |
Compilation films
| Release date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 | The Golden Age of Comedy | * Written, produced, and directed by Robert Youngson. * Narrated by Dwight Weist and Ward Wilson. * Features clips from The Second Hundred Years (1927), The Battle of the Century (1927), You're Darn Tootin' (1928), Two Tars (1928), We Faw Down (1928), and Double Whoopee (1929). |
| 1960 | When Comedy Was King | * Written, produced, and directed by Robert Youngson. * Narrated by Dwight Weist. * Features clips from Big Business (1929). |
| 1961 | Days of Thrills and Laughter | * Written, produced, and directed by Robert Youngson. * Narrated by Jay Jackson. |
| 1963 | 30 Years of Fun | * Written, produced, and directed by Robert Youngson. * Features clips from The Lucky Dog (1921). |
| 1964 | The Big Parade of Comedy | * Written, produced, and directed by Robert Youngson. * Narrated by Les Tremayne. * Features clips from Hollywood Party (1934) and Bonnie Scotland (1935). * Also known as M.G.M.'s Big Parade of Comedy. |
| 1965 | Laurel and Hardy's Laughing 20's | * Written, produced, and directed by Robert Youngson. * Narrated by Jay Jackson. * Features clips from Thicker than Water (1935), 45 Minutes from Hollywood (1926), Sugar Daddies (1927), The Second Hundred Years (1927), Call of the Cuckoo (1927), Putting Pants on Philip (1927), The Battle of the Century (1927), Leave 'Em Laughing (1928), The Finishing Touch (1928), From Soup to Nuts (1928), You're Darn Tootin' (1928), Two Tars (1928), Habeas Corpus (1928), We Faw Down (1928), Liberty (1929), Wrong Again (1929), and Double Whoopee (1929). |
| 1966 | The Crazy World of Laurel and Hardy | * Written by Bill Scott. * Produced by Hal Roach, Jr., Raymond Rohauer, and Jay Ward. * Narrated by Garry Moore. * Features clips from Perfect Day (1929), Bacon Grabbers (1929), The Hoose-Gow (1929), Blotto (1930), Hog Wild (1930), Chickens Come Home (1931), Come Clean (1931), Beau Hunks (1931), Helpmates (1932), Any Old Port! (1932), The Music Box (1932), Towed in a Hole (1932), Me and My Pal (1933), Busy Bodies (1933), Dirty Work (1933), Sons of the Desert (1933), Going Bye-Bye! (1934), Thicker than Water (1935), The Bohemian Girl (1936), Way Out West (1937), Swiss Miss (1938), and Block-Heads (1938). |
| 1967 | The Further Perils of Laurel and Hardy | * Written, produced, and directed by Robert Youngson. * Narrated by Jay Jackson. * Features clips from Sugar Daddies (1927), The Second Hundred Years (1927), Do Detectives Think? (1927), Leave 'Em Laughing (1928), Flying Elephants (1928), You're Darn Tootin' (1928), Should Married Men Go Home? (1928), Early to Bed (1928), Habeas Corpus (1928), That's My Wife (1929), and Angora Love (1929). |
| 1969 | The Best of Laurel and Hardy | * Produced and directed by James L. Wolcott. * Features clips from Night Owls (1930), Below Zero (1930), Be Big! (1931), Laughing Gravy (1931), Our Wife (1931), Pardon Us (1931), One Good Turn (1931), County Hospital (1932), Their First Mistake (1932), The Live Ghost (1934), and Our Relations (1936). |
| 1970 | 4 Clowns | * Written, produced, and directed by Robert Youngson. * Narrated by Jay Jackson. * Features clips from The Second Hundred Years (1927), Putting Pants on Philip (1927), Big Business (1929), Double Whoopee (1929), Two Tars (1928), and Their Purple Moment (1928). |
References
Notes
A.^ "A short film is defined as an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits."[81]
B.^ "Under the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rules, a feature-length motion picture must have a running time of more than 40 minutes and must have been exhibited theatrically on 35mm or 70mm film, or in a qualifying digital format."[82]
Footnotes
Bibliography
- Everson, William K. (1973). The Films of Laurel and Hardy. Secaucus, NJ, USA: Citadel Press, Inc. ISBN 0-8065-0146-4.
- McCabe, John; Kilgore, Al; Bann, Richard W. (1975). Laurel and Hardy. New York, NY, USA: E. P. Dutton. ISBN 0-525-14395-5.
- Skretvedt, Randy (1994). Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies. Beverly Hills, CA, USA: Past Times. ISBN 0-940410-29X.
- Stone, Rob (1996). Laurel or Hardy. Temecula, CA, USA: Split Reel. ISBN 0-9652384-0-7.
External links
- Official website
- Laurel and Hardy Magazine
- Bengtson, John (9 September 2011). "Stan, Ollie, and Harold – a Drive Through Bunker Hill". silent film locations (and more). Retrieved 13 January 2022.
Bunker Hill and downtown Los Angeles taken in the late 1940s. The stock footage