Deconstructing Laurel & Hardy : A Comedy-O-Rama Hour Special

This comedy hour combines audio from classic Laurel andHardy movie clips with a new radio theater production in which "e;the boys"e; opena fix-it shop and recall their past failures as they handle a barrage of wackycustomers.In the new moments, full of funny sound effects and music,Joe Bev voices not only Stan and Ollie but James Finlayson, Billy Bletcher,Edgar Kennedy, and other characters, including a dog. All of the female roles,including Mae Busch, are voiced by Lorie Kellogg.Along the way listeners are treated to hilarious momentsfrom Hal Roach's classic Laurel and Hardy sound films. Among the highlights ofthe special is when Bev intercuts a scene from the English film Blotto with the Spanish version, La vida nocturna, one of the films in which Laurel and Hardy spoke phonetically.The duo was one of the most popular andcritically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era ofAmerican cinema. Composed of thin Englishman Stan Laurel and large AmericanOliver Hardy, they became well known during the late 1920s for their slapstickcomedy, with Laurel playing the clumsy and childlike friend of the pompousHardy. They made over one hundred films together, initially two-reelers (shortfilms) before expanding into feature-length works in the 1930s. Their filmsinclude Sons of the Desert, theAcademy Award-winning short film TheMusic Box, Babes in Toyland, and Way out West. Hardy's catchphrase, "e;Well,here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!"e; is still widely recognized.