'The Comedy World of Stan Laurel' is a vivid and intimate biography of one of the all-time masters of comedy.
John McCabe follows Stan Laurel's career from his early days in British variety, his arrival in the United States, the first films, to his teaming up with Oliver Hardy in 1936 and their meteoric rise to fame. Arthur Stanley Jefferson (Stan Laurel) was born on June 16, 1890 in Ulverston in North Lancashire (presently Cumbria), England. Stan's first professional theatrical engagement was as a boy-comedian at the Britannia Theater in Glasgow. He would become a film legend, and one-half of the world-famous comedy team of Laurel & Hardy. Stan Laurel's film career spanned 35 years and 182 pictures. The official teaming of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy took place in 1927 with the release of "Duck Soup." Laurel & Hardy made 117 films together between 1926 and 1952. "The Music Box" won the 1932 Oscar for "Best Live Action Short Subject." It was the only Laurel & Hardy film to win such an award. In 1961, Stan was honoured by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with an Oscar for his creative pioneering in the field of comedy. Stan's only regret was that Oliver was not there to share in the recognition. Stan Laurel passed away on February 23, 1965, after suffering a heart attack.
