I don't think there's anything on film I like more than the best work of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Even their weakest work is pretty darned good, too. I wish there were more opportunities to view it the way it should be viewed: Good prints, big screen, live audience. Early in May, the American Cinematheque group in Los Angeles will make that possible for a few days…
- On Friday, May 6 at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, there's a showing of four Laurel and Hardy shorts — Helpmates, Their First Mistake, County Hospital and The Music Box, followed by the feature, The Flying Deuces.
- On Saturday, May 7 at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica, they're running a 4 PM matinee of four shorts: Busy Bodies, Scram!, Me and My Pal and One Good Turn.
- Then in the evening, also at the Aero, they're running two features: Bonnie Scotland and The Devil's Brother.
- On Sunday, May 8 at the Aero, they're running four shorts — Come Clean, Twice Two, The Midnight Patrol and Towed in a Hole — and what many consider The Boys' best feature, Way Out West.
So we've got a big screen and I assume there'll be a live audience. What about good prints?
Answer: They seem to be getting the best available, which are a lot better than the best available for a long while. Wonderful work has been done to restore some of these films and that's what this festival is showing. Here's a little side-by-side comparison of what we've had to make do with for some time as opposed to what we now have for some, not (alas) all their films. This is the first minute or so of Me and My Pal, before and after…
See? Much better. (By the way: On that clip after the traditional Laurel and Hardy theme — "The Ku-Ku Song," aka "Dance of the Cuckoos" — the tune you're hearing is one of my favorites, "On to the Show." We all have little songs that get into our heads and happily stay there forever. That's one of mine.)
I don't know if I'll be able to get to any of these showings since I'm swamped with work and responsibilities these days but if you're local and you aren't, you might have a very good time at one or all. And maybe you'll see me there.