Randy Skretvedt knows more about Laurel and Hardy than I do…and since I know a lot, that should give you some idea how much he knows. He sent the following note. For those not in the know, Oliver Hardy's nickname was Babe. In fact, he was billed as Oliver "Babe" Hardy or even Babe Hardy in some of his early, pre-Laurel films.
Regarding L&H's appearance on This Is Your Life, Babe Hardy's widow Lucille told me that the reason for the lengthy delay was that a tire blew out on the car taking them from the Knickerbocker hotel to the NBC studios, and that they had to walk there — which, given Babe's considerable bulk, took a while.
Stan's displeasure with the show seems to have taken root afterwards, when he viewed the 16mm print given him. He wrote in letters to fans afterward that he thought a lot of the really important people in their stories weren't on the show (Hal Roach, for one!), and that doing two lives in one half-hour meant that neither man's story was told fully enough. As for their being tight-lipped during the broadcast, Stan was concerned about making his television debut, live and coast-to-coast, in this unrehearsed surprise. Babe is much more comfortable in front of the live cameras than Stan, and we get to see his gentlemanly offscreen personality; my favorite moment comes after one of his childhood girlfriends bids her goodbye, and Babe says to Ralph Edwards, "She's still beautiful!"
Well, it's obvious Stan wasn't thrilled with the whole event. Do we have any idea why Hal Roach wasn't on the show? Or any of about two dozen of those important folks who were still alive at the time? Hal's son is on the show and that suggests to me that Senior may have been asked but declined.
It's really a fascinating bit of film, that whole episode is…certainly the only time most people ever saw Laurel and Hardy out of character. It's also a rare bit of evidence as to their popularity. The reaction of the live audience when the identity of the guests of honor is the best part.
Not to question Lucille Hardy but I'm a little puzzled by this story about the flat tire. The Knickerbocker Hotel, where Stan and Ollie were surprised, was (and still is) at 1714 Ivar Ave. in Hollywood. It's now a pretty dingy-looking retirement home. This is Your Life was done in later years from the Pantages on Hollywood near Vine but on December 1, 1954 when Laurel and Hardy were shanghaied onto it, I'm pretty sure it was at the theater at 1735 N. Vine Street which was known over the years as the El Capitan, the Jerry Lewis Theater, the Hollywood Palace and many other names. It's now a nightclub called The Avalon.
It was the El Capitan in '54 and if you went out a rear door of the Knickerbocker, you'd be no more than about fifty yards max from the rear of the El Capitan, which is presumably where the stage door entrance was located. The two buildings are practically back to back on the same block. I'm not sure why there'd be a car involved or how it could have gotten them there quicker or with less walking than merely walking there. Perhaps there was some sort of fence there that required they be taken the long way around? What am I missing here?