Customer Reviews

The Complete Films Of Laurel & Hardy (Film Books)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Motion-picture authority William K. Everson wrote the first book-length guide to Laurel & Hardy movies (it was originally published in 1967). If you or someone you know are Laurel & Hardy fans, this book is a lot of fun. Everson summarizes each Laurel & Hardy film and discusses the various strong and weak points. You'd think this would be dry and dull, but Everson knew and loved his subject, and his very enjoyable book has given many Laurel & Hardy fans the chance to become familiar with the films. There are also dozens and dozens of photographs. The book's only drawback was not Everson's fault: several "lost" Laurel & Hardy films have been rediscovered since 1967, but the publisher decided against revising the book. So the text is still vintage 1967, and now it isn't really the "Complete" films of Laurel & Hardy, but it's still a fine "episode guide."

This nicely-photographed look at the films of Laurel and Hardy should put smiles on many faces. Author William Everson lists their films in chronological order, offering a synopsis for each and analyzing its strengths and weaknesses. The author also provides a box listing the producer (usually Hal Roach), director, supporting cast members, etc. Stan Laurel (1890-1965) and Oliver Hardy (1892-1957) teamed up for some 100 shorts and feature films during their successful 1927-1945 partnership, and most appear in these pages (a few "lost" films do not). The author also provides a brief biography of both men, a look at their early careers before they teamed up, and an analysis of their routines. I gave this enjoyable book just four stars due to a couple factual errors (Laurel's birth year is off) and an omission of biographical trivia. For example, Hardy enjoyed the track, while Laurel in retirement helped rising comics like Dick Van Dyke, and took calls from curious fans in his Santa Monica apartment (his number was listed). Despite these minor flaws, this is an amusing and informative read.

As many know, the official Laurel and Hardy appreciation club ("The Sons of the Desert") is on-line and currently has many chapters in North America, Europe and Australia.

I would have rated this book with 5 stars instead of 4 except that it has some factual errors. These are minor though and this book is really a classic on my favourite comedy couple. It tells about each of their films in chronological order. The other books on L&H I recommend are 'The Magic Behind the Movies', 'Mr L and Mr H' and also 'Babe' by John McCabe, and 'Stan' bt Fred Guiles. Also I recommend to everyone who loves funny things to read a novel called 'Rastus Reilly'. It is very naughty but in a nice way and it echoes L&H movies in some ways.

This book is perfect for Laurel and Hardy enthusiasts. It contains
a solid introduction on the evolution of the partnership with
dozens of pictures of the dual team. They played in tens of
films including: Forty-Five Minutes from Hollywood, Why Girls Love
Sailors, Flying Elephants, Call of the Cuckoo, The Finishing Touch,
Liberty, Be Big and a host of others. This volume would make a fine
gift for any student, film enthusiast or cultural enthusiast.
It is well worth the price charged for the considerable value
of the pictorial content alone. This work complements an earlier
version published in the 1960s.

I've been enjoying this book since I was an infant in the 70s. In fact, my first edition print has recently fallen apart, which is why I'm here. The hundreds of production stills are hilarious and it gives short plot summaries and slightly more in-depth critical reviews for every one of their films - from their classic silent and talkie shorts of the late 20s and early 30s to their abysmal 20th Century Fox features of the 40s. Great intro to the boys. My only complaint would be that the book, to the best of my knowledge, hasn't been updated in over 40 years. Without the availability of a VCR to reexamine the details of each film, Everson gets some of the info wrong. Also, a few missing films have been recovered since this was written, so info is outdated/incorrect for these films as well. Minor qualms, though. This is a magnificent book.

What can one say this is one of the classic Laurel and Hardy books! However, my copy has an incorrect birthdate for Stan Laurel. This should have been corrected before being reissued. It is a good book for the basics on the best comedy team in history and is still a fun book to read.

Changing the title from "The Films of ..." to "The Complete Films of ...", this welcomed re-issue (from 1967) chronicles the best comedy team the movies ever had. Rich with photos, this serves as a fine example of why Mr. Everson was such a revered wiriter of books concerning Hollywood's Golden Age and greatest players. From classics to clunkers, all of the team's films are reviewed and illustrated. A must for students of comedy and the legion of fans of "Mr. Hardy, and this is my friend, Mr. Laurel".