That image of Stan and Ollie endlessly struggling to carry a crated piano up a ridiculously long flight of steps. They likely can’t remember the name of the picture, but they can certainly describe the action.

When asked, it is the Laurel and Hardy film that so many people recall instantly, even those with only a mere passing interest in the team. It sets the standard that all other Laurel and Hardy comedies are compared against. The Music Box is quite simply a masterpiece. It is also a popular opinion that The Music Box is the very best of these shorts and again, Stan Laurel is amongst those that identify this picture as the team’s finest. The two and three reelers are widely considered to be Laurel and Hardy’s greatest work, a view held by Stan Laurel himself, who was very reluctant to commit the team to feature-length productions. During their three day location at the stairs they signed approximately 2000 autographs and more than 3500 people watched them at work.” With all the guard, however the two comedians were swamped at lunch time by autograph seekers and regular fans. But during the filming of “The Music Box” a special squad of police officers was obtained to keep the interested spectators from interfering with the production. Reminiscing, the two comedians said that only a few people were at hand to watch them at work on their first picture and many walked away before they had made one scene.

Although they appeared together in “Duck Soup” the cast was an all-star and little thought was given to them as a team. It was on these stairs that Laurel and Hardy performed their funny antics for “Hats Off”, the first comedy in which they were teamed as stars. But that is precisely what happened to Laurel and Hardy when they began work again on a long flight of stairs which play an important part in “The Music Box”… The aforementioned stairs are an anniversary memento to the careers of these famous stars. “Imagine anyone, especially two popular screen comedians, waxing sentimental over a flight of stairs. On the contrary, the Roach studios Press Sheet actually drew attention to it: What’s interesting to note is that although The Music Box was a simple rehash of an old idea, the Hal Roach studio did not feel the need to hide the fact. Unusually though, we are unable to state whether or not the remake improved upon the original, as the predecessor just happens to be the only remaining ‘lost’ Laurel and Hardy film, Hats Off! One studio strategy that was encouraged at this time was to dust off old story ideas and re-work them, rather than devising brand new ideas, saving time, and all importantly, money.Īs a result, the boys’ first release for 1932, The Music Box, was yet another shameless re-working, at least in part, of another one of the team’s earlier pictures. Ginsberg maintained a tight hold on the purse strings, making him a very unpopular figure on the lot, but, be that as it may, he was very successful at reducing the studio’s expenditure.

The artists, especially the Laurel and Hardy unit, were under increasing pressure to produce top-quality short subjects on shoestring budgets.Ĭreating and executing new and expensive films and even costly individual gags, such as the building and burning of a bungalow in their previous picture, Helpmates, was now out of the question. Hardy decided to re-organize and re-supervise their entire financial structure – So they took the $3.80 and went into business”.Īs The Great Depression continued into 1932, so too did the economy drive, instigated and enforced by Henry Ginsberg at the Roach studios.

When were laurel and hardy movies made