Laurel & Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies

by Randy Skretvedt, Steve Allen (Foreword)

The beloved comedy team comes to life in this behind-the-scenes look at their unique working methods. The most detailed and accurate account of the team's career, based on exclusive interviews with their friends and associates, original shooting scripts, studio publicity material and production logs, family scrapbooks and legal depositions. Includes a who's who of supporting players and technical crew members, details on newly rediscovered films, lost footage and a resource guide.

Genres: Nonfiction, Media Tie In, Biography, Film

630 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the finest examples of film history research ever published. Randy Skretvedt has accumulated and processed and elegantly written about virtually every worthwhile aspect of the team careers of Hollywood's greatest comedy pairing. This 600+-page book thrilled me, not merely as a fan of Laurel & Hardy who relished the amount of insight into their work, but also as a film researcher myself who found himself dumbfounded by the amount of information Skretvedt was able to uncover, analyze, and organize. This one goes on my list of the finest film history books ever published. Note: This review refers to the Ultimate Edition published in 2016.

[Samantha Glasser]

I am a girl who likes direct quotes. Let the people who were there tell the story. It also gives you a sense of their voice that scholarly writing doesn’t. Skretvedt clearly agrees with me. Thank the good Lord that he had the foresight to seek out the supporting players of the Hal Roach films before they were all gone. We get to hear extensively from them here. That’s what makes this book timeless; despite the fact that it was published more than 30 years ago, it is still the best resource for information on the Laurel and Hardy films.

Randy Skretvedt will be at the Columbus Moving Picture Show in May 2025 to sign copies of his books.

[Steve Aldous · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say this book is the most detailed work on the films of Laurel & Hardy would be an understatement. Skretvedt’s knowledge of his subject is second to none. He acknowledges many other scholars of the comedy duo’s work, but none has come close to this level of research and presentation. As the blurb states this is a much expanded version of a book originally published thirty years ago. Skretvedt covers L&H’s film career in meticulous detail through reference to source studio documentation, scripts and Stan’s notes as well as interviews with cast and crew. The author also provides his own analysis on every one of their films as a team from the silent shorts throught to the talkies and their feature films. It’s a story that demonstrates how Hal Roach studios created an environment in which the team could work without interference enabling them to capitalise on their ideas. This is contrasted with their later films, in the 1940s, at Fox and MGM, where studios protocol acted as a straight-jacket restricting the duo’s effectiveness.

The book itself is a weighty hardback of 630 glossy pages. Many of the photos are rare and often serve to show scenes deleted from the final product or link into the private lives of Stan and Ollie – both of whom had more than their fair share of marital problems. It is a beautiful presentation and a must for L&H enthusiasts and fans of cinema in general.

[Arthur Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinarily impressive book, discussing every movie in detail and even providing biographical information on many of the team's co-workers. I cannot imagine that this massive work will ever be surpassed.

[Alyssa DeLeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really phenomenal book! I appreciated the many points of view to give some realness to the stories. Sure, we had Laurel’s quotes on a moment; but we also had Roach’s, a bit of Hardy’s, the directors…you get all sides of the story. Very well written and researched.

[Mick Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

the best book on the boys i have read,very well researched.the only downside is some of their films i liked and the author didnt and vice versa.the postscript about the co stars and tech staff were very interesting.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is truly the ultimate book about Laurel and Hardy and one of the greatest books on film comedy ever written. This is a must for anyone who loves Laurel and Hardy. Randy Skretvedt has done an amazing job researching and writing this.

[Michael Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a novel so you cannot read it in a day or two. I read it over a week. It goes into detail on L&H's many shorts and films, their backgrounds, and the people who worked on them, with the crew's memories and some private photos.
Their best days and films were with Hal Roach, and it looked like everyone had a great time for the most of it. A script might just be a few pages long for a two reeler (20 minutes) comedy and that could be totally changed as they ad-libbed a lot. Anyone, even the crew, could make suggestions for gags. They had previews of the finished shorts, and sometimes went back and reshot some scenes.
Four or more of them sometimes had a sing song with the piano and it is a pity none were filmed, with sound as they had good voices.
Sound came in and it was good and bad. They had to be careful of background noises, but it made a lot of money in that the comedies were dubbed for England (?), France, Germany and Spain so lots more money in sales for the studio.
Things changed after the Great Depression when people did not have so much money so two films were what was wanted. But the comedies continued to be made with some films "A Stan Laurel Production" on them, like WAY OUT WEST.
But both Stan and Ollie (he preferred Babe) had made some bad marriage choices and the ex's tried to gouge as much money out of them as they could, notably a Russian woman Stan married who made his life hell and it affected his career. He began drinking. He angrily argued with Hal Roach on Babes in Toyland, then on Bonnie Scotland, and there was bad publicity, like a night in the cells for DUI.
Charlie Chaplin could get away with controlling everything as he put up the money, etc but not Stan and after he caused enough contract trouble and had enough tantrums, he and Ollie made their greatest mistake by leaving Hal Roach. They went to Fox, which was a disaster as Stan and Ollie became just some more actors with set scripts and no laughter, and as the book shows, the Forties films were mostly bad.
They had both earned good money, Stan more than Ollie as Stan did most of the work, while Ollie played golf, and the tax man caught up with them. And while they were mobbed wherever they went, home and abroad, their careers declined.
Woke warning. Page 366. Ollie is said to be homophobic. He works testing horns and the noise drives him crazy so he is hornophobic. A spelling mistake.

[Chris Lund · Rating 4 out of 5]

The level of detail in this book is stunning. I can't imagine how much research and hard work must have gone into this. It makes me feel like I was on site for the writing and recording of every one of these films. It's so overwhelming that sometimes it almost feels like TOO much detail. In addition to the facts about the films themselves, we get many mini biographies of everybody involved in the process, from actor to writer to cameraman to the props department and more. This is an essential acquisition for anybody looking for a comprehensive Laurel and Hardy reference guide.

[Chb4usc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stares it is "THE Definitive Book on the World's Greatest Comedy team." And it is...
Have read several books on L&H films and bios....This is most through on every film and history of
their lives. Well researched. Well written. Well done!

[Mark Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written account of two comedians I have always loved. It covers their whole career from before they met up until their deaths. It's a warm hearted book by someone who also loves them. They were comic geniuses.

[Ken Kirchner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone who loves Laurel and Hardy should read this. It’s rich with detail about each of their movies and also their lives at the time the movies were being made. Thanks Randy for this insight into the world of Laurel and Hardy.

[Ralph · Rating 5 out of 5]

What the heck does the description that shows up have to do with the Laurel and Hardy book pictured?

I read the L&H book and it was most enlightening giving a superb accounting of how, when, where the duo got together and the making of their films. It not only details the L&H connection but also provides information on the people who were in the films, the technical people involved and the studio heads. The studio heads often did more to screw up the making of a film than you might otherwise think.

Highly recommended.

[Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book Randy loves his subject , so beings us many details and insights .I have seen him on tv discussing the boys and he really knows their career and also personal lives .