Laurel and Hardy (TV series)

Laurel and Hardy
GenreComedy
Voices ofLarry Harmon
Jim MacGeorge
Paul Frees
Allan Melvin
Don Messick
Hal Smith
Janet Waldo
Doug Young
Narrated byPaul Frees
Theme music composerTed Nichols
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes156
Production
ProducersWilliam Hanna
Joseph Barbera
David L. Wolper
Running time5 minutes
Production companiesLarry Harmon Pictures
David L. Wolper Productions
Hanna-Barbera Productions
Original release
ReleaseSeptember 10, 1966 (1966-09-10)[1] –
March 25, 1967 (1967-03-25)[1]

Laurel and Hardy is a 1966–1967 American animated television series and an updated version of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy's comedic acts by the animation studio Hanna-Barbera and Larry Harmon Productions.[2] Harmon had been developing the series since 1961, while Stan Laurel was still alive, although Laurel had very little involvement.[3][4]

A total of 156 shorts were made, each having its own opening and closing wrap-arounds, to make them easy to air in syndication. As Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel had died in 1957 and 1965 respectively, Jim MacGeorge provided the voice of Ollie, while Harmon voiced Stan.[5] They would later reprise their roles in an episode of The New Scooby-Doo Movies.

The majority of the cartoons usually ended with Stanley whimpering in a high register whenever things went wrong for the both of them, as they were running away after causing the damages to their situations.

Reception

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The one-season show was not well received. Critic Leonard Maltin said, "To criticize these cartoons is pointless. Any imitation, even a good one, simply cannot be Laurel and Hardy... No one can duplicate Laurel and Hardy's greatness because they were unique."[6]

Voices

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Additional Voices: Paul Frees, Allan Melvin, Don Messick, Hal Smith, Janet Waldo, Doug Young

Episodes

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[7]

Comic book

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From 1969–1974, Thorpe & Porter in the United Kingdom published a color comic book series based on the Laurel & Hardy cartoon, which lasted 141 issues[8] plus eight extra large issues.[9]

In 1972, DC Comics published a single issue of a comic book series based on the Laurel and Hardy cartoon series.[10] The cover for the unpublished second issue appears in The DC Vault.[11]

Home media

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The series has been made available in VHS and DVD formats over the last 35 years.

VHS

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  • Congress Video Group released two volumes in 1986 consisting of the following entries:
    • Volume 1 – "Can't Keep a Secret Agent", "How Green Was My Lawn Mower", "Handle With Care", "Camera Bugged", "Plumber Pudding", "Robust Robot".[12]
    • Volume 2 – "Copper Bopper", "Feud For Thought", "Love Me, Love My Puppy", "Squawking Squatter", "Goofy Gopher Goof-Up", and "Sassy Sea Serpent".[13]
  • Video Gems released the first 20 episodes on VHS over two volumes in 1988:
    • Crash and Carry – episodes 1-10
    • Can't Keep a Secret Agent – episodes 21-30
  • Parkfield Entertainment released three volumes in 1988.
    • Volume 1 – episodes 51-60, 71-72
    • Volume 2 – episodes 61-70, 73-74
    • Volume 3 – episodes 81-96
  • Gemini Entertainment LTD released 12 entries in 1991 as Always Leave 'Em Giggling

DVD

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The complete series was released on DVD in France in November 2012; it included 68 episodes in English with French subtitles.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "A Laurel and Hardy Cartoon". TV.com. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  2. ^ Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981. Scarecrow Press. pp. 168–169. ISBN 0-8108-1557-5. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  3. ^ "Letters From Stan-May 1961". Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  4. ^ "Letters From Stan-January 1963". Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  5. ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 351. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  6. ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 488–489. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  7. ^ bcdb.com February 9, 2011
  8. ^ Larry Harmon's Laurel & Hardy (Thorpe & Porter) at the Grand Comics Database
  9. ^ Laurel and Hardy Extra at the Grand Comics Database
  10. ^ Larry Harmon's Laurel and Hardy (DC Comics) at the Grand Comics Database
  11. ^ Pasko, Martin (2008). The DC Vault: A Museum-in-a-Book with Rare Collectibles from the DC Universe. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Running Press. p. 139. ISBN 978-0762432578. Unpublished 1972 Laurel and Hardy cover by Henry Scarpelli with Superman figure redrawn by Joe Orlando.
  12. ^ Larry Harmon's Laurel & Hardy cartoons, volume 1 (VHS tape, 1986). [WorldCat.org]. February 22, 1999. OCLC 32404661.
  13. ^ Larry Harmon's Laurel & Hardy cartoons, volume 2 : a Laurel & Hardy cartoon. (VHS tape, 1986). WorldCat.org. February 22, 1999. OCLC 26473727.
  14. ^ Larry Harmon. "Coffret Laurel et Hardy dessins animes - Larry Harmon : DVD & Blu-ray". Amazon.fr. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
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