There Is A Reason I Like Laurel & Hardy

On November 4th my dad would have been 99 years old.  When I was young I lived in Northern Wisconsin, a town called Rice Lake.  We got several tv stations there--back in the day when four channels and once in a while one from Duluth was a big deal.  No cable.  We got 'CCO, KSTP, WEAU (from Eau Claire) and WTCN --from The Cities.  (Minneapolis/St Paul)  Every Sunday morning at ten a.m sharp we got Laurel and Hardy and if there was one thing I never missed was that single hour or two where me and my dad had something in common.  

At first I really was fascinated about how old the 'shows' were.  "Below Zero" was a particular favorite and still is.  It's a very dark comedy short, not quite as laughable as everything else.  Two fellas, out of work, homeless, standing on a snowy street corner in the depth of winter singing, "In the Good Old Summertime".  Stan had a wheezy concertina and Ollie had this incredible voice.  It was sweet and lovely, like the song.  I grew to love him very much.  My father, when he sang, sounded like Oliver.  And he would laugh with me at every gag, at every single silly moment.  

Is there anything better than sharing Laurel and Hardy with someone for the first time?  Two gentle men, who really loved each other.  It's there on the film.  It's true. And maybe that's why it's funny in a clean, fresh way.  Because there are no untruths between these men.  Maybe Ollie did want to go play golf all the time and Stan was the true brains of the duo, but I don't buy that.  Two hearts together, as they were, brought together as if they were born at the same moment and destined to bring joy to the world with the simple purity of two as one.

This is the last photo taken of them.  They stand like troupers, smiling for the cameraman who took this film.  Here is one that is silly.  

They have been a part of my life since I was about seven years old. Dad had a friend named Henry.  They used to do pretty much everything together and when he died I don't think Dad ever recovered from that blow.  They were a terrific team Dad and Henry.  Like Laurel and Hardy, they had a friendship that was true, and one was balanced by the other.  Maybe Dad did see him and Henry in "the boys".  I like to think he did. 

Take a moment and watch "Perfect Day".  After a bad day I like to watch this short and laugh.  Such a silly family, so many laughs.  I kind of miss laughing with Dad.