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"No films have been mistreated and mishandled more than Laurel and Hardy’s over the past 70 years, and it’s high time someone did right by them. UCLA will be inviting fans to contribute to the cause and I will be among the first to volunteer."—Leonard Maltin, Movie Crazy
UCLA Film & Television Archive continues its long-term initiative to restore the legacy of Laurel & Hardy, working with negatives that have survived (sometimes only barely) decades of abuse and neglect. The beloved comedians’ films have been altered for theatrical re-releases and for television, with footage often discarded, lost or damaged, and improperly stored in the bargain. With this major restoration effort, the Archive has entered a new era, establishing the Laurel & Hardy Preservation Fund. Launched with a lead gift from Mr. Jeff Joseph, for two years the fund has received gifts from numerous concerned members of the public, enabling this important work to proceed and connecting the entertainers to their audience in a meaningful, new way. Donations are still received on the devoted "Laurel & Hardy" page of the Archive’s website. In this program, we showcase a number of projects restored via this initiative.
Tiembla y Titubea features the boys as unsuccessful street musicians whose luck changes when they find a lost wallet. The film is one of a number of alternate, Spanish-language versions of Laurel & Hardy shorts—in this case, their Below Zero—created for a Spanish-speaking market. The stars’ line readings in Spanish are as delightful as the story. (This is the only Spanish-language film in the lineup). In Busy Bodies, a masterpiece of physical comedy, Stan and Ollie report for work at the sawmill where they are employed, haplessly creating mayhem with planks and saws. County Hospital takes us to the sickbed of Mr. Hardy, hospitalized in traction with a broken leg, as he receives Mr. Laurel for a friendly visit. Not surprisingly, the visit leads to a number of well-intended mishaps. The program also includes two rare trailers for the well-known Laurel & Hardy feature films Babes In Toyland and A Chump at Oxford.
Shannon Kelley
