HAL ROACH & METRO GOLDWYN MAYER PRESENT LAUREL AND
HARDY
Commercial Recording
Recorded 1932, Britain.
Cast: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Van
Phillips and Orchestra.
In 1932, Stan and Babe ventured upon a joint vacation of the
British
Isles. For Stan, it was to be a chance to see his family, especially
his father. For Babe, merely an opportunity to relax and indulge in
some golf. What happened, as legend has it, is that from the moment
they stepped on British soil, they were treated like heroes - and what
was to be a relaxing vacation turned into a whirlwind series of
personal appearances in front of adoring and sometimes overenthusiastic
crowds. Descriptions of the reaction of the crowds to Stan and Ollie
read like Beatlemania without the Beatles. It was a revelation to both
men, who had no idea how loved they were overseas (or at home, for that
matter.)
As a way of thanking their fans, Stan
and Babe stopped off at a London
recording studio and made their one and only commercially available
gramophone recording, a short sketch of Stan's based on their situation
- visiting the British Isles. Ollie begins to make a speech thanking the British fans
for their hospitality, but Stan cannot help but interrupt and annoy.
On the flip side of the record, Ollie introduces a dance version of their familiar theme
song, T. Marvin Hatley's "The Dance of the Cuckoos", arranged by Van
Phillips.