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.

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