Exclusive Trailer for Film Forum's Retrospective on Laurel & Hardy Honors Comedy Legends

      Comedy legends Stan Laurel (1890-1965) and Oliver Hardy (1892-1957) will receive a much-deserved retrospective in New York City this summer. The "Laurel & Hardy" festival, spanning two weeks and showcasing over 50 comedy classics, will take place at Film Forum from Friday, July 10, to Thursday, July 23. This retrospective celebrates the centenary of their first film for producer Hal Roach, and we are excited to exclusively unveil its trailer.

      This is the duo's first significant retrospective in decades, featuring new restorations of many of their beloved films and short subjects, including Sons of the Desert, Way Out West, Babes in Toyland, Brats, Blotto, The Music Box (the Oscar-winning Best Live Action Short Comedy of 1932), among many others.

      Bruce Goldstein, the festival's producer and programmer, states, “No comedians have had a more lasting appeal than Laurel & Hardy, who, a century after their initial pairing, remain cherished worldwide.” He continues, “In Italy, they're referred to as ‘Stanlio e Ollio,’ in Germany as ‘Dick und Dorf,’ in Spanish-speaking regions as ‘El Gordo y el Flaco,’ in Poland as ‘Flip i Flap,’ and they have affectionate nicknames in Asia and Africa as well. When transitioning from silent to sound films, producer Hal Roach was concerned about losing their international audience. To accommodate multi-lingual fans before subtitling and dubbing existed, several of their shorts and initial features were produced in multiple languages, with Stan and Ollie learning to speak Spanish, French, Italian, or German phonetically. The festival will showcase some of these intriguing international versions.”

      The Laurel & Hardy festival is organized in collaboration with The Sons of the Desert, a Laurel & Hardy appreciation society established in New York in 1965. There are currently “tents” worldwide. Special thanks to Jack Roth, Grand Sheik and Keeper of the Celluloid of the New York City Founding Tent of the Sons of the Desert, as well as to Jeff Joseph (SabuCat Productions), Serge Bromberg (Blackhawk Film Collection), Todd Weiner, and Steven K. Hill (UCLA Film & Television Archive), Kit Parker, and The Film Foundation.

      Watch the exclusive trailer below and find out more here: