<Tr> <Th> Website </Th> <Td> www.laurel-and-hardy.com </Td> </Tr> <P> Laurel and Hardy were a comedy double act during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema . The team was composed of English thin man Stan Laurel (1890--1965) and American fat man Oliver Hardy (1892--1957). They became well known during the late 1920s through the mid-1940s for their slapstick comedy, with Laurel playing the clumsy and childlike friend of the pompous bully Hardy . The duo's signature tune is known variously as "The Cuckoo Song", "Ku - Ku", or "The Dance of the Cuckoos". It was played over the opening credits of their films and has become as emblematic of the duo as their bowler hats . </P> <P> Prior to emerging as a team, both actors had well - established film careers . Laurel had appeared in over 50 films as an actor (while also working as a writer and director) while Hardy had been in more than 250 productions . The two comedians had previously worked together as cast members on the film The Lucky Dog in 1921 . However, they were not a comedy team at that time and it was not until 1926 that they appeared in a movie short together, when both separately signed contracts with the Hal Roach film studio . Laurel and Hardy officially became a team in 1927 when they appeared together in the silent short film Putting Pants on Philip . They remained with the Roach studio until 1940 and then appeared in eight "B" movie comedies for 20th Century Fox and Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer from 1941 to 1945 . After finishing their movie commitments at the end of 1944, they concentrated on performing in stage shows and embarked on a music hall tour of England, Ireland, and Scotland . In 1950, before retiring from the screen, they made their last film, a French - Italian co-production called Atoll K . </P> <P> They appeared as a team in 107 films, starring in 32 short silent films, 40 short sound films, and 23 full - length feature films . They also made 12 guest or cameo appearances that included the Galaxy of Stars promotional film of 1936 . On December 1, 1954, the pair made one American television appearance when they were surprised and interviewed by Ralph Edwards on his live NBC - TV program This Is Your Life . Since the 1930s, the works of Laurel and Hardy have been released in numerous theatrical reissues, television revivals, 8 - mm and 16 - mm home movies, feature - film compilations, and home videos . In 2005, they were voted the seventh - greatest comedy act of all time by a UK poll of fellow comedians . The official Laurel and Hardy appreciation society is known as The Sons of the Desert which was named after a fictitious fraternal society featured in the Laurel and Hardy film of the same name . </P>

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