The very great Oliver Hardy sings two songs: "Lazy Moon" is from "Pardon Us" (filmed on July 8th, 1930), and "Shine On Harvest Moon" from "Flying Deuces" (filmed July or August 1939).
I'm also African American, and while I do not blame anyone for being upset at this, I have the whole picture "Pardon Us" on DVD, and I "get" the full context behind this scene. L&H escaped from jail and to avoid being caught, they don blackface and hide in a cottonfield. Similar to Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor in "Silver Streak." So seeing the film in its entirety and understanding it as a means for L&H to escape going back to jail and they don't degrade black people by pretending to be stupid or act like criminals while in this makeup, I wasn't as offended by the blackface as I was with "Birth of a Nation" or "Wonder Bar" where these films portrayed blacks in hideous stereotypes.
Babe was a classically trained singer, and being from the South, was always keen to sing his favourite spirituals. I've read the official Hardy biography and both Stan and him were progressing thinkers and any cliched jokes about colour were a product of the time and put in by the Studios; Babe was raised by an African American woman who he loved and called his second mother.
Wagner and Julyana : Thanks L and H , for the laughter of my more senior years as well ! The boys make me laugh, just as much now, as they did when I first saw them, in the 1960's...
People will just think blackface , no in this instance it’s not .Back then white people would do blackface to play as black people as black people weren’t allowed in films due to racism . In this film they had actual black people in the movie which was unheard of at the time and Stan and Ollie were at the farm / plantation with painted black faces to try and pretend to be black as they broke out of prison the black people actually are laughing at the wanted poster of them which implies they are covering for them unknowingly to Stan and Oliver even head of the prisons car breaks down next to the plantation and he didn’t realise it was them so the smart people were actually the black people at the farm who were the only ones to see through their disguise and they were good enough to let Stan and Oliver to be in with them . They actually incorporated a black cast into the film this was far beyond their time ! Laurel and hardy deserve their respect as the greatest comedians ever RIP
its not fair to judge another time, but there really is nothing you can say about it. people are being raised to be offended and have kneejerk reactions and you cannot reason with them. people that are offended by this are making a choice to be offended after years of being taught that they should be. there is nothing malicious or hateful about how it is being done in this clip but like i said you cant reason with anybody.
Whenever I view this clip, and I often do, I try to imagine what it must have been like for my father to have seen it in an Illinois movie theater at sixteen, during the Depression.
As I think I can recall from reading Simon Louvish’s book from 2001, Stan & Ollie: The Roots Of Comedy (a jolly, perceptive read, I remember), “Pardon Us” had had different running times of a few minutes’ difference involving up to possibly three versions. If that’s the case, then perhaps this segment involving Ollie gently singing as well as the total clip that shows the overall “evening downtime” of the black plantation workers, may have been missing from the shortest copy of the movie that was released: precisely so that the clipped Pardon Us would be shown in certain parts of America where it would otherwise have made a theatre audience feel uncomfortable - so my theory goes. I recall looking up the New York Times archive for Pardon Us and discovered that it was reviewed by the paper. Presumably back in 1931 or 32 the longest copy of the movie was shown in New York, including this clip. Of course, the irony of today is that if this movie were shown on a mainstream channel, on a wet Saturday afternoon say, the complaints, the snooty complaints about it, would be trickling in from a probably white, probably university-educated, possibly mostly under 60 cohort - residing in certain parts. Trickling in? Yes, rather than flooding in. But this movie, which I recall watching on television in the 80s, … you’ll never see broadcast anymore. At least in the West. Why? Because the cultural executives fear a flood of complaints and a big hoo-ha. It’s partly the downside of modern technology, I guess. In the 80s, you had to register a complaint by tramping to the post office and buying a stamp, after writing out a letter and going to the library to find out the address to post it to. Perhaps that is why nobody apparently has a complaint about the Apu character in The Simpsons, in the 90s. He was just too likeable a character for anyone to go to the bother back then of complaining about! Apu was, however, proof that White America had recognised the Indian experience. He must have been a key to survival for some ethnic-minority kids at school back in the 90s. But nowadays the continued portrayal of Apu is evidence of a backward-thinking America. He’s only seen in a negative light now, unfortunately. The upshot of all this new progressive sophistication is that we lose the ability to laugh at ourselves. The name of the game in entertainment now is to do grim. Because grim is serious! And what kind of audiences probably would have felt most uncomfortable watching this clip from 90 years ago? Probably those in the Deep South, where Ollie’s own familial roots dig deep. I can only surmise that Hal Roach Studios found, with the way they shot this whole clip, a subtle way through comic enterprise to afford some kind of recognition of the humanity of the plantation workers - whereby the hope might have been during the making that a one-copy film would bring all and sundry together, if not under the same roof, but at least to raise the roof, to borrow an old music-hall phrase that describes a jolly good time. Every second counted. But America gets it in the neck today for merely having tried to show the world how to give itself a lift up (as America went about raising its own spirits in trying to … give life a twirl), Great Depression or No Great Depression. Today, with the sniffy dismissal of the great enterprises of old America, it’s as if America had tried for nothing, that it had never needed to try at all. And if America had never bothered, to find a way to greatness, then I don’t know what misery the world would be in now. There’s hope yet.
I'm a black man and i'm not offended by this cuz there's NO black people that look like that. the same way there's NO white women that look like the characters The Wayans brothers played in "White Chicks". If that was 2 white comics in black makeup tryin to impersonate black women it would be an uproar. However, Hollywood has made fun of a lot of races such as Mexican, Indian, Chinese, Japanese. Was it ok? No it wasn’t. I'm not mad at Laurel and Hardy for this scene. In the 20s-'40s Hollywood depicted what they thought was ok to parody blacks. For this reason, the 70s movies was a great period for black people cuz it gave them a chance to shine and leave the blackface, shufflin', stereotypes in Hollywood behind. we have come a long way since this movie so I'm good. :)
In the story, the black workers took Laurel & Hardy in to hide them from being captured, and that's why they were blackened up. I see nothing from these scenes except mutual love and respect between black and white, and great music and dancing. Of course, there is more than this great clip to the film. I agree with ghanasoul, except there was no mickey-taking.
Oh how I agree and just find me another Hollywood studio that let black and white kids play together as equals as in the Our Gang comedies. I wonder if Hal Roach took any crap for being so liberated. Roach was way ahead of this time if you ask me.
ghanasoul Thanks a lot man for a very mature and well thought of comment . Its a rarity to find such sensible individuals , especially online.Racism is bad , but one must not mix insult with comedy( even some of the so called comics do not know the difference ) . If we become that oversensitive over everything then it would be impossible to create a comedy .
Babe Hardy could have been a serious singer if he'd wanted. He had such ease of delivery coupled with such a laid back manner. The fine tenor who never was.
He studied with Prof. Adolph Dahm-Paterson at the Atlanta Conservatory but found it tedious and truanted. By the way he saw Caruso in person in Atlanta.
Interestingly, to me, as a long time fan of the great Caruso, I've long been of the opinion that Ollie's voice, especially in full throated emission, - as in the 'Fresh fish!' sung lines - share a great deal of tonal characteristics with Enrico. That same sonorous timbered rich buzz in the lower voice, quick vibrato, & open clear resonance with similar freedom of emission & squillo. Oliver recorded in the electrical era of course, while Enrico sang into the more primitive acoustic horn, with a needle scratching the resulting vibrations onto a wax cylinder. But it's very obvious that Oliver had listened & was heavily influenced in his vocal production by Caruso records. Or indeed from hearing him live.
hiyadroogs Quite so. Perhaps a better example might be his relaxed aria in the movie Pardon Us. As a Caruso "buff" do you happen to know which opera Caruso appeared in during the visit to Atlanta around 1905?
+mrsbrown andhercat My apologies. I was thinking of a poster on an opera video I had viewed earlier, forgetting that it was that former discussion that caused me to listen to Ollie again in the first place.
Singing was Babe Hardy's #1 passion all his life, even more so than comedy. Stan Laurel knew this and wrote singing scenes into several of their films to give Babe the opportunity to do what he loved most. Friendship goals right there.
watched the whole film? you will see that the both of them are totally self deprecating. L & H never crossed the line of moral, racial or salacious innuendo in their whole careers, that is why they are universally loved.
this gave me the chills! this has nothing to do with black/white, it was the comedy of the time, nothing racist about it. stan and ollie, in all innocence. lovely guys, mega talent, and heart. god bless them.
@@readmynamenstfu Ollie wasn’t a writer. He didn’t come up with this. Blackface was a common comedy material in the 1930s and although it was rude and offensive, they mostly did it for money.
@@zerne7887 it doesnt matter. ur comment is irrelevant. the og comment said "this has nothing to do with black/white, it was the comedy of the time, theres nothing racist about it" Thats literally wrong and stupid because its blackface. blackface is wrong and racist. yall some backwards ass mfkers in these comments tryna say blackface aint racist. try that ish today n u gettin yo shit rocked. play stupid if u want to
@@readmynamenstfu I don’t know why you’re being so aggressive and annoying about it but there isn’t really anything you can do about the fact that blackface was a normal thing in those days other than saying it was racist (which I agreeed with) but still you can’t do anything about it it was 8 decades ago and if you don’t like it just dislike the video and go on with your day. As a young black man I feel that even though they did blackface I still have respect for them because they weren’t trying to be rude like I said before they were trying to make money and I also don’t know why you’re surprised because that was an everyday thing everybody did it even in Our Gang which again doesn’t make it right but still, there’s nothing you can do about it except rant in a comment section.
Ollie had such an awesome singing voice and seems like a sweet gentleman. Always have loved Stan and Ollie since the early 70s when a local TV station had their films on late Saturday night when I was in my early teens.
@@jdwb7045 It was done for the plot... a disguise to evade the police. And the black folks being featured AT ALL was something almost no other studio or cast would allow. In fact, in these scenes the black people shown were the only ones depicted as smart enough to realize Laurel & Hardy were disguised. Every white person in any of these scenes was completely oblivious. They were actually managing to be pretty drastically progressive for the time.
I agree. I am a singer I've always loved the way these two sing and dance. It's been truly inspirational to me as well. They also do a great version of ". Blue ridge mountains of Virginia" in another film . The title escapes me.
Ollie's singing voice still brings tears to all our eyes. Bring Sundays to a standstill on Talking Pictures every Saturday and Sunday. These two must NEVER be forgotten. God Bless you Stan and Ollie. 💙💙
What if the 2020s is like 1920s? Jesus that would be amazing. what if time just repeated its self? I bet the third world war is gonna happen in the 2040s? I'd be 37. I'd be damned if that did ever happen.
You should consider the whole plot. L&H are hiding from the law, and some friendly sharecroppers have taken them in and are helping them to hide. You will never understand other historical periods if you insist on making a knee-jerk reaction to certain features. The blackface here is no more demeaning to Afro-Americans than that of Al Jolson in "The Jazz Singer," the first sound movie.
The 1930s was not an innocent decade with the Depression and racism. I believe Mr. Elliott meant the comedy was innocent. Funny, no profanity, no political stances, just funny.
In retrospect there are things that maybe were not the best choices. It happens to all of us. The Harvest Moon segment is still very hart warming, even adorable.
wow. who knew? I either never saw the movie or have managed to forget it (the "Lazy Moon" one. the foreign legion one I do remember. and now that I think about it, I am beginning to remember the singing. what's the one where they keep singing "Honolulu Baby?" for some reason, that scene had my entire family ROFL. literally.
Anyone who thinks "Lazy Moon" is typical minstrel racism obviously hasn't seen the entire movie. Stan and Ollie are escaped convicts who are welcomed by this group of black people and disguise themselves to fit in and fool the police. Ollie's rendition of the song is beautiful and Stan's dance harks back to his days working in the British music halls. This isn't, and shouldn't be mistaken for, Mammy-style stereotyping. Don't be bamboozled!
Fidge, you mention Mammy, but so far, no-one has commented on Al Jolson, who made his name singing black faced, but of course was Jewish Anyone offended?
Uma das maiores interpretações de Oliver Hardy foi neste filme... além do talento artístico em parceria com Stan Laurel, tinha uma voz muito boa e com indiscutível timbre de voz.
If this makes a difference. . .Unlike elsewhere in the 1930s, L&H are not ridiculing black folks. If you were to see the entire scene, they seem to be actually bonding with the rest of the community. The makeup they're using is not outrageous or ridiculous, as it normally was in other films of the time. And at the end of the scene, as you saw here, they make THEMSELVES the butt of the joke, with black folks laughing at THEM. Another factor may be that this film ("Pardon Us") was produced by Hal Roach, who may have had some sensitivity in the matter. (He also produced the "Our Gang/Little Rascals" films, with Farina and Stymie.)
Im Film " Hinter Schloss und Riegeln" sieht das etwas anders aus. In einer Szene sieht Stan einen Schwarzen und sagt: "Sieh mal, ein Schwarzhändler". Sowas sehe ich als rassistisch. Vielleicht ist das aber auch nur in der Deutschen Synchron Version so ;).
I loved the talent that came out from Hal Roach Company, but I do not care for the man, Hal Roach. He profit from the talents of Laurel and Hardy, the Little Rascals, and anyone else that he had under contract. Never giving raises or share in profits of countless films, and short films to his talent. Never did the Little Rascals or Laurel and Hardy received royalties of any kind for their hard work. These geniuses of comedy were not rich, but they made Hal Roach a very rich man.
Really one of the best scenes and singing I ever heard from Oliver Hardy and dancing by Stan Laurel! I remember my Grandfather showing me this film when I was a kid. He was just a kid when this film came out.
At that point in time Al Jolson was the most popular entertainer/singer in America and he regularly performed in Black face. It was difficult if not impossible for a person of color to get cast in a white production....very rarely they got Comic relief parts like Buckwheat and Rodchester, until Amos and Andy became such a huge hit. Everybody watched Amos and Andy. Tim Moore had a long Vaudeville career before he made Kingfish a American Icon.
Looking at the comments below makes me wonder if this " comment" option is worth it. Why can't everyone just enjoy the genius of Laurel and Hardy and leave out the trash talk on both sides.
I feel very lucky that my childhood had stan Laurel and oliver Hardy and the genius of Hal Roach who also did OUR Gang with spanky and Alfalfa Im not sure why these classics are no loner shown . I heard its because somebody owns them ;but what these owners havent figured out is that you have to build and maintain fans as in another 20 years there will be zero demand . Sadly their comic genius will skip a few generations ; but like the greek tradgedies they will never be lost or forotten
😍😍😍 Stan Laurel e Oliver Hardy, la migliore medicina contro la depressione da covid 19. GRANDI!!!! Quella era un'altra umanità e loro resteranno sempre nel cuore delle persone. 💔💔💔😥😥 Non i malvagi che ci comandano ora.
Hardy was a great tenor and Laurel more than a "good enough" baritone plus he could do some good "soft shoe" dancing and even Hardy was surprisingly light-on-his-feet for someone so stout. This said I'm surprised that they didn't sing more in their films; a tenor and baritone are just made for duets.
People should watch the film... Ollie and Stan black up to hide from the police, and it works really well until they goof up as usual. Pardon us is amongst their finest work, so go watch it before judging.
He didn't have a half bad voice! I like it! I'd listen to it if he'd had made this into a record! I might just cut this out and turn it into an MP3........and see how long it took my brothers to figure out what they were listening to (they're huge fans of Laurel & Hardy). :D
What was probably most significant about this scene from Pardon Us, made in 1931, is that a large amount of film time was given to the 'downtime' of black Americans. From memory there was a brief scene, just before Oliver Hardy starts singing, in which we see a young couple, black, lying down together in an embrace, to relax with the others around them. Only for a few seconds and no more. But in those times, every second counted. And the film-makers here, perhaps the director and editor most of all, including L&H and all the cast, too, deserve some credit. It was 1931! (And only three years after the end of the Silent Era). I wonder if Pardon Us was distributed round cinemas in the South. Perhaps local historians of cinema from there could tell us. Anyway, it's as if the film-makers from Hal Roach studios are saying, 'Look, this is good-natured stuff, here, really. In spite of everything. Let's do what we can to ameliorate things in ways we are able to.'
Let’s not forget Stan Laurel in this, Who was one of the greatest comics of all time. Thank you God for giving us Laurel & Hardy. Rays of bright sunshine in an oftentimes dreary world.
I think it is sad that Oliver did not sing more in their films. The Marx Brothers were making feature films the same time as this. They always had a couple of musical interludes because Chico and Harpo were very gifted musicians. They should have done the same for Stan and Ollie.
Ollie blacked up? Well as a black man I don't find this offensive purely because I can view it in the context of its time. Besides, Laurel's mishap at the end of the song shows that someone at least saw the whole process as ridiculous.
And ,do you remember them cleaning that chiminy ??????. .and all the times they fell in the water???? Or down the stairs? ???.they didn't mind anything to make us laugh,it was all in the game,they made us laugh as kids,they make us laugh as adults, but with a tear in the corner of our eyes........
Oliver's performance in this is nothing short of superb. A talent that was never used enough in the boys films. Racist? No not at all . It dates back to the old minstrel tradition, as early as the mid 19rh century when white people blacked up in homage to and imitation of the music of black people at the time. The tradition lingered for years in the minstrel shows and could even be found, here in UK seaside resorts, into the 20's and 30's . Getting back to dear old Ollie. Is this superb or isn't it?
Oh to Hell with all this race crap! Oliver Hardy was a wonderful human being who brought joy to all races. As the famous saying goes: "honi soit qui mal y pense".
+postscript67 I agree to many people wearing upside down smiles too appreciate the comic genius of Laurel and Hardy great entertainers, the best duo of the 20 century didn't have to use profanities to make people laugh, they had talent by the truck load, still making generations smile and laugh even today, love them!!!!!!!!
This is what you call talent ladies and gentlemen I wish I was born in this time I'm not born in this time but I wish I grew up in this time cuz the world I'm living in now is not a good place
Oliver actually had a beautiful singing voice.
+Peter Taylor He began in Georgia as a singer.
💝💝
+Ian Elliott Not exactly, his first job was in a cinema, but he did sing as a schoolboy and did some voice training in Atlanta. norvell-hardy.co.uk
Peter Taylor yep
which made their talkies even more popular, I'm surprised they continued making mutes even when sound came in.
Those two men were pure magic! They created so much joy during their time on Earth, God bless them for all eternity.
I'm also African American, and while I do not blame anyone for being upset at this, I have the whole picture "Pardon Us" on DVD, and I "get" the full context behind this scene. L&H escaped from jail and to avoid being caught, they don blackface and hide in a cottonfield. Similar to Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor in "Silver Streak." So seeing the film in its entirety and understanding it as a means for L&H to escape going back to jail and they don't degrade black people by pretending to be stupid or act like criminals while in this makeup, I wasn't as offended by the blackface as I was with "Birth of a Nation" or "Wonder Bar" where these films portrayed blacks in hideous stereotypes.
+Themaddprof Like myself most people who have watched this classic movie would agree 100% with your comment.
Seeing the movie will give correct context of the scene.
Steven Ford And I agree with comments. 😁
Babe was a classically trained singer, and being from the South, was always keen to sing his favourite spirituals.
I've read the official Hardy biography and both Stan and him were progressing thinkers and any cliched jokes about colour were a product of the time and put in by the Studios; Babe was raised by an African American woman who he loved and called his second mother.
@ tombstone - I don't know what "biography" you've read but Hardy was not raised by an African American woman. norvell-hardy.co.uk/
The greatest ever to grace a movie screen. Ollie’s voice was simply beautiful. See this entire film. No racism here at all, just pure joy!
Thank you 😊
Stan is like a feather when he dances, and Ollie sings so sweetly. Lovely! :)
:)
Oliver and Stanley , thanks for the laughter of my childhood : )
Wagner and Julyana : Thanks L and H , for the laughter of my more senior years as well !
The boys make me laugh, just as much now, as they did when I first saw them, in the 1960's...
The BEST Comedy Team of all Times.
Babe had a wonderful voice
True, very true!
Your profile picture is amazing
He could easily have had a career singing.
...and Stan could dance like an angel.
Hollywood in its golden years. Pure talent
True, very true indeed!
True, just look at 'The Dancing Masters' !
Reminds me of a more relaxed Ray Bolger...wonderful to watch!
Can't listen to this without cry...
Oh, my God, this is beautiful...
You should hear Harry Nilsson's version
@@harryBerky Just listened. Excellent!
Ollie had the most wonderful singing voice. Can't help saying it.
Stan's dancing skills stem from his background in the Englis variety Theatre where his father was a theatre eppraserio
@ John. I think you mean impresario.
Leonard Maltin says it is unfair to judge something from the 1930's by today's standards and I agree. It comes from a much different place and time.
People will just think blackface , no in this instance it’s not .Back then white people would do blackface to play as black people as black people weren’t allowed in films due to racism . In this film they had actual black people in the movie which was unheard of at the time and Stan and Ollie were at the farm / plantation with painted black faces to try and pretend to be black as they broke out of prison the black people actually are laughing at the wanted poster of them which implies they are covering for them unknowingly to Stan and Oliver even head of the prisons car breaks down next to the plantation and he didn’t realise it was them so the smart people were actually the black people at the farm who were the only ones to see through their disguise and they were good enough to let Stan and Oliver to be in with them . They actually incorporated a black cast into the film this was far beyond their time ! Laurel and hardy deserve their respect as the greatest comedians ever RIP
@@LLE08071635 respect my friend
They are in black face because they are hiding from the police trying not to go back to jail!
its not fair to judge another time, but there really is nothing you can say about it. people are being raised to be offended and have kneejerk reactions and you cannot reason with them. people that are offended by this are making a choice to be offended after years of being taught that they should be. there is nothing malicious or hateful about how it is being done in this clip but like i said you cant reason with anybody.
@@newwavepop Mate, people are allowed to be offended by blackface, regardless of what time in history it was.
Whenever I view this clip, and I often do, I try to imagine what it must have been like for my father to have seen it in an Illinois movie theater at sixteen, during the Depression.
As I think I can recall from reading Simon Louvish’s book from 2001, Stan & Ollie: The Roots Of Comedy (a jolly, perceptive read, I remember), “Pardon Us” had had different running times of a few minutes’ difference involving up to possibly three versions. If that’s the case, then perhaps this segment involving Ollie gently singing as well as the total clip that shows the overall “evening downtime” of the black plantation workers, may have been missing from the shortest copy of the movie that was released: precisely so that the clipped Pardon Us would be shown in certain parts of America where it would otherwise have made a theatre audience feel uncomfortable - so my theory goes. I recall looking up the New York Times archive for Pardon Us and discovered that it was reviewed by the paper. Presumably back in 1931 or 32 the longest copy of the movie was shown in New York, including this clip.
Of course, the irony of today is that if this movie were shown on a mainstream channel, on a wet Saturday afternoon say, the complaints, the snooty complaints about it, would be trickling in from a probably white, probably university-educated, possibly mostly under 60 cohort - residing in certain parts. Trickling in? Yes, rather than flooding in.
But this movie, which I recall watching on television in the 80s, … you’ll never see broadcast anymore. At least in the West. Why? Because the cultural executives fear a flood of complaints and a big hoo-ha. It’s partly the downside of modern technology, I guess. In the 80s, you had to register a complaint by tramping to the post office and buying a stamp, after writing out a letter and going to the library to find out the address to post it to. Perhaps that is why nobody apparently has a complaint about the Apu character in The Simpsons, in the 90s. He was just too likeable a character for anyone to go to the bother back then of complaining about! Apu was, however, proof that White America had recognised the Indian experience. He must have been a key to survival for some ethnic-minority kids at school back in the 90s. But nowadays the continued portrayal of Apu is evidence of a backward-thinking America. He’s only seen in a negative light now, unfortunately. The upshot of all this new progressive sophistication is that we lose the ability to laugh at ourselves. The name of the game in entertainment now is to do grim. Because grim is serious!
And what kind of audiences probably would have felt most uncomfortable watching this clip from 90 years ago? Probably those in the Deep South, where Ollie’s own familial roots dig deep.
I can only surmise that Hal Roach Studios found, with the way they shot this whole clip, a subtle way through comic enterprise to afford some kind of recognition of the humanity of the plantation workers - whereby the hope might have been during the making that a one-copy film would bring all and sundry together, if not under the same roof, but at least to raise the roof, to borrow an old music-hall phrase that describes a jolly good time. Every second counted. But America gets it in the neck today for merely having tried to show the world how to give itself a lift up (as America went about raising its own spirits in trying to … give life a twirl), Great Depression or No Great Depression.
Today, with the sniffy dismissal of the great enterprises of old America, it’s as if America had tried for nothing, that it had never needed to try at all.
And if America had never bothered, to find a way to greatness, then I don’t know what misery the world would be in now. There’s hope yet.
Right before going to bed I like to listen to this song
Wow, Oliver Hardy has a super excellent singing voice!!
Babe had such a beautiful voice...
Such beautiful singing, I've always enjoyed Laurel and Hardy's comedy and never knew Oliver Hardy was such a talented singer.
What a talent he was, I love this. Love and respect from Scotland.
I'm a black man and i'm not offended by this cuz there's NO black people that look like that. the same way there's NO white women that look like the characters The Wayans brothers played in "White Chicks". If that was 2 white comics in black makeup tryin to impersonate black women it would be an uproar. However, Hollywood has made fun of a lot of races such as Mexican, Indian, Chinese, Japanese. Was it ok? No it wasn’t. I'm not mad at Laurel and Hardy for this scene. In the 20s-'40s Hollywood depicted what they thought was ok to parody blacks. For this reason, the 70s movies was a great period for black people cuz it gave them a chance to shine and leave the blackface, shufflin', stereotypes in Hollywood behind. we have come a long way since this movie so I'm good. :)
In the story, the black workers took Laurel & Hardy in to hide them from being captured, and that's why they were blackened up. I see nothing from these scenes except mutual love and respect between black and white, and great music and dancing. Of course, there is more than this great clip to the film. I agree with ghanasoul, except there was no mickey-taking.
I don't think they were seriously trying to look real. It was just what they did then, even though we find it bad taste now.
Oh how I agree and just find me another Hollywood studio that let black and white kids play together as equals as in the Our Gang comedies. I wonder if Hal Roach took any crap for being so liberated. Roach was way ahead of this time if you ask me.
ghanasoul Thanks a lot man for a very mature and well thought of comment . Its a rarity to find such sensible individuals , especially online.Racism is bad , but one must not mix insult with comedy( even some of the so called comics do not know the difference ) . If we become that oversensitive over everything then it would be impossible to create a comedy .
+That is what I meant by innocent - ignorant.
Babe Hardy could have been a serious singer if he'd wanted. He had such ease of delivery coupled with such a laid back manner. The fine tenor who never was.
He studied with Prof. Adolph Dahm-Paterson at the Atlanta Conservatory but found it tedious and truanted. By the way he saw Caruso in person in Atlanta.
Interestingly, to me, as a long time fan of the great Caruso, I've long been of the opinion that Ollie's voice, especially in full throated emission, - as in the 'Fresh fish!' sung lines - share a great deal of tonal characteristics with Enrico. That same sonorous timbered rich buzz in the lower voice, quick vibrato, & open clear resonance with similar freedom of emission & squillo. Oliver recorded in the electrical era of course, while Enrico sang into the more primitive acoustic horn, with a needle scratching the resulting vibrations onto a wax cylinder. But it's very obvious that Oliver had listened & was heavily influenced in his vocal production by Caruso records. Or indeed from hearing him live.
hiyadroogs Quite so. Perhaps a better example might be his relaxed aria in the movie Pardon Us. As a Caruso "buff" do you happen to know which opera Caruso appeared in during the visit to Atlanta around 1905?
+mrsbrown andhercat I'm afraid not. As an opera goer of considerable knowledge, perhaps Schicoff could help?
+mrsbrown andhercat My apologies. I was thinking of a poster on an opera video I had viewed earlier, forgetting that it was that former discussion that caused me to listen to Ollie again in the first place.
What more can I say except, " A Brilliant Performance".
These lads knew theiir craft. Wonderful stuff !!!!
Bill Rutter We do not have talent like these two great performers any more unfortunately.
Singing was Babe Hardy's #1 passion all his life, even more so than comedy. Stan Laurel knew this and wrote singing scenes into several of their films to give Babe the opportunity to do what he loved most. Friendship goals right there.
These two never fail to make me laugh!
still listening in 2023
watched the whole film? you will see that the both of them are totally self deprecating. L & H never crossed the line of moral, racial or salacious innuendo in their whole careers, that is why they are universally loved.
john davies, very well said. thanks.
So when Stan Laurel points at two black inmates in a cell, and simply states "Amos and Andy" he was being self deprecating?
oh come on.....
Dee Lee Well, Stan was from England, plus he always played the innocent.
When he looks at the audience I just fall apart. We still love you Babe.
this gave me the chills! this has nothing to do with black/white, it was the comedy of the time, nothing racist about it. stan and ollie, in all innocence. lovely guys, mega talent, and heart. god bless them.
Yes it does. It's literally blackface. Are u fkn serious
@@readmynamenstfu Ollie wasn’t a writer. He didn’t come up with this. Blackface was a common comedy material in the 1930s and although it was rude and offensive, they mostly did it for money.
@Lee Morgan stfu go to hell
@@zerne7887 it doesnt matter. ur comment is irrelevant. the og comment said "this has nothing to do with black/white, it was the comedy of the time, theres nothing racist about it" Thats literally wrong and stupid because its blackface. blackface is wrong and racist. yall some backwards ass mfkers in these comments tryna say blackface aint racist. try that ish today n u gettin yo shit rocked. play stupid if u want to
@@readmynamenstfu I don’t know why you’re being so aggressive and annoying about it but there isn’t really anything you can do about the fact that blackface was a normal thing in those days other than saying it was racist (which I agreeed with) but still you can’t do anything about it it was 8 decades ago and if you don’t like it just dislike the video and go on with your day. As a young black man I feel that even though they did blackface I still have respect for them because they weren’t trying to be rude like I said before they were trying to make money and I also don’t know why you’re surprised because that was an everyday thing everybody did it even in Our Gang which again doesn’t make it right but still, there’s nothing you can do about it except rant in a comment section.
Stan's dancing is priceless!!
Ollie had such an awesome singing voice and seems like a sweet gentleman. Always have loved Stan and Ollie since the early 70s when a local TV station had their films on late Saturday night when I was in my early teens.
Such an old yet unique song. Hardy sang it perfectly. What a great director as well. I never tire of this song.
Black and Whites having a great time together. It's how it should be.
Don't worry, it mostly is how it is
Not when you paint yourself BLACK!
@@jdwb7045 It was done for the plot... a disguise to evade the police. And the black folks being featured AT ALL was something almost no other studio or cast would allow. In fact, in these scenes the black people shown were the only ones depicted as smart enough to realize Laurel & Hardy were disguised. Every white person in any of these scenes was completely oblivious.
They were actually managing to be pretty drastically progressive for the time.
I miss watching Lauren Hardy with my my pops and Oliver had a awesome.
Ollie had such a great voice as do the backing group. Lovely.
Love it when they dance and sing. Laurel and Hardy are adorable.
Brillant , superb , magical.
LAURAL AND HARDY WERE THE GREATEST, I GREW UP WITH THEM, OLIVER HARDY COULD SING LIKE AN ANGEL, AND STAN LAURAL WAS A GREAT DANCER.
Your caps lock is stuck
I love to hear the old fashioned songs done the old fashioned way. thanks for posting.
I just love these two! ❤😄 Ollie does have a great voice for singing and I love Stan's dancing!
Glenn Johnson Love Laurel and Hardy,absolute classic!Many thanks.
john fogerty of ccr said hardy's shine on harvest moon [second clip] was "truly inspirational to him"
new fogerty autobio p.16
I agree. I am a singer
I've always loved the way these two sing and dance. It's been truly inspirational to me as well. They also do a great version of ". Blue ridge mountains of Virginia" in another film . The title escapes me.
@billhowes7464 "Way Out West", released in 1937. One of their best comedies.
Ollie's singing voice still brings tears to all our eyes. Bring Sundays to a standstill on Talking Pictures every Saturday and Sunday. These two must NEVER be forgotten. God Bless you Stan and Ollie. 💙💙
In this video, Oliver Hardy demonstrates his willingness singing, and 'was a great actor, complete in every sense
When will the world ever see such innocence again?
What if the 2020s is like 1920s? Jesus that would be amazing. what if time just repeated its self? I bet the third world war is gonna happen in the 2040s? I'd be 37. I'd be damned if that did ever happen.
+Ian Elliott Men in balck face? such innocence? Are you commenting on a completely different video here?
You should consider the whole plot. L&H are hiding from the law, and some friendly sharecroppers have taken them in and are helping them to hide. You will never understand other historical periods if you insist on making a knee-jerk reaction to certain features. The blackface here is no more demeaning to Afro-Americans than that of Al Jolson in "The Jazz Singer," the first sound movie.
+Ian Elliott The irony is that Hardy came from a plantation-owning family in Georgia, that kept 9 African slaves.
The 1930s was not an innocent decade with the Depression and racism. I believe Mr. Elliott meant the comedy was innocent. Funny, no profanity, no political stances, just funny.
In retrospect there are things that maybe were not the best choices. It happens to all of us. The Harvest Moon segment is still very hart warming, even adorable.
Ollie singing with blacked-up face.
Brilliant!
wow. who knew? I either never saw the movie or have managed to forget it (the "Lazy Moon" one. the foreign legion one I do remember. and now that I think about it, I am beginning to remember the singing. what's the one where they keep singing "Honolulu Baby?" for some reason, that scene had my entire family ROFL. literally.
That's Sons of the Desert.
Anyone who thinks "Lazy Moon" is typical minstrel racism obviously hasn't seen the entire movie. Stan and Ollie are escaped convicts who are welcomed by this group of black people and disguise themselves to fit in and fool the police. Ollie's rendition of the song is beautiful and Stan's dance harks back to his days working in the British music halls. This isn't, and shouldn't be mistaken for, Mammy-style stereotyping. Don't be bamboozled!
Y
Absolutely Fidge, and the film gave a great opportunity for a huge collection of very talented black actors and musical performers. Wonderful film.
Bravo!
Laurel and Hardy give their bows to you.
Fidge, you mention Mammy, but so far, no-one has commented on Al Jolson,
who made his name singing black faced, but of course was Jewish
Anyone offended?
Saw this movie on TV when I was 7 y.o. ('63)- Ollie's singing was so angelic it made me cry!
Uma das maiores interpretações de Oliver Hardy foi neste filme... além do talento artístico em parceria com Stan Laurel, tinha uma voz muito boa e com indiscutível timbre de voz.
Hal Roach broke unheard of racial barriers. May his soul Rest In Peace.
Hardy had a beautiful voice
If this makes a difference. . .Unlike elsewhere in the 1930s, L&H are not ridiculing black folks. If you were to see the entire scene, they seem to be actually bonding with the rest of the community. The makeup they're using is not outrageous or ridiculous, as it normally was in other films of the time. And at the end of the scene, as you saw here, they make THEMSELVES the butt of the joke, with black folks laughing at THEM. Another factor may be that this film ("Pardon Us") was produced by Hal Roach, who may have had some sensitivity in the matter. (He also produced the "Our Gang/Little Rascals" films, with Farina and Stymie.)
Im Film " Hinter Schloss und Riegeln" sieht das etwas anders aus. In einer Szene sieht Stan einen Schwarzen und sagt: "Sieh mal, ein Schwarzhändler". Sowas sehe ich als rassistisch. Vielleicht ist das aber auch nur in der Deutschen Synchron Version so ;).
@Tom Meyer you just have zero sense of humor and don't deserve to enjoy these guys. Stop being so sensitive. They we're not racist.
Yeah
I loved the talent that came out from Hal Roach Company, but I do not care for the man, Hal Roach. He profit from the talents of Laurel and Hardy, the Little Rascals, and anyone else that he had under contract. Never giving raises or share in profits of countless films, and short films to his talent. Never did the Little Rascals or Laurel and Hardy received royalties of any kind for their hard work. These geniuses of comedy were not rich, but they made Hal Roach a very rich man.
I agree
yes, its a beautiful clip of film............beautiful music
Really one of the best scenes and singing I ever heard from Oliver Hardy and dancing by Stan Laurel! I remember my Grandfather showing me this film when I was a kid. He was just a kid when this film came out.
At that point in time Al Jolson was the most popular entertainer/singer in America and he regularly performed in Black face. It was difficult if not impossible for a person of color to get cast in a white production....very rarely they got Comic relief parts like Buckwheat and Rodchester, until Amos and Andy became such a huge hit. Everybody watched Amos and Andy. Tim Moore had a long Vaudeville career before he made Kingfish a American Icon.
Great voice !
Looking at the comments below makes me wonder if this " comment" option is worth it. Why can't everyone just enjoy the genius of Laurel and Hardy and leave out the trash talk on both sides.
lou marcoux . "Ignore them - just the lower elements"
"Quite right Stanley" !
I feel very lucky that my childhood had stan Laurel and oliver Hardy and the genius of Hal Roach who also did OUR Gang with spanky and Alfalfa Im not sure why these classics are no loner shown . I heard its because somebody owns them ;but what these owners havent figured out is that you have to build and maintain fans as in another 20 years there will be zero demand .
Sadly their comic genius will skip a few generations ; but like the greek tradgedies they will never be lost or forotten
Marvelous. Maravillosos. We never forgot them. Nunca los olvidaremos.
I had no idea that these two did song and dance....thanks so much for sharing.
This scene is now deleted on the laurel & Hardy show for no logical reason.
One of the greatest Anglo - American duo's ever
😍😍😍 Stan Laurel e Oliver Hardy, la migliore medicina contro la depressione da covid 19.
GRANDI!!!! Quella era un'altra umanità e loro resteranno sempre nel cuore delle persone. 💔💔💔😥😥 Non i malvagi che ci comandano ora.
Hardy was a great tenor and Laurel more than a "good enough" baritone plus he could do some good "soft shoe" dancing and even Hardy was surprisingly light-on-his-feet for someone so stout.
This said I'm surprised that they didn't sing more in their films; a tenor and baritone are just made for duets.
Loved this film so classic and funny. Best comedy duo ever. Love from U.K. & India 🇮🇳🇬🇧🇮🇳🇬🇧 😊👏👏👏
Brilliant comedy they really were the best, pity nothing like this today...
What a fantastic and versatile singer he was! He deserved to have his own record albums out....
Oliver Hardy grande comediante grande cantor que Jesus Cristo na sua eterna bondade traga essa grande alma na ressurreição
I love his voice so much
People should watch the film... Ollie and Stan black up to hide from the police, and it works really well until they goof up as usual. Pardon us is amongst their finest work, so go watch it before judging.
There will never be talent on the screen like laurel and hardy ever again
Ollie has the voice of a angel. God bless Laurel and Hardy. Something about them rings childhood.
I have watched this video many times, and each time it gets better! Great artists!
He didn't have a half bad voice! I like it! I'd listen to it if he'd had made this into a record! I might just cut this out and turn it into an MP3........and see how long it took my brothers to figure out what they were listening to (they're huge fans of Laurel & Hardy). :D
Sometimes Laurel and Hardy make my eyes weep happy.
What was probably most significant about this scene from Pardon Us, made in 1931, is that a large amount of film time was given to the 'downtime' of black Americans. From memory there was a brief scene, just before Oliver Hardy starts singing, in which we see a young couple, black, lying down together in an embrace, to relax with the others around them. Only for a few seconds and no more. But in those times, every second counted. And the film-makers here, perhaps the director and editor most of all, including L&H and all the cast, too, deserve some credit. It was 1931! (And only three years after the end of the Silent Era).
I wonder if Pardon Us was distributed round cinemas in the South. Perhaps local historians of cinema from there could tell us. Anyway, it's as if the film-makers from Hal Roach studios are saying, 'Look, this is good-natured stuff, here, really. In spite of everything. Let's do what we can to ameliorate things in ways we are able to.'
i love this song
Brilliant, cheers
Cheers again Tucker Thank you
Magnificent!
Cheers again Serena Thank you
Cheers again friend Thank you
Best comedy duo ever
Let’s not forget Stan Laurel in this, Who was one of the greatest comics of all time. Thank you God for giving us Laurel & Hardy. Rays of bright sunshine in an oftentimes dreary world.
I love theses guys, such a fantastic duo.
I think it is sad that Oliver did not sing more in their films. The Marx Brothers were making feature films the same time as this. They always had a couple of musical interludes because Chico and Harpo were very gifted musicians. They should have done the same for Stan and Ollie.
Wow Oliver sings so Good lol
Pure joy in all their performances.
what a good clear vibrato
But I loved the grace and athleticism of Ollie. He was 6' 2", very heavy, but he danced as well as anyone. That's how he ruined his knees.
Timeless. Many thanks, for posting.
Ollie blacked up? Well as a black man I don't find this offensive purely because I can view it in the context of its time. Besides, Laurel's mishap at the end of the song shows that someone at least saw the whole process as ridiculous.
It was a disguise, for heaven's sake.
The joke, as you suggest, was on Laurel and Hardy.
And ,do you remember them cleaning that chiminy ??????. .and all the times they fell in the water???? Or down the stairs? ???.they didn't mind anything to make us laugh,it was all in the game,they made us laugh as kids,they make us laugh as adults, but with a tear in the corner of our eyes........
Oliver's performance in this is nothing short of superb. A talent that was never used enough in the boys films. Racist? No not at all . It dates back to the old minstrel tradition, as early as the mid 19rh century when white people blacked up in homage to and imitation of the music of black people at the time. The tradition lingered for years in the minstrel shows and could even be found, here in UK seaside resorts, into the 20's and 30's . Getting back to dear old Ollie. Is this superb or isn't it?
love it..
Oh to Hell with all this race crap! Oliver Hardy was a wonderful human being who brought joy to all races. As the famous saying goes: "honi soit qui mal y pense".
+postscript67 I agree to many people wearing upside down smiles too appreciate the comic genius of Laurel and Hardy great entertainers, the best duo of the 20 century didn't have to use profanities to make people laugh, they had talent by the truck load, still making generations smile and laugh even today, love them!!!!!!!!
+postscript67 Exactement, postscript!
I always liked the saying, "It takes one to know one." They usually scurry off or hem haw something like, "Uh, well maybe I was mistaken."
postscript67--That means 'shame to him to thinks evil of it', right?
Oh by the way. That's another fine song you've gotten me into!
utterly beautiful and for the most part forgivable.
Hardy has a brilliant voice!
This is what you call talent ladies and gentlemen I wish I was born in this time I'm not born in this time but I wish I grew up in this time cuz the world I'm living in now is not a good place
I don't see blackface as offensive as long as you don't do it to make fun at others that are darker skin
Which is literally what it i s -
i remember when i was 6 in like 2015 or something i watched all the laurel and hardy movies and that song always made me cry
Well what can I say, brilliant maybe, true comedy? ..talent yes..
Ihr wart und seit die Besten ! Danke für alles !
Great singing