Stan Laurel Letters | May 1961

Masthead

THE MAGIC BEHIND
THE MOVIES
by Randy Skredvedt

March of the Wooden Soldiers

MARCH OF THE
WOODEN SOLDIERS

Stan and Ollie

STAN AND OLLIE
by SImon Louvish

Laurel & Hardy Vol. 1

LAUREL & HARDY
COLLECTION – VOL. 1

Laurel & Hardy Vol. 2

LAUREL & HARDY
COLLECTION – VOL. 2

From the Forties Forward

FROM THE FORTIES
FORWARD
by Scott MacGillivray

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POSTCARD - 849 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA - TYPEWRITTEN

MAY 4th.'61.

Thanks Bob & Marie [Hatfield] for your letters conveying congratulations on the Oscar award, the eye dept. still is'nt too good, hence the delay in acknowledging - know you fully understand - Danny Kaye's speech was very charming - very touching indeed.
          Eda joins in kind thoughts to Mother & Selves,
          Will write fully as soon as my eyes permit. Bye now. Good luck & God Bless.
                    As ever:

                    STAN LAUREL.

POSTCARD - 849 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA - TYPEWRITTEN

MAY 9th.'61.

Thanks Bob & Marie [Hatfield] from San Francisco. Glad you had a good time - I dined at the Cliff House, it was wonderful to look out on the ocean & rocks & watch the seals making SEALING WAX.!! just fascinating.!
          Thanks for the kind remembrance.
          Regards & bestest from us both here to Mother & selves.
                    As ever:

OCEANA LETTERHEAD - 849 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA - TYPEWRITTEN

                    MAY 10th.1961
Dear Thomas Sefton:
          Thanks you nice letter, 9th.inst.
Pleased to know the old L&H films are still affording your family so much pleasure - I appreciate very much your kind sentiments.
          If you will kindly send me the names of your Daughter & Son, I would like to send them each a picture as a souvenir. (Enclosed card for your convenience.)
          My regards & best wishes,
                    Sincerely always:

                    STAN LAUREL.

On May 9, 1961, Thomas Sefton first wrote a letter to Stan Laurel saying, "Minna Gombel was among the cast of your pictures in the middle '30s. For means of identification, I was her stepson. You have furnished fun and entertainment for my daughter and son (ages 9 and 7 respectively). We enormously enjoy the pictures that you and Mr. Hardy made and eagerly comb T.V. Guide for showings. We have been religiously watching your productions—or at least the chopped up versions—every Saturday morning at 7:30 on Channel 2 and, of course, we have read the recently published book 'Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy.' I am writing to thank you and to say that your films have furnished a closeness in relationship that the children and I would probably not have otherwise." | Minna Gombel played Mrs. Hardy in "Block-Heads" (1938) —Editor

OCEANA LETTERHEAD - 849 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA - TYPEWRITTEN

                    MAY 11th.1961.
My Dear Johnny [Municino]:
          Thanks yours, 4th.inst. with enclosure of news clip re Jerry Lewis, too bad the situation was mentioned.
          Yes Danny Kaye's acceptance speech was very touching - you can rest assured I'll send you a snapshot as soon as I get the Oscar - should be here by XMas.!!
          Note your idea of running the L&H films intact, I heard from several sources that the present editing is'nt too good - I know Chuck [McCann] means well & does his best, but lets face it, this type of cutting needs experience, it's a specialized job.
          Anyway, nothing else to tell you Johnny, I talk with your Sister Carmella occasionally, she sounds to be in good spirit.
          Mrs. L. joins in all the best.
          Remember me to the gang.
          Trust your feeling Ok, & family's well.
                    As ever:

No improvement in the eye dept as yet.

OCEANA LETTERHEAD - 849 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA - TYPEWRITTEN

                    MAY 15th.1961.
My Dear Frank [Buxton]:
          Many thanks your kind congratulations on my Oscar award - much appreciated. Sorry delay in acknowledging, fact is, had a hemorrhage in my left eye a couple of months ago, Dr. advises me not to read or write for a while, till the vision gets stronger, so of course am not able to attend to my mail as I usually do - hence my reply being brief.
          Happy to know the show is so successful - understand the Ausie audiences are very enthusiastic & responsive - have always had a great desire to tour that Country, but never got the opportunity - I know our old films are still quite popular down there, still get a great deal of fan mail in fact.
          Thanks again for your kind sentiments - do hope to see you again on your way hack to N.Y. (come up, I'll show you my Oscar!!!)
          Wish you continued success & happiness.
          Cheerio & God Bless.
                    As ever:

                    STAN LAUREL.

POSTCARD - 849 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA - TYPEWRITTEN

MAY 15th.'61.

Many thanks [Mr. & Mrs. Short] your kind congratulations on my Oscar Award - appreciate very much your kind sentiments.
          Am very thrilled to receive such a wonderful tribute - Only wish my dear late partner could have been here to share this great honor he helped make possible.
          Thanks again for your kind thoughts.
          Trust alls well & happy with you.
          Cheerio & God Bless.
                    As ever:

                    STAN LAUREL.

OCEANA LETTERHEAD - 849 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA - TYPEWRITTEN

                    MAY 17th.'61.
Dear Lillie Wray:
          Thank you for your nice letter with enclosure of very interesting news. Clippings concerning Sidney St. during the "Blitz". The picture of you is excellent, certainly belies your age - congratulations Lille.!
          I understand the old Town has greatly changed & many of the old Land-marks have gone.
          I am thrilled & happy to receive such a wonderful old tribute - only wish my dear late partner had been here to share this great honor he helped make possible.
Thanks again for your kind sentiments Lillie - much appreciated. Trust alls well & happy with you.
          Good luck & God Bless you.
                    As ever:

                    STAN LAUREL.

OCEANA LETTERHEAD - 849 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA - TYPEWRITTEN

                    MAY 19th.'61.
Dear Art Shackman:
          Thanks your very nice letter.
I appreciate very much your kind sentiments.
          WIth pleasure I am enclosing you a picture. Thanks for the request.
          Again my thanks & best wishes,
                    Sincerely always:

                    STAN LAUREL.

OCEANA LETTERHEAD - 849 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA - TYPEWRITTEN

                    MAY 19th.'61
Dear Mr [Thomas] Sefton:
          Thanks your letter & booklet "The Country of Joyous Aspect", I shall with pleasure add it to my little library, thank you for the kind thought.
          Re the non mention of the background music in the L&H book, frankly, I don't think it was ever thought of any interest to discuss - I don't even know the titles of the numbers that we used, they were assembled from old recordings that were on file in the studio music library, a bit of this & a bit of that to fit the particular situation in the film - probably the music used was in Public Domain, so no royalty fees were required.
          Enclosed are the pictures for Laurie & Harley incidentally, my granddaughter is named Laurie.
          Again my regards & best to you all.
                    Sincerely as ever:

                    STAN LAUREL.

On May 17, 1961, Thomas Sefton responded to Stan Laurel's first reply to him saying, "You were so kind to reply to my recent letter. The names of our two children are Laurie and Harley respectively. They would each love to have a picture as a souvenir. In reading the book 'Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy' I was disappointed not to find something about the musical tunes used as a background in so many of your pictures. They are quite catching and the children and I hum and whistle them a good deal. There is one we particularly enjoy—it has sort of a tango or 'South AMerican' rhythm and is really quite pretty. I have enclosed a booklet entitled 'The Country of Joyous Aspect.' This was published many years ago and is now in its sixth edition. Though factual, it is facetiously written and I hope you will enjoy its light humor. This is a history of San Diego covering a period in the days of its discovery and ending with the time of the founding of the San Diego Trust and Savings Bank, with which I am affiliated. I hope it will find a place in your library. The children send their best wishes and are looking forward to your pictures." —Editor

POSTCARD - 849 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA - TYPEWRITTEN

MAY 22nd.'61.

Thanks Bob & Marie [Hatfield] for the nice package - Eda is delighted & appreciates very much your kind thought.
          Still no improvement in the eye dept. think I'll have it taken out & replaced with a CHERRY.!!, it would look much dressier.!!
          Bestest to you all.
                    As ever:

                    STAN LAUREL.

OCEANA LETTERHEAD - 849 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA - TYPEWRITTEN EXCERPT

MAY 22nd.'61.

I appreciate very much your kind sentiments - sincerely wish you all lots of happiness in your new surroundings. I had a hemorrhage in my left eye sometime ago, Dr. advised me to avoid reading & writing till my vision gets stronger, so please pardon my being brief.

POSTCARD - 849 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA - TYPEWRITTEN

                    MAY 25th.'61.
Dear Gary [Alexander]-
          Sorry delay in acknowledging your kind congratulations on my Oscar Award. Appreciated very much your kind thought.
          Pleased to know you enjoyed the L&H book & found it interesting.
          Again my thanks & every good wish,
          Trust alls well with you.
                    Sincerely as ever:

                    STAN LAUREL.

Timeline 1961

POSTCARD - 849 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA - TYPEWRITTEN

                    MAY 29th.'61.
Dear Bob & Marie [Hatfield]:
          Thanks your card.
Nothing much to tell you, but thought the enclosed news article would interest you. (do'nt bother to return.)
          The eye dept. is still giving me a dirty look, so bye now.
          Eda joins in all the best, to selves & Mother.
          Cheerio.
                    As ever:

                    STAN LAUREL.

NEWSPAPER CLIPPING ENCLOSURE

Laurel and Hardy Cartoon

"Laurel and Hardy, the most successful and durable team of comics in the history of entertainment, will be on television next fall—as a cartoon series. The idea of taking the human characters and turning them into cartoon characters is Larry Harmon's. 'We're going to do Laurel and hardy as a half-hour cartoon series,' Mr. Harmon explained. 'The figures will be those of Laurel and hardy and the voices will be theirs, too.' At this juncture, Mr. Harmon, who is the voice of Bozo the Clown, did an imitation of Stan Laurel which caused near-by heads to swivel. 'When I call Stan sometimes I imitate his voice,' Mr. Harmon said. 'he still can't get over it. "It's like talking to myself," he told me once.'" —The Los Angeles Times

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STAN HELPS AS PRODUCER

Stan Laurel, once partner with Oliver Hardy in America's leading comedy team, is helping to produce a TV cartoon series based on the two funnymen.
     Laurel, 70 years old and retired since 1955 when he suffered a stroke, now lives in a Santa Monica apartment overlooking the Pacific Ocean and not far from the Hollywood where he and "Babe" Hardy once ruled the comedy world. Hardy died in 1957.
     Stanley spends much of his time answering fan mail that still comes from all parts of the world.
     Sitting at his work desk in the apartment living room, the comic who could laugh or cry in an instant when he and Hardy worked together, showed his fine sense of humor and comedy talent.
     Talking about old pictures he made with Hardy, Stanley would break into a hearty laugh, the same laugh that many times caused a chorus of chuckles in theater audiences.
     Discussing plans for the Laurel and Hardy animated cartoons, Stan said, "I hope they'll be good."
     Citing some of the technical details of his old films, Stanley said they approached cartoonery.
     "We had excellent prop men," he said. "And, some of the things we did in those movies could be done in cartoons."
     Since his stroke. Laurel hasn't traveled into Hollywood often, and plans to confine his TV activities to script consultation at home. For some time, there have been old Laurel and Hardy movies on TV and Stanley never appreciated the way the films were edited for commercial advertisements. Stories were often ruined, he said.
     The proposed series will be Stanley's first connection with TV and he's looking for a new approach to the subject of Laurel and Hardy.
     "I hope they won't do all the plots of our movies in the TV series," he said. "They've been on for years or want them to have fresh stories for the cartoons. Bits and pieces of our old pictures won't be the way to attack it."
     Stanley admits to a limited knowledge of animated cartoons but says he'll concentrate his efforts on dialogue.
     "Ours was a special dialogue," he said of the old days with "Babe," and the famous Laurel laugh broke out as he quipped, "It was the same dialogue all the time."
     Turning serious, he explained that his lines were often motivated by the type of character he played.
     "It was my way of expressing it," he said "I had to rewrite scripts so I could be comfortable with the lines. I'll help with that sort of thing in the series. They'll give me the scripts and I'll go over them."

—United Press International (May 7, 1961)

LAUREL AND HARDY TEAM TO BE ON AS CARTOON

Laurel and Hardy, the most successful and durable team of comics in the history of entertainment, will be on television next fall—as a cartoon series.
     The celebrated team started together in 1925 and has since starred in more than 200 films most of which now are on television all over the world and still drawing record audiences.
     The idea of taking the human characters and turning them into cartoon characters is Larry Harmon's. Harmon is president of his own company, which produces "Bozo the Clown" and half a dozen other shows.
     "We're going to do 'Laurel and Hardy' as a half-hour cartoon series," Harmon explained the other day. "The figures will be those of Laurel and Hardy and the voices will be theirs too."
     At this juncture, Harmon, who is the voice of Bozo the Clown, did an imitation of Stan Laurel which caused nearby heads to swivel. "When I call Stan sometimes i imitate his voice," Harmon said. "He still can't get over it. 'It's like talking to myself' he told me once."
     Harmon has been working closely with Stan Laurel on plots and characterizations. Laurel, who is now 72 years old, suffered a stroke that incapacitated him six years ago but he's still mentally active. Oliver "Babe" Hardy died in 1956.
     "The Laurel and Hardy cartoon series is a big step forward in cartoon-type humor," Harmon said. "It's the first time live characters will be portrayed as cartoon characters, but the plots will not be remakes of the old shows. they will be original stories and because of that they aren't limited in movement. Thanks to animation they'll have more action than the old movies.
     Harmon is aware that the originals will be on television running with his cartoon characters, but he considers this a bonus rather than a drawback.
     "The old movies are playing in every market in the United States at sometime or another during the day," he said, "That's pre-selling and familiarizing audiences with our characters."
     The new cartoon series has, Harmon says, given Stan Laurel a "new lease on life." Actually Laurel has never been happy with the way the old comedies have been cut up for television in order to fill time slots and is pleased at the opportunity to present Laurel and Hardy the way he believes they should be.     As technical advisor on the new series Laurel is enthusiastic, because he said it's like reliving the old days. "Babe and I have got a whole new life ahead of us," he said. "I couldn't ask for anything nicer for us."

—St. Petersburg Times (May 31, 1961)

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