Stan Laurel Letters | 1961

STAN LAUREL LETTERHEAD - 849 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, CA - TYPEWRITTEN

                    JANUARY 3rd.1961.
Dear Richard Sloan:
          Thanks for your nice letter, with copy of Al Kilgore's drawing, which with pleasure I have autographed
& returning herewith - thank you for the kind request.
          My compliments on your work [Richard], the copy is excellent.
          My regards & wishes for lots of good health & a happy successful New Year.
                    Sincerely always:

                    STAN LAUREL.

P.S. Please convey my best to 'Chuck' [McCann] if you see him again.

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

                    JANUARY 14th.1961.
Dear Herb:
          Thanks yours,11th.inst.
Sorry for long delay in acknowledging your previous letter - firstly, I have'nt been feeling too good & for some reason or other my Xmas mail was unusually big this season (Fans) in fact am still in the throes of answering them all, consequently I have neglected a great deal of my personal mail - its wonderful to know I have so many friends & wellwishers , but I wish there was some easier means of conveying my thanks & appreciation - have had well over a thousand Cards this year, not counting letters requesting autographed pictures - ENOUGH TO MAKE A MAN BURST OUT CRYING.!!!
          Please rest assured Herb my silence is not due to any offense. Trust you enjoyed a very Merry Xmas - Mrs joins in wishing you lots of good health & a happy successful New Year.
          The L&H book I understand is to be released March 2nd. also sometime in April, Dupont Show of the Month, the L&H story with Gleason & Carney is scheduled, so keep your eyes crossed.!
          Trust alls going well.
          Kindest regards,
                    As ever:

                    STAN LAUREL.

"A ninety-minute television dramatization about the professional and private lives of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy is being developed by the 'Du Pont Show of the Month.' Whether it will get on the air in April as Du Pont's final show of the season depends a great extent on whether Art Carney and Jackie Gleason are available to star as Laurel and Hardy, respectively. —The New York Times (January 8, 1961) | "Last season the 'DuPont Show of the Month' had considered closing its run with the Laurel and Hardy story, but this did not transpire. The Laurel and Hardy team made more than 200 comedy motion pictures during its long career." —Los Angeles Times (August 2, 1961)

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

                    JANUARY 18th.1961.
Dear Jennie & Jack [Racey]:
          Finally got down to acknowledging you letter of Dec.13th. & nice Xmas Card, for some reason or other so consequently a lot of my personal correspondence was neglected. Hope you all enjoyed a very Merry Yuletide - Eda joins in wishing you all lots of good health & a happy successful New Year '61.
          Note that Rose & her Husband have opened up a new Store in Detroit - wish them lots of luck.
          Sorry about the coughing spells during your meals Jack - I frankly wouldn't know what to advise, this happens to me occasionally, but not too often, only when I eat something that happens to be dry, so I generally put something on it to moisten it up, for instance if its a cracker - SOAK IT IN BURBON.!! then suck the cracker through a Straw.! SIMPLE? who the hell wants to cough then?
Glad you enjoyed the Stocking & the Nixon for the Birds gag ------ have'nt heard any new ones lately.
          Weather here is like mid-summer - guess your relatives living out here in Calif. have told you all about it. Kind thoughts from us both here.
          Cheerio & God Bless.
                    As ever:

                    STAN LAUREL.

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

                    JANUARY 23rd.'61.
My Dear Jerry [Lewis]:
          Thank you for the very interesting color picture of "The Ladies Man" sets, its certainly a unique idea & I imagine it has proved of great value in many instances - time saving etc. Congratulations on your ingenuity - hope 'Ladies Man' has developed successfully & is all you wished for.
          Trust you will take a good rest after you've finished production Jerry - take good care of yourself.
          Eda joins in kind thoughts & every good wish to Patti & Self.
          Cheerio & God Bless.
                    As ever:

                    STAN LAUREL.

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

                    JANUARY 26th.'61.
Dear Edmund [Tester]:
          Thanks yours, 21st.inst. with enclosure of drawing of "JAZZBOLAND". ITS CERTAINLY QUITE A PROJECT - very interesting indeed - I imagine you will be leasing out most of the concessions & retaining the most profitable attractions.
          I guess you wo'nt have much time for your clowning activities when you start on this new venture, its going to be a full time job for you I'm sure. Again wish you lots of good luck & success.
          Enclosed is a picture for Ed Jr. (these are the only kind I have)
          Yes we caught all the inaugeration business on TV. it was very impressing, especially Kennedy's speech, we also caught his news conference yesterday - have great admiration for him.
          Not much else to tell you, so bye for now.
          Regards & bestest to self & Family from us both here.
          Cheerio & God Bless.
                    As ever:

                    STAN LAUREL.

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

                    FEBRUARY 3rd.1961.
Dear Tom [Jackson]& Betty:
          Thanks your nice letter of Jan.31st. with enclosed letter which had been returned to you.
          we too enjoyed very much the pleasure of meeting you both, hope it wo'nt be too long before you will have the opportunity to visit with us again. I thought the pictures turned out very good. I just recd. them a couple of days ago & Jack called me yesterday afternoon.
          Nothing much exciting to tell you, so Eda joins in kindest regards & every good wish.
          Take care & God Bless.
                    As ever:

                    STAN LAUREL.

SNAPSHOT PHOTO ENCLOSURE- FEBRUARY 3, 1961

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

                    FEBRUARY 6th.1961.
Dear Bob & Marie [Hatfield]:
          Thanks yours,Jan. 25th.
The Dupont Show of the the Month has now been postponed till April - I understand there has been some difficulty in the Gleason-Carney situation - its very possible that somebody else will play our characters.
          We too had a few days of rain, Wind & fog etc. but now its like mid-summer again.
          Am wondering if you happen to have a tape recorder, or any friends or neighbours you could borrow one from - I have some disc records, songs music etc from the old time English Music Halls, I could make up a tape for you, think you'd enjoy hearing them. let me know.
          Kindest regards to you all from us both here,
          Trust alls well & happy with you.
                    Sincerely as ever:

                    STAN LAUREL.

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

                    FEBRUARY 22nd.1961.
Dear Marie & Bob[Hatfield]:
          Thanks yours,15th. inst.
Pleased to know you will be able to borrow a Tape Recorder, shall be happy to make up a tape for you of the old time Music Hall Stars also old time Vaudeville Artistes (American). I will also include the L&H theme music "Dance of the Cuckoos" made in London, End. in 1932 by the Columbia recording orchestra.
          Since writing you last, I had a hemorrhage in my left eye, so had to get new glasses fitted for the right eye, over the other I wear a black patch, till it heals up & am able to get a new glass fitted to that. Only have the use of one eye - its not too serious, no pain, its caused by strain. Dr advises me not to do much reading or writing for a while, so you will understand my letter being brief.
          Thank you for ordering the L&H book - hope you will enjoy it. Next time you're down this way, will autograph it for you (if you have'nt burned it up.!!)
          Bye now, Eda joins in kind thoughts to you both & Mother.
          Cheerio & God Bless.
                    As ever:

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

                    FEBRUARY 27th.'61.
Dear Richard Sloan:
          Thanks yours, 23rd.inst.
Nice to hear from you again. The book "MR LAUREL & MR HARDY" is published by Doubleday Co. of N.Y. - imagine it is available at most book stores, or could be ordered by any of them who do'nt happen to carry it.
          The Susskind production of the L&H story - I understand there has been some difficulty in the casting situation - frankly I do'nt know who is being considered for the two characters - there have been many rumors, but I doubt if any particular one has been decided upon, its possible the show will never materialize.
          Thanks again for your interesting letter.
          My regards & best wishes,
                    Sincerely:

                    STAN LAUREL.

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

                    FEBRUARY 27th.'61.
Dear Bob & Marie [Hatfield]:
          Just mailed you a full reel of tape recording (around 2 hours entertainment) Hope you'll get as much pleasure out of it as I did taping it.
          Regards & best from us both here to your Mother & Selves.
          Cheerio.
                    As ever:

                    STAN LAUREL.

THE STAN LAUREL
CORRESPONDENCE ARCHIVE PROJECT
HOPES TO COLLECT AND CATALOG
LETTERS FROM STAN TO BETTER
UNDERSTAND HIS LIFE AND CELEBRATE
HIS COMEDIC GENIUS.

IF YOU HAVE AN ORIGINAL
LETTER FROM STAN OR HAVE A COPY
NOT INCLUDED IN THESE ARCHIVES,
PLEASE ADD A COPY OF YOUR LETTER
BY CONTACTING US VIA E-MAIL AT:
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Marcel Marceau, the great French pantomime, recently made a pilgrimage to a modest one-bedroom apartment on the oceanfront at at Santa Monica.
     Marceau generally is rated the world's greatest in the art of mime, but he pooh poohs it.
     "I am now in the home of ze master," said Marceau as he bowed in the direction of one of the great all time comics—Stan Laurel.
     It was a cheering visit for the surviving member of the famed Laurel and Hardy comedy team.
     "I learned my art from watching Laurel and Hardy movies," said Marceau. Then he did a perfect mime of the Laurel walk and the crying face. Laurel roared with laughter.
     Stan, 70, was obviously thrilled by Marceau's visit.
     "I don't see many people anymore," mused Laurel.
     "It's a long way out here to Santa Monica. And I can't go any place. I have diabetes and still haven't completely recovered from the stroke I had in 1955, so all I can do is stay in the apartment here and watch the ocean and television.
     "About the only visitor I have except for my family is Jerry Lewis. He's been after me to work as a comedy consultant on his movies. Once he came out here and stayed seven hours. We had a lot of laughs.
     "But, as for working again, I can't. I'm all washed up in this business."
     Hollywood may have forgotten Stan but the world hasn't. His living room was cluttered with fan letters from all over the world, some even from Ghana and other remote places.
     "Laurel and Hardy always were more important in Europe and Asia than they were in Hollywood," said Stan. "We once had a fan club in Europe that numbered two million members."
     At this, Marceau interrupted: "I know, because I belonged to it."
     Laurel patiently answers all the fan mail and sends along a little photo of himself and Oliver Hardy, who died in 1957.
     The 30-year partnership of Laurel and Hardy was unique in that they never had a cross word.
     "We had different hobbies," said Stan. "He liked horses and golf. You know my hobby—and I married them all."
     Laurel married four women a total of eight times and had a fifth sue to be declared his wife. Virginia Ruth Rogers, Stan's second, third and seventh bride, once observed in a classic of understatement: "Stan's a good boy, really, but he has a marrying complex."
     His last wife, Ida Kitaeva, married him in 1946 and shares the beachfront apartment with him.
     Laurel's sense of humor is still sharp. Although he gave and is still giving the world a million laughs, he was always sad-faced in his own comedy.
     In person, he is a belly-laugher.
     He laughs at how everybody made millions from Laurel and Hardy but the two comics themselves.
     "We made our pictures for a flat salary—never had an agent. They've played and played on television but we never got a cent out of it.
     "Manufacturers made Laurel and Hardy dolls, Laurel and Hardy ashtrays, Laurel and Hardy flowerpots, even—but we never got a cent."
     He reached for a Laurel and Hardy ceramic ashtray.
     "I bought this at Shannon airport. The manager said they were the best selling ashtrays he had—and then he charged me full price."
     Stan laughed uproariously.
     "It's been a great life and I'm happy that I have made people forget some of their sorrows—but it would have been nice to have made a little money along the way. I'm not complaining. I've got all I want in this little apartment.
     "We had a big house but it was too big for the two of us anyway."
     Laurel recalled how he came to the United States in 1910 in a cattle boat.
     "Charlie Chaplin was the star of our troupe. I had one pair of shoes for onstage and off. Our first night in New York we spent in a cheap theatrical boarding house. I think it cost $1 a day. When I went to bed the first night, I put my shoes outside the door, continental custom, expecting them to be shined by morning.
     "Naturally, they were gone. I had to go to the theater in carpet slippers. They had a big candle on the toe. I made a comedy hit because the rest of my costume was white tie and tails."
     Laurel and Chaplin roomed together for three years while the troupe toured the country.
      What does Laurel think of Chaplin's omission from Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame project?
     "I think it's shocking. I have known Chaplin longer than anyone else. He's bitter but he's no Communist. Those names on the Hollywood Boulevard sidewalk honor the people who made this town the movie capital. To omit the greatest artist of all is shocking. You can't rewrite history."
     Laurel, who had been on the stage since he was 7, toured in vaudeville while Chaplin became the movies' greatest comedy star. Stan made a half-hearted attempt at the movies in 1917 and again in 1922.
     "By this time." he recalls, "I had more or less given up performing and was concentrating on writing and directing. I was employed at Hal Roach studios. One day in 1926 or 1927, I can't remember when, an actor hired to play a butler took sick and I replaced him in a scene."
     That unknown actor's illness brought on a moment of never-to-be-forgotten Hollywood history. When Laurel resumed his acting career, he did it opposite a 300-pound comic villain who had not exactly set Hollywood ablaze as a single.
     One old-time Roach employee recalls the moment: "When Laurel and Hardy started working in the scene, you could hear the laughs all over the lot. This brought us all running to the set because some of those electricians and cameramen hadn't laughed in years. Even Hal Roach himself visited the set—and laughed himself sick.
     "Laurel and Hardy became a team—and there never will be a funnier one—from that day on."
     The format of the Laurel and Hardy two-reelers was basically the same—Hardy, supposedly the intelligent member of the team, would suggest something—and during the execution, Laurel would louse it up—to Hardy's anguish. There was no straight man in the act.
     "And no script," recalls Stan. "Babe always let me handle everything. We only used a director for scenes for Laurel and Hardy and provided most of the gags.
     "Whenever the front office would call a conference about a new picture, Babe had a standard line he used: 'Whatever Stan decides is all right with me.'
     "In all our 30 years together, he never once questioned a decision I had made. Although we never went together socially, we were always good friends as well as partners. I miss him terribly."
     Laurel & Hardy's life will be made into a television spectacular sometime this year. Various castings have been specu1ated—Jackie Gleason for Hardy, Art Carney for Laurel. Another had Tony Perkins for Laurel and Jonathan Winters for Hardy. Laurel thinks Dick Van Dyke would be a good choice for him. He likes either Gleason or Winters for Babe.
     "But I can't see where there's any story in our lives. There was no friction, no drama—just a few laughs."

—Pittsburgh Post Gazette (Feb. 26, 1961)

SPECIAL OSCAR SOUGHT FOR STAN LAUREL

A dozen top stars have formed a committee to ask that a special Oscar be voted to the surviving half of one of the great movie comedy teams of all time, Stan Laurel of Laurel and Hardy. It would be a fine and warm gesture, symbolic of a salute to all the old-timers, both alive and dead, who entertain millions daily via their old and unrewarding films on TV.

—Sheilah Graham (February 20, 1961)