OF LOCAL ORIGIN

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy will arrive in Miami tonight after completing an entertainment tour of defense bases in the Caribbean. The comedians will leave for the Coast tomorrow to begin work on "Pitfalls of a Big City," which Sol Wurtzel will produce for Twentieth Century-Fox.

—New York Times (November 13, 1941)

WHAT'S NEWS IN HOLLYWOOD
By Jimmy Fidler

On his return from the east, Stan Laurel will undergo a minor operation for removal of a chigger, picked up on his Caribbean tour, which has bored into his foot and caused an abscess.

—Los Angeles Times (December 19, 1941)

A LIFE OF COMEDY
By Robert Warwick, A.C.E.

Bert Jordan with personally autographed picture of Oliver and Hardy. Inscription reads "To our old pal Bert—sincerest kind thoughts always Stan & Oliver, 1932."

The Laurel and Hardy Editor is a title well deserved by Bert Jordan who spent fourteen years of his career helping to make the comedy team everlastingly famous.
     Although both Bert Jordan and Stan Laurel were born in England, they were not destined to meet until after their arrival in Hollywood. Bert started with Laurel and Hardy in 1926, the birth date of the famous team, and was their film editor for fourteen years until the expiration of their contract with Hal Roach in 1940. Occasionally other editors were assigned to the comedies, but it was Bert who was known as the Laurel and Hardy Editor. This association of the three men brought about an enduring friendship based on understanding and a mutual desire for perfection in the art of film making, a medium in which they all excelled.
     Introduced to the industry when his father built and operated the first motion picture theater in Cambridge, England, Bert began his career in London in 1913 playing small parts. He later became a cameraman for Lions Head Film Co. in Croydon, England.
     "In those days in England," Bert recalls, "a camerman usually developed his own film after each day's shooting and sometimes printed his own dailies." Frequently Bert was called upon to help the director with the editing. Consequently, when Mr. and Mrs. Bert Jordon arrived in the United States in 1916 he was a highly qualified motion picture man.
     Bert's first assignment in this country was with D. W. Griffith as a standby cameraman on "Intolerance." Through the efforts of Charles Rocher and Alfred Gos-den, he became a member of the "Static Club," forerunner of the American Society of Cinematographers. Later he became a photographer for the old Fine Arts Company, Sometime during this period he decided to become a film editor and joined the Vitagraph Company where he stayed until it was sold to Warner Bros. He edited many O'Henry stories.
     Joining the Hal Roach Studios about 1921, Bert had already become acquainted with Oliver Hardy, who, as he recalls, was playing a heavy in Larry Semon comedies. He did not meet Stan Laurel until 1926 when Laurel was directing comedy shorts at Hal Roach Studios.
     "It is interesting to note," Bert commented, "that Stan Laurel had directed and I acted in the legitimate theater in England before coming to the United States." His first appearance in this country was with a traveling group known as "The Early Birds," headed by Fred Karno. Traveling with them was the then unknown Charles Chaplin.
     In the early days of motion pictures many pioneers of the industry came from the legitimate theater. Actors who were versatile and creative enthusiastically set about learning the techniques of the new medium, blending it with those of the theater. It was a challenging era. They were fascinated not only with the artistic hut also the financial potential of the budding new industry. Stan Laurel was such a man.
     He knew the theater and had mastered the techniques of film making. He was an actor, a director, and he knew the problems of editing. Stan Laurel was a dedicated showman.
     When Bert Jordan was first assigned to edit a Stan Laurel-directed comedy he had not yet completely adjusted to certain American expressions and customs. He likes to tell this story on himself: "Stan was discussing with me the routining of a cafe sequence in which he (Stan) was playing a waiter. It went something like this:
     'Now, Bert, play the scene so that I leave the table in the long shot then go over to the dumb waiter and so on and so on..."
     "It seemed quite simple to me at the time," relates Bert, "but later when I started to edit the sequence something was very wrong. So I said to Stan, 'it just doesn't seem to work. When you go to the dumb waiter, how am I to tell which waiter is dumb and which waiter can talk?' Stan roared with laughter. He knew immediately that if he had used the British expression 'lift' I would have known what he had been talking about. It took me a long time to live that one down. Stan took keen delight in kidding me about it frequently during our long friendship."
     As Bert recalls it, Stan's versatility was the element that indirectly brought the great team of Laurel and Hardy together.
     "One day during shooting at Hal Roach t an actor who had been assigned to play the part of a butler became ill so Stan Laurel, who was directing, donned the butler's wardrobe and substituted for the stricken actor, playing against the 300-pound Oliver Hardy."
     Bert states that Leo McCarey who was, "I believe an assistant director at the time," saw the two men working and brought the two boys to the attention of Hal Roach who signed a contract with them. This association began in 1926 and, as Bert remembers, Leo McCarey directed the first Laurel and Hardy comedy.
      It was no coincidence that Bert Jordan was assigned the editorial chores for this team. A friendship had already been established between the three men. Bert's keen sense of humor, his mastery of understatement, sense of timing, and additional creativity are just a few of the qualities which complimented Stan Laurel, the director, and endeared him to both members of the great comedy team, as well as to the directors of the Laurel and Hardy comedies which appeared under the Hal Roach banner for almost 14 years.
     "They must have made over 100 2-reel shorts between 1927 and 1931," Bert said. "Many of their 2-reel comedies were 'talkies.' Their first sound short was "Unaccustomed As We Are," and their first feature sound picture was titled "Pardon Us."
     Shooting scripts were used to an extent, but most of the comedy routines were improvised on the set as they went along, the two comedians, the writer and director working and re-working the scenes until they had achieved a high degree of perfection.
      Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were always good friends, respected each other's ideas and at work where concerned with just one thing—the success of the show they were making. Hardy's respect of Stan Laurel's abilities as an actor and director was so great that it was understood between them that Laurel's decision on how a scene should be played was final.
     According to Bert, Laurel and Hardy—whether in individual close-ups or in two-shots—were so magnetic, their faces, actions and reactions so convulsed audiences with laughter that certain scenes were "milked" to a point that by today's standards might be considered padding. However, even today's sophisticated audiences enjoy the artistry of Laurel and Hardy as much if not more than those of past generations. Frequently, in order to get an extra laugh, Laurel and Hardy would let the audience in on what was going to happen in a scene. As an example:

Hardy
Stan, go into the kitchen and light the oven, then I'll fix dinner.

Laurel
O.K. Ollie.

Camera follows Stan into the kitchen. He opens the oven, turns on the gas. He then starts looking for a match. After much searching he doesn't find one and returns to Oliver.

Hardy
Did you light the oven, Stan?

Laurel
No, I couldn't find a match.

Oliver gives Stan a look of disgust and says:

Hardy
Can't you do anything? All right, I'll do it myself.

With Stan watching, Oliver strikes match as he enters kitchen. Camera stays on Stan Laurel's face as there is a tremendous explosion in the kitchen. With the camera still trained on Stan's innocent face, the mike picks up Hardy's off stage yelling, mixed with sounds of falling pots and pans. Stan walks to the kitchen door, from which smoke is now appearing, and sees Ollie blackened and tattered, lying on the floor which is covered with debris.

Close-up of Stan looking innocently at Ollie as he asks:

Laurel
WHAT HAPPENED?

Close-up of Oliver with a long, disgusted burn.

Scenes like this were characteristic of Laurel and Hardy comedies. Normal situations exaggerated by the problems of the two inimitable comedians. Another such scene establishes Hardy in Laurel's apartment.

Laurel
Go ask your wife if you can go out with me.

Ollie exits to his apartment to ask his wife.

Hardy
Sugar, Stanley wants to know if I can go out with him.

Sugar
You certainly can not! Not with that little bum.

She proceeds to swing on him and wraps a picture around his neck. Cut back to Laurel, while off stage sounds of the battle can be heard. Finally the noise stops and Laurel hears a door slam. Laurel then leaves the room and goes across the hail to Babe's apartment, opens the door, sees Babe sitting on the floor, and says:

Laurel
WHAT SHE SAY?

Bert Jordan takes justifiable pride in the part he had in creating the Laurel and Hardy comedies, shows that are as popular today as they were 35 years ago. During his long association with Hal Roach, Bert edited such features as "Babes in Toyland," "Of Mice and Men," and "Captain Blood." He then left the studio for awhile at the time of World War II editing more than 100 films for the Army Air Force, Air Transport Command, for which he received a citation for his excelLent work.
     Returning to the Roach Studio after the war, Bert edited many excellent shows including the Gale Storm TV series. He has high praise for Hal Roach the producer who brought so many talented actors and actresses together in what might be called the 'Golden Age of Comedy.'
     An outstanding gentleman, a distinguished editor, Bert retired from the industry a few years ago. He and his charming wife now enjoy their life of retirement in their Hollywood Hills home overlooking the San Fernando Valley.
     A life member of the American Cinema Editors, Bert shall always be known to his many friends as, The Laurel and Hardy Editor.

—The Cinemeditor (Summer 1967)

COMEBACK

Although no names are on dotted lines yet, it looks as though the comedy team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy it headed for featured roles in "You Can't Do That," a comedy, naturally, about life in a movie cartoon studio, which Glenn McCarthy Productions will make independently for RKO release. The production, written by Monty F. Collins, a former film comic himself, is tentatively set to go in April, and the company also plans to use other "names" in the cast. Last November, when the project first was noted, it was pointed out that the brothers Warner also were preparing a picture about film cartoon production. No further word on that, however.

—New York Times (January 16, 1949)

M'CARTHY TO MAKE A COMEDY FOR RKO
By Thomas F. Brady

Glenn McCarthy, independent producer, today announced that his next picture for RKO will be "My Darling Is a Kangaroo," a screen comedy about life in an animated cartoon studio, which Monty F. Collins and Frank Gill have written. The production is scheduled to start early in April, and Mr. McCarthy's casting hopes for the picture, which will require five leading players, run the gamut from Laurel and Hardy to Cary
Grant, his company disclosed. He recently completed production of "The Green Promise" for RKO release.

—New York Times (February 5, 1949)

OLIVER HARDY BACK AGAIN MINUS HARDY

There stood Oliver Hardy, chins and all, but something was missing. No Stan Laurel.
     For the second time in 23 years of existence, the famed comedy team of Laurel and Hardy has split up. I found round, firm and fully-packed Hardy in a buckskin out on the set of John Wayne's "A Strange Caravan." He admitted that a couple of cows gave their lives to supply the costume.
     I asked if his present role meant a permanent split with the wistful Laurel.
     "No. no," Babe assured. "This it just temporary until we get active again. In fact, my salary goes to our joint corporation. We've been incorporated since 1935."
     The two comics started performances together in 1926. Until now they had only one professional division. That was in 1935 when they were working under separate contracts to Hal Roach. Stan had a dispute with the producer and left the lot.
     Hardy had to finish out his contract, and Roach out him into a thing called "Zenobia," co-starring Billie Burke, Alice Brady and an elephant. The picture fell flat on its trunk, and Babe rejoined his teammate.
     Their last Hollywood contract was with 20th-Fox. They quit because of non-support. "We can't carry a picture for all five or six reels," Babe said. "We needed people for romantic support, but they were giving us unknowns."
     In 1947 the pair played successfully all over Europe. Babe shed 75 pounds and wasn't happy with the experience. "I tasted my first whale meat and my first horse meat," he said sourly. He is now back up to his standard 295 pounds.
     Hardy offered a reason for their recent inactivity.
     "The producers don't seem to want to be associated with slapstick comedy; they think it hurts their prestige," he said. "Actually, ours was more situation comedy than slapstick."
     He hoped (as I do) that film makers would realize the public's thirst for laughs.
     "Why, some of our old pictures have been appearing on television," he said, "and we get more fan mail now than we did when they were first released."
     Babe said that he and Stan have never had any friction.
     "Why should we argue? We both do different thing professionally. What I do, he can't do, and vice versa.
     "Another thing—we never see each other between engagements. We both have different hobbies: I play golf and he likes to fish. He's the kind who can sit on the end of a line all day."
     Babe said he discussed the single role will Stan, who said to go ahead. "He called me up at seven this morning to wish me luck on my first day," Hardy said.
     He's going ahead with his separate career and will do a role in "Riding High" with Bing Crosby. But the boys may get back together in a picture for Glenn McCarthy Productions. I hope so. I miss their wonderful finger-in-the-eye and brick-on-the-foot brand of humor.

—Associated Press (March 14, 1949)

NEW MOVE
By Hedda Hopper

Glenn McCarthy is out to reteam Laurel and Hardy. He has offered them top roles in "My Darling Was a Kangaroo." Their old pictures on TV have given them a new lease on life. Babe Hardy is working now with John Wayne in "Strange Caravan."

—Los Angeles Times (March 15, 1949)