MARCEL MARCEAU SPEAKS

On October 28, 1959, Stan wrote to his good friend Marie Hatfield saying, "A friend of mine has just flown in from Paris France, he [is] going to be on the Dinah Shore show Sunday night & is coming to see me next week before he appears in Mexico City. His name is Marcel Marceau, he's a French Pantomimist - I discovered him in Paris in 1950 & I made it possible for him to get started on his way to success - I arranged bookings for him in London, Eng. & he has reached great heights ever since & has appeared all over the World. He's the greatest pantomimist I've ever seen. I feel very proud of my protege. Hope you will see him work, he's a wonderful artiste."

When Richard Bann and John McCabe began writing their ambitious book, "Laurel & Hardy" in 1975, they decided to include a Foreword titled, "For Stan and Ollie," which featured tributes by some of comedy's greatest entertainers. The first, was by the great French pantomimist Marcel Marceau.

Here, published for the first time anywhere, is Marcel's handwritten tribute to the Boys. It's interesting to compare Marcel's actual essay to the published version (see sidebar on right) as well as see the artist's editing at work as he composes his accolade-filled toast.

FOR STAN LAUREL AND HARDY

There is not one favorite film for me of Laurel and Hardy for the good reason that they all contain flo glows of mastership—and grace and style. They were not all equal maybe Fra Diavolo had a great unity unity, it was a fir sort of funny "Robin Hood"—where Stan and Hardy were launched in that film like two comrad characters coming from another planet. Like Don Juan and Leporello, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, or Don Juan and

Sganarelle. Like the Musketeers who were 4 the Marx Brothers 3, Laurel and Hardy were two—one being the counterpart of the other. Chaplin and Keaton were a unit lonely—one at odds with the police and a Victorian society, the other at odds with props, women, as or the absurd of life itself! The first a Shakespearean fool, the other a like a Greek or Roman mime philosopher and moralist. Stan and Olly were two fools of God, two wonderful clowns, at odds with themselves in the frame of a Victorian society which is still ours ours—they knew who how to slide over over a banana peel, who how to take make

reality absurd. They dealt with people women, props, animals, logique logic, and a foolish society. They dealt with cops and cars and trains and women and apple pie threw tartes créme custard pies. They were a combination of theatre, musical and music-hall pantomimists and served the movies as a godfather at a golden age where everything seemed possible, and where the actions spoke louder than words. They did it with style, grace and naive foolishness, a beautiful they had a beautiful knowledge of what balance the dealing with contrasts of characters, means and what they meant. Olly was the older wise brother, the fatherly figure trying

to prevent Stan from meeting the "Catastrophy"—but he was always trapped himself and had always a gentle way of getting out of a situation even when he was awkward or despaired, even in trouble with Stan and fighting against him. He kept a gentleness—they became were both the victims of Stan's foolishness and later were teamed together for life their sour-sweet battle kept them inseparable—we couldn't conceive them one without the other and like the "yin and yan" in Chinese philosophy they were the black and white of life. The forever to each other of our ab own absurdity

which make us laugh instead of crying, and remind us that if life is a tragedy for men who think it is a comedy for those who feel like us then their that there is an answer for our every question even unsolved, because there is an endless end for every situation. They knew Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy knew to however never to end their shows, becom because they told they knew we would meet them in new adventures each time! And would not a real ending be a tragedy for they their if only tricks? They needed light comedy and did it with the style and grace and finesse of the great clowns which they were indeed, combining awkwardness and graceful

ballet dancer movements or mime simply mime movements, using beautiful timing heavy lightness for Olly and the slow motion or their attitudes and expressions for Stan. They had a great sense of timing, and great style in their attitudes and expressions. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy had to exist to conv convince us that the litas and Greek and Roman pantomimes, the Comedia dell'Arte actors, the fool of God are still alive well and alive for ever as long [as] there will be societies and men forming them dwelling in a world full of contrasts [where] violence, dreams, and frustrations and heaful of joys Live long Stan and Olly.

cling together in an inseparable battle of light and shadow. However they tried to make us believe that life is sweet despite the fact they knew what other faces our dear world deals with—therefore they will for a lifetime be enjoyed by the child who still has not died in out for in us and will remain as long after also by all men who believe like myself that there is nothing else to do than to laugh at us when we slide over banana peels or get kicks over kicks on our bottom—in french "..."—find the english expression—Therefore long live Stan Laurel and Hardy our brothers, our friends.