Stan and Ollie: The Roots of Comedy: The Double Life of Laurel and Hardy
SKU: 5766673429

Stan and Ollie: The Roots of Comedy: The Double Life of Laurel and Hardy

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Stan and Ollie: The Roots of Comedy: The Double Life of Laurel and HardyStan Laurel and Oliver Hardy have remained, from 1927 to the present day, the screen's most famous and popular comedy double act, celebrated by legions of fans. But despite many books about their films and individual lives, there has never been a fully researched, definitive narrative biography of the duo, from birth to death. Louvish traces the early lives of Stanley Jefferson and Norvell Hardy and the surrounding minstrel and variety theatre, which

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy have remained, from 1927 to the present day, the screen's most famous and popular comedy double act, celebrated by legions of fans. But despite many books about their films and individual lives, there has never been a fully researched, definitive narrative biography of the duo, from birth to death.

Louvish traces the early lives of Stanley Jefferson and Norvell Hardy and the surrounding minstrel and variety theatre, which influenced all of their later work. Louvish examines the rarely seen solo films of both our heroes, prior to their serendipitous pairing in 1927, in the long-lost short Duck Soup. The inspired casting teamed them until their last days. Both often married, they found balancing their personal and professional lives a nearly impossible feat.

Between 1927 and 1938, they were able to successfully bridge the gap between silent and sound films, which tripped up most of their prominent colleagues. Their Hal Roach and MGM films were brilliant, but their move in 1941, to Twentieth Century Fox proved disastrous, with the nine films made there ranking as some of the most embarrassing moments of cinematic history.

In spite of this, Laurel and Hardy survived as exemplars of lasting genius, and their influence is seen to this day. The clowns were elusive behind their masks, but now Simon Louvish can finally reveal their full and complex humanity, and their passionate devotion to their art. In Stan and Ollie: The Roots of Comedy: The Double Life of Laurel and Hardy, Louvish has seamlessly woven tireless and thorough research into an authoritative biography of these two important and influential Hollywood pioneers.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
Published: 07/01/2005
ISBN: 9780312325985
Pages: 520
Weight: 1.53lbs
Size: 8.58h x 5.54w x 1.30d
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SKU: 5766673429

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E. L. Romine
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 5
Another Good One in the Bag
Format: Kindle
Love the change this adventure keeps taking. We go from our LitFantasy to a comic book adventure. One of the most interesting LIT tales I have read so far. The adventure continues to hold you captured and throws in a few twist. Didn’t see those 3 making an appearance in the Reapers Realm. But, no other spoilers, just read it; it’s definitely worth reading!!! Cheers 🍻 Peace ✌🏾 & Love ❤️
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Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2025
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Kindle Customer
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 5
I love this series
Format: Kindle
I interesting powers and a funny yet cynical main character who loves smack talk and confusing everyone around him , friends included , Jason from the very first book is just thrown into the deep end and told to swim or die , in this book he's back in his world and has to save it and empower his family while protecting them from everybody around them , allies and enemies alike . It's hilarious when Jason decides to mess with people or his own family , it's a serious book as well and lots of action, he's just trying to be what he needs to be for his family and his world , while also trying to leave it a better place before he moves on the the other world he was dumped in , In his eyes he's only back on Earth to fix mistakes and leave his family better off than when he left them , oh and the world too lol . Read it from the first book to the next one in the series , you won't be disappointed, I wasn't, trust me these books are worth it .
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Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2022
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Cori W
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
Almost too accurate
Format: Kindle
Another absolutely amazing book in the series, it was scary how exactly on point the actions of various agencies and governments was in this book. It would all play out like this too, absolute chaos for short term gains that in the grand scheme of things mean nothing - almost felt like I was reading "Don't look up" but with gold and silver rankers. As much as I didn't like a certain character and his family, he came through and his private chat brought a tear to my eye. Great job as always, the characters are phenomenal, but like Jason - I'm really ready to be done with Earth, what a dumpster fire.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2022
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B
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 4
One Step Too Far But Otherwise Great
Format: Kindle
Huge fan of this series and the multiverse that it has created. I often find find myself laughing out loud at the irreverent main characters quips. I've been five stars all the way for every book so far but I had to drop a star for a very specific reason. This was the first time I was negatively pulled out of the reading experience in this series. (Though, definitely not the first time lol. That totally random, albeit delicious, recipe for lemonade pulled me out that one rime but it wasn't an unpleasant experience). Spoilers follow: Jason's final words to his dead brother's spirit were so inappropriate and crass that I very much hope this isn't the direction that Jason's character is growing toward. I outwardly cringed and had to put the book down for a few days because I wasn't sure this was a character I wanted to continue to read about after reading those lines. Aside from that it was a great book. I truly hope this was a one-off and simply poorly written vs something we can expect more of going forward. Cringe humor can be funny but there's a limit that was drastically overstepped in that line.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2026
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Deb STL
New York, US
★★★★★ 5
Loved it!
Format: Kindle
There seems to be many books out there now with the fake girlfriend/boyfriend, fake girlfriend/girlfriend, or fake fiance/spouse. I actually like this particular trope quite a lot. Some are OK, bad or good. This novel falls in the last category. I really liked this book and will definitely be re-reading it sometime in the future. Tansy and Gemma are very likeable as individuals. As a couple, they have amazing chemistry very early on. One of the best things I liked about this novel is that the author doesn't make us wait until the end of the book for the characters to acknowledge their attraction. They become a true couple early on despite almost everyone thinking it is not real. The writing is well done and I really really liked the main characters. (Have I said that enough times?) There was definitely some heat too! Everything THIS woman is looking for from a romance novel. Definitely recommend. I give it 4 ¾ stars.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2023

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