The Laurel & Hardy Podcast

On Saturday, May 16th, Patrons of The Laurel and Hardy Podcast gathered online for another meeting of our Fraternally Yours community to discuss the boys' classic short, The Hoose-Gow . It was another well-attended event, and our good friend and expert, Randy Skretvedt, joined us, too. In addition to discussing the film, Randy announced the imminent release of his next book, Laurel & Hardy...

In this second of two back-to-back episodes with Laurel and Hardy expert, Randy Sketvedt, Patrick takes a deep-dive into the fascinating production history of the boys' classic 1929 short, The Hoose-Gow . Among the many things discussed are the origin of the term Hoose-Gow and the Culver City speakeasy that may have inspired the film. For more information on Patrick's forthcoming book, Lau...

This bonus episode finally lifts the lid on Patrick and Russ's long-awaited book project, Laurel & Hardy: Silents . Eight years in the making, this exclusive limited edition book(s) promises to be the definitive record of Stan and Ollie's silent era and will be the only book to publish every available production still for these classic, formative comedies. Patrick and Russ are joined b...

Episode 40 focuses on the fortieth film that Stan and Babe made together, namely, They Go Boom , which was filmed between June 26th and July 11th, 1929 and was released on September 21st, 1929. Patrick welcomes back prominent Laurel and Hardy expert Randy Skretvedt to discuss the fascinating production history of They Go Boom. During the conversation, we identify the difficulties encountered durin...

These are the edited highlights of the second online meeting of the podcast's 'Fraternally Yours' discussion group. The group's main objective was to watch and discuss the boys' classic short, Men O'War, but during the session, we digressed and covered a lot of other ground as well - all Laurel & Hardy related, of course! There were a number of members present, from sev...

In this special bonus episode of The Laurel and Hardy Podcast, Patrick chats with actor Jeffrey Weissman about his love for Laurel and Hardy and his experiences playing Stan Laurel for Universal Studios for the best part of two decades. Included in the discussion, Jeffrey recalls how he first discovered the boys, how he met Anita Garvin, Dick Van Dyke and Buster's widow, Eleanor Keaton.   Jeff...

On 30th August 2025, the Fraternally Yours group held its inaugural online meeting. Initially focused on group discussions around the Laurel and Hardy short, Perfect Day , the conversation also drifted into other areas, including the 2018 Stan and Ollie movie. Hosted by Patrick Vasey, the group consisted of several of the podcast's patrons from the UK and North America, who are signed up to th...

On today’s show, we're journeying back to early June 1929 and the production of Stan and Babe’s fourth all-talking comedy, Perfect Day . To help Patrick discuss the history of this famous comedy is classic comedy aficionado Chris Seguin, linking up across the Atlantic from his home in Toronto, Canada.    In addition to discussing the production and merits of Perfect Day , Chris and Patrick dis...

It's a great time to be a Laurel and Hardy fan, what with all the products and books published recently and still more in the pipeline. This bonus episode of the Podcast discusses Eureka Entertainment's release of their wonderful Blu-Ray, Laurel & Hardy: The Silent Years - 1928. Joining Patrick to discuss the set is returning guest and one of the producers of the discs, Chris Seguin. T...

Our coverage of Laurel and Hardy's career as a comedy team brings us to the Spring/Summer of 1929 and their cameo appearance in M-G-M's 'spectacular' feature film, The Hollywood Revue of 1929. This was the boys' first appearance in a feature-length picture and marked a significant moment in their history. To discuss the movie and the stars who appear in it, Patrick is joined by...

In this very special episode, I chat with Danny Bacher and Bernie Hogya all about their new book, ' Collecting Laurel & Hardy .' The book is a fantastic and humorous look at all the weird and wonderful pieces of memorabilia and collectibles that have been produced and sold over the years bearing Stan and Ollie's likenesses. Of particular interest are Stan and Babe's screen-worn...

This bonus episode celebrates the publication of a brand new, jaw-dropping book entitled 'Laurel & Hardy: A True Love Story: The Pictorial History of Stan and Ollie: Their Lives and Work'. Patrick discusses the book's genesis and its treasures, asks his guests about their earliest memories of Laurel and Hardy, and makes them face the infamous 'Atoll Question'. Included in the episode is a VERY...

Rounding off our deep dive into the waters of Laurel and Hardy's classic short, Men O' War, Patrick is joined by film historian and author, Glenn Mitchell. Discussions cover a range of subjects from the film's production to the film history of Hollenbeck Park, to other interesting tangents, such as the willingness to tackle dark and heavy themes in Laurel and Hardy comedies. As mentioned in the sh...

In this first of two episodes looking at Laurel and Hardy's classic 1929 talkie, Men O' War, Patrick chats with returning guest and Hal Roach Studios expert, Richard W. Bann about his forthcoming book 'Laurel & Hardy as Men O' War: Just Playing Together.' In addition to discussing the book's genesis and content, Richard reads an extract from the manuscript, which perfec...

Joining Patrick to complete the deep dive into Laurel & Hardy's second talkie, Berth Marks, is a film historian and author of 'Smileage Guaranteed, Richard M. Roberts. As well as talking about the film's merits, Patrick also asks his special guest about how he first discovered his love for classic comedy, and his earliest memories of Stan and Ollie, and Richard (albeit reluctantly) faces the Atoll...

This episode is part one of a two-part look at Laurel and Hardy's second talking picture, Berth Marks. Following their successful first attempt at 'all-talking' comedies, how would Stan and Ollie handle their first adventure filming, not only, outdoors but on location in a noisy, bustling train station? In this solo episode, Patrick talks about the Berth Marks' fascinating producti...

To celebrate the podcast's 4th anniversary, we welcome the legendary film critic Leonard Maltin onto the show. Leonard discusses his lifelong love for Stan and Ollie, and Patrick asks him to choose his three favourite films. In addition, Leonard recounts his meetings with Buster Keaton as well as Laurel and Hardy co-stars Billy Gilbert and Dorothy Granger. To gain access to a video version of...

Episode 35 kicks off Season Two of the podcast properly and introduces us to Laurel and Hardy’s talking pictures. Patrick is joined by two of the world’s leading experts in the world of Laurel and Hardy and the Hal Roach Studios. Randy Skretvedt assists in discussing the production history of the boys’ first talkie, Unaccustomed As We Are, and Richard W. Bann reveals details of his exclusive inter...

In this very special bonus episode, Patrick welcomes Craig Raguse to the show. Craig is the grandson of the man who was given the responsibility of converting the Hal Roach Studios into a studio fit for producing talking pictures, Elmer Raguse. Craig discusses Elmer's early life and background, his move from the Victor Company in New Jersey to Roach's studio in Culver City, and talks about...

In this special bonus episode, recorded live in front of a Zoom audience of some of the Podcast’s Patrons, Patrick interviews Laurel & Hardy expert and film historian, Randy Skretvedt, all about his latest book, entitled March of the Wooden Soldiers: The Amazing Story of Laurel & Hardy’s Babes in Toyland. To purchase a copy of Randy’s new book, click here for UK: https://amzn.to/4aHmD4T To...

To round off Laurel and Hardy's silent era, Patrick invites classic comedy expert Chris Seguin back to take one last look at the whole canon. Join us for a fascinating and fun discussion covering all the boys' films, from The Lucky Dog to Angora Love. For more exclusive content and benefits from The Laurel & Hardy Podcast, sign up to show your support and become a Patron by clicking th...

With a tear in the eye, episode thirty-four brings Stan and Ollie’s silent period to a close. To discuss Laurel & Hardy’s swansong of their silent era, Angora Love, Patrick welcomes back to the Podcast classic comedy expert Chris Seguin. As well as discussing the film in focus, Chris and Patrick also consider Stan and Babe’s contemporaries, such as Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chapl...

On September 9th, 1953, Stan Laurel and Oliver ‘Babe’ Hardy arrived on a boat direct from the USA into the small harbour town of Cobh, Ireland, ahead of another tour of the theatres of Great Britain. The boys assumed that they would quietly disembark unnoticed by the townspeople - but that couldn’t be further from what happened. In this special bonus episode of the podcast, Patrick welcomes filmma...

In Episode thirty-three, Patrick welcomes back to the Podcast Laurel & Hardy expert and author of  Laurel & Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies  and  The Laurel & Hardy Movie Scripts ,  Randy Skretvedt . Throughout the course of the show, Randy and Patrick talk about a film that is often overlooked in the Laurel & Hardy canon, Bacon Grabbers. Patrick and Randy share their love for t...

In Episode 32, our attention turns to the first film that Stan and Babe made in 1929, Double Whoopee . Best known for a three-minute sequence starring a young Jean Harlow, Patrick and his special guest, Glenn Mitchell, discuss why the film is so much more than this one scene. In addition, the conversation also looks at the production history of the picture, the unique sound version produced in 197...