8mm laurel and hardy movies series#

We know, generally, that even though they were important corporate assets, film materials at studios have seldom been the beneficiary of careful maintenance.

This muddy-looking version, like so many others which Film Classics tampered with, have remained in circulation for more than half-a-century because subsequent licensees inherited the material. Sometimes they added music where it did not belong, such as taking the titles music track from Busy Bodies (1933) and marrying it with the titles action sequence from Men o' War (1929). Obliged by contract to remove the MGM trademarks, the imaginative, original-design presentation titles sequences were thoughtlessly tossed.įilm Classics was also guilty of re-editing the pictures, a notable example being Pack Up Your Troubles (1932). Until his son bankrupted the organization in 1960, Hal Roach Studios had more by accident than by design saved certain original 35mm camera negatives, dupe negatives, fine grain master positives, as well as other prints, even while licensing footage to sub-distributors.įor example, in 1943, producer George Hirliman’s Film Classics contracted with Roach to re-release much of the studio’s post-1928 product. That this work is necessary is due to decades of benign neglect, when the only thing that mattered was to exploit the library, and preservation efforts have been sporadic or inaccessible. They are soliciting donations large and small from anyone and everyone all over the world who wants give something back and feel as though they have made a contribution to propagating the spirit and genius of Laurel & Hardy, so that the films will survive and continue to entertain as many future generations as possible. UCLA-as the story below will make clear-now has the best surviving nitrate on many Laurel & Hardy titles and is beginning a multi-year project to restore these films to their original glory. Now there is a way everyone can get involved. Frustrated fans who know and care about saving and sharing the films have long asked how they can aid in this effort.

Anyone who has seen their work is likely to agree on the importance of preserving these films for future generations to discover, study and enjoy.

8mm laurel and hardy movies series#

Memorable series were built around star names Harold Lloyd, Our Gang, Charley Chase, Will Rogers, Thelma Todd, Harry Langdon, and Laurel & Hardy. In 1914 Hal Roach began his career as an independent producer, specializing in comedy.