Laurel and Hardy from the 40s: Amazon.co.uk: S. MacGillivray: Books

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New L&H book is worth looking 'Forward' to, 2 Nov 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Laurel & Hardy: From the Forties Forward (Hardcover)

When I read Randy Skretvedt's "Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies" (and interviewed its author for a local newspaper), it seemed as though everything left to say about L&H had now been said. Now comes this exhaustive and highly readable account of L&H's much-maligned studio-system movies of the 1940's, as well as Robert Youngson's 1950's compilation movies and the many TV-edited versions of L&H's classic shorts. A welcome addition to any L&H library.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books ever about Stan & Ollie--a must-have!, 30 Sep 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Laurel & Hardy: From the Forties Forward (Hardcover)

This book is not only a labor of love, it is a meticulously researched and beautifully written account of the careers of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in the latter stages of their careers. Because their later film work at Twentieth Century-Fox and MGM was largely produced without their creative input, previous authors have deliberately downplayed or ignored these films in favor of their Hal Roach classics. Scott MacGillivray corrects these oversights with the most comprehensive and exhaustive study of these films that we'll ever see. Scott had access to Stan Laurel's personal documents, as well as studio records that have never seen light of day before. The rare photos are incredible, as are the eye-popping quotes from Laurel & Hardy's family, friends and co-workers. Best of all, the entire book is a sheer delight to read, and would make an excellent gift for anybody who has ever enjoyed the incredible talent of The Boys. Buy it for yourself, buy it for your friends, do it now and you won't regret it (yes, I put my money where my mouth is--I already purchased copies for my friends as gifts)!

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Three decades of missing info.!, 3 Mar 2004

By	bobs - See all my reviews

1927 to 1940 is a shorter time than 1941 to 1957 but the latter time frame has gotten next to no attention by most L & H writers.
Ofcourse there were no more film classics after The Boys left Hal Roach Studios and went "to Hollywood" in the purest artistic sense. But there were great moments on film and greater moments on stage which apparently went unfilmed - the European tours of '47 to '53.
Scott M. has written a wonderfully readable book which casual fans can enjoy. His insights into the movie industry are quite thought-provoking as well.
Scott got me to reflect on the '41 to '45 series of film quickies which largely ignored the two greatest characterizations in comedy history: it was wartime and the "surreal" quality of the early pictures would not be as accepted (although the writer points out that the Roach efforts were still in circulation in the '40s!). Further, one should realize that most feature length comedy have flaws - how many are too long, do not capitalize on comic situations, get hung up on plot, etc. The Fox and MGM flicks, though none are up to L & H standards, are professionally shot and give us a chance to see the older and wiser (?) Stan and Ollie trying to make lemonade out of lemons.
The research here is amazing: unused dialogue/scenes (sometimes tragically omitted!); period movie reviews...it's just great.
Considering the low standards of many of today's (extremely wealthy) most popular comic actors, it is disturbing to realize that the true Kings of Comedy were apparently never invited to guest on a sitcom or TV variety show in the late '40s/early '50s. Gleason and Carney paid homage every week but their idols' sole US appearance but an out-of-character unplanned (by Stan and Ollie) visit to "You Bet Your Life"!
I've re-read parts of this work dozens of times and always find something new to enjoy.