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Stan Laurel, born Arthur Stanley Jefferson, was an English comic actor, director, and writer. He was one-half of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy, alongside his partner Oliver Hardy. Laurel appeared in numerous films, both with and without Hardy, and received an Academy Honorary Award for his pioneering work in comedy. While Stan Laurel's career and influence are well-documented, there is no evidence to suggest that he wrote for the Honeymooners. The Honeymooners was a situation comedy that aired on CBS in the mid-1950s and was created by comedy writer Harry Crane.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Stan Laurel's birth name | Arthur Stanley Jefferson |
| Stan Laurel's birthdate | 16 June 1890 |
| Stan Laurel's birthplace | Ulverston, Lancashire, England |
| Stan Laurel's career | English comic actor, director and writer |
| Stan Laurel's notable works | 107 short films, feature films and cameo roles with comedy partner Oliver Hardy; Laurel appeared in over 50 films and worked as a writer and director |
| Stan Laurel's notable comedy devices | Bowler hat, deep comic gravity and nonsensical understatement |
| The Honeymooners' creators | Harry Crane, Joe Bigelow |
| The Honeymooners' cast | Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, Joyce Randolph, Audrey Meadows |
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What You'll Learn
Stan Laurel was a writer, director and actor
Stan Laurel, born Arthur Stanley Jefferson, was an English comic actor, director and writer. He was best known as one half of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy, alongside his partner Oliver Hardy.
Laurel began his career in music hall, where he developed many of his trademark comic devices, including his signature bowler hat and nonsensical understatements. He joined Fred Karno's troupe of actors in 1910, where he adopted the stage name "Stan Jefferson" and worked alongside Charlie Chaplin, serving as his understudy. In 1912, Laurel travelled to the US with the Karno troupe, and in 1917, he made his film debut in 'Nuts in May'. He also worked with Oliver Hardy in the 1921 silent film short 'The Lucky Dog' before they became an official team in 1927.
Laurel worked as a writer and director for Hal Roach Studios in 1925, receiving credit in at least 22 films during his time there. He appeared in over 50 films, including 107 with his comedy partner, Oliver Hardy, in a career that spanned from 1917 to 1951. Their work together included short films, feature films and cameos, and they successfully transitioned from silent films to "talkies". Laurel and Hardy's comedy was highly visual and often involved physical arguments and cartoonish violence.
Laurel's comic influence extended beyond his own work. Art Carney, who played Ed Norton in 'The Honeymooners', compared his character's relationship with Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden to that of Laurel and Hardy. Additionally, Harry Crane, a comedy writer who helped create 'The Honeymooners', wrote the screenplay for the 1943 film 'Air Raid Wardens' starring Laurel and Hardy.
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Harry Crane wrote for The Honeymooners
Harry Crane, a comedy writer, helped create the long-running television show, 'The Honeymooners'. The show, featuring Jackie Gleason, first aired in 1955 and ran for two seasons. Crane, born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1914, began his career as a stand-up comic in the Borscht Belt as a teenager. He was recruited by MGM to write for Hollywood in 1943, and went on to write several screenplays, including 'Air Raid Wardens' (1943), starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.
Crane created the characters Ralph and Alice Kramden, who became a recurring act in Gleason's show. The act later became a standalone program, 'The Honeymooners', on CBS. Crane wrote comedic scripts and jokes for many comedians, including Jimmy Durante, Abbott and Costello, the Marx Brothers, Milton Berle, and Jerry Lewis. He also wrote jokes for singers like Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dinah Shore, and Perry Como.
Crane was best known for his role in developing 'The Honeymooners'. The show came about when he and another writer, Joe Bigelow, were working on 'Cavalcade of Stars' for the DuMont network in 1951. Crane and Bigelow created the sketch known as "The Honeymooners" featuring Gleason as a New York bus driver, Ralph Kramden. The popular segment was then incorporated into "The Jackie Gleason Show" on CBS the following year.
Crane was also a screenwriter, writing scripts for the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, and the Emmy Awards. He was frequently nominated for Emmys and had a long record of scripting award presentation shows. He was the grandfather of television actresses Melissa Gilbert of 'The Little House on the Prairie' and Sara Gilbert of 'Roseanne'.
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The Honeymooners was a TV show
Stan Laurel was an English comic actor, director and writer. He was one half of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy, alongside his partner Oliver Hardy. Laurel appeared in over 50 films and worked as a writer and director, while Hardy appeared in more than 250 productions. From the late 1920s to the mid-1950s, they were internationally famous for their slapstick comedy, with Laurel playing the clumsy, childlike friend to Hardy's pompous bully.
Laurel and Hardy's signature theme song, known as "The Cuckoo Song", "Ku-Ku", or "The Dance of the Cuckoos", was heard over their films' opening credits and became emblematic of the duo, as did their bowler hats.
Laurel began his career in music hall, where he developed many of his standard comic devices, including his trademark bowler hat and nonsensical understatements. He joined Fred Karno's troupe of actors in 1910, where he was Charlie Chaplin's understudy. In 1917, he made his film debut in "Nuts in May".
Now, onto the Honeymooners. The Honeymooners was a TV show that first aired on CBS in 1955 and 1956, with 39 episodes that have been re-run countless times since. The show was created by comedy writer Harry Crane, who also wrote for stars such as Jimmy Durante, Abbott and Costello, the Marx Brothers, and Milton Berle.
The Honeymooners was a situation comedy that took place primarily in the small, sparsely furnished two-room apartment of Ralph and Alice Kramden. Ralph Kramden was a New York City bus driver, and the show also featured his sewer worker friend, Ed Norton. The show employed many standard sitcom clichés and plots, particularly those of jealousy, get-rich-quick schemes, and comic misunderstandings.
The Honeymooners has had a lasting impact on pop culture, with references in shows like The Flintstones, The Simpsons, and Futurama. The show's characters and premise have also drawn comparisons to Laurel and Hardy, with Art Carney, who played Ed Norton, noting the similarities between the duos.
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Laurel and Hardy were a comedy duo
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were a comedy duo who made over 100 comedies together between 1921 and 1950. Laurel, born in 1890 in Ulverston, Lancashire, England, was the son of a theatrical manager and performer. He began his career in music hall, where he developed many of his trademark comic devices, including the bowler hat and nonsensical understatement. In 1910, he joined Fred Karno's travelling comedy troupe, where he was Charlie Chaplin's understudy.
Hardy, born in 1892, was American. Laurel and Hardy first worked together in the 1921 silent film short, 'The Lucky Dog'. However, they did not become an official team until late 1927. In the late 1920s, they successfully transitioned to "talkies", with their first sound film, 'Unaccustomed As We Are' (1929). From the late 1920s to the mid-1950s, they were internationally famous for their slapstick comedy, with Laurel playing the clumsy, childlike friend to Hardy's pompous bully.
Laurel and Hardy's comedic formula was simple but enduring: two friends who possessed a combination of utter brainlessness and unhampered optimism, or, as Laurel described it, "two minds without a single thought". Laurel was the guileless simpleton, the cause of most of their troubles, while Hardy played the self-important, fastidious man of the world whose plans always went awry because of his misplaced faith in his partner and himself. Their signature theme song, known as "The Cuckoo Song", "Ku-Ku", or "The Dance of the Cuckoos", was heard over their films' opening credits and became emblematic of the duo, as did their bowler hats.
Laurel and Hardy's films included a supporting cast of comic actors, some of whom appeared regularly, such as Harry Bernard, Mae Busch, and Charley Chase. In 1931, Laurel and Hardy made their feature debut in 'Pardon Us' and went on to star in 13 more features through 1940. Their best full-length comedies included 'The Devil's Brother' (1933), 'Babes in Toyland' (1934), 'Our Relations' (1936), 'Block-Heads' (1938), and 'A Chump at Oxford' (1940).
In 1961, Laurel was given an Academy Honorary Award for his pioneering work in comedy, and he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2005, they were voted the seventh-greatest comedy act of all time by a UK poll of professional comedians.
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Laurel and Hardy's comedy was slapstick
Stan Laurel, born Arthur Stanley Jefferson, was an English comic actor, director and writer. He was one half of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy, along with his partner Oliver Hardy.
Laurel began his career in music hall, where he developed many of his standard comic devices, including the bowler hat, deep comic gravity, and nonsensical understatement. He was a member of "Fred Karno's London Comedians", where he was Charlie Chaplin's understudy. Karno was a pioneer of slapstick, and Laurel himself stated that Karno taught him and Chaplin "most of" what they knew about comedy.
Laurel and Hardy were a comedy team during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema. They started their career as a duo in the silent film era, later transitioning to "talkies". From the late 1920s to the mid-1950s, they were internationally famous for their slapstick comedy, with Laurel playing the clumsy, childlike friend to Hardy's pompous bully. Their signature theme song, known as "The Cuckoo Song" or "Ku-Ku", was emblematic of the duo, as were their bowler hats.
Laurel and Hardy's humour was highly visual, with slapstick used for emphasis. They often had physical arguments (in character) that involved a cartoonish style of violence. Their ineptitude and misfortune were also central to their comedy, as they would bumble and stumble, reducing any situation to complete chaos.
Laurel and Hardy were ranked top among best double acts and seventh overall in a 2005 UK poll to find the Comedians' Comedian. In 2019, a bronze statue of the duo was unveiled in Laurel's hometown of Ulverston.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Stan Laurel did not write for 'The Honeymooners'. Stan Laurel was an English comic actor, director, and writer, who was in the comedy duo 'Laurel and Hardy'. Laurel and Hardy were internationally famous for their slapstick comedy from the late 1920s to the mid-1950s. 'The Honeymooners' was created by Harry Crane, a comedy writer who wrote for Jackie Gleason.
Stan Laurel, born Arthur Stanley Jefferson, was an English comic actor, director, and writer. He was one half of the comedy duo 'Laurel and Hardy', along with his partner Oliver Hardy. Laurel began his career in music hall, where he developed his standard comic devices, including his trademark bowler hat and nonsensical understatement.
'The Honeymooners' was written by Harry Crane, a comedy writer who also wrote for Jackie Gleason.
