
American Legends: Laurel & Hardy
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $6.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Peter D. Stover
About this listen
"Mr. Hardy was beginning to forget things, but Mr. Laurel had no fear of losing his memory - as a matter of fact, Mr. Laurel never had a memory to lose." (Title card in Hog Wild)
A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, listeners can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.
By the 1920s English comic Stan Laurel had been in dozens of films, and American Oliver Hardy had appeared in hundreds, but it was not until they formed a duo together in 1926 that they began to be noticed. Once they did, however, Laurel & Hardy became one of the most famous comedy teams in American history, with a career that spanned four decades and included over 100 combined shorts and feature films. Even today, nearly 60 years after their last performances together, Laurel & Hardy are still popular, alongside legends like The Three Stooges and Abbott & Costello, and their routines are still watched across the globe.
Perhaps most importantly, Laurel & Hardy were forerunners of slapstick comedy and thus influenced those that followed. Their complementary styles of slapstick humor, with the thin, childish Laurel acting as a foil for the overweight and overly pompous Hardy, offered a template for others to follow, and the duo established several famous gags that other acts, like the Stooges, subsequently mimicked.
©2012 Charles River Editors (P)2015 Charles River EditorsListeners also enjoyed...
-
Robin
- By: Dave Itzkoff
- Narrated by: Fred Berman
- Length: 16 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From his rapid-fire stand-up comedy riffs to his breakout role in Mork & Mindy and his Academy Award-winning performance in Good Will Hunting, Robin Williams was a singularly innovative and beloved entertainer. He often came across as a man possessed, holding forth on culture and politics while mixing in personal revelations - all with mercurial, tongue-twisting intensity as he inhabited and shed one character after another with lightning speed. But as Dave Itzkoff shows in this revelatory biography, Williams’ comic brilliance masked a deep well of conflicting emotions and self-doubt.
-
-
Disappointing but worth a read
- By Joe Moore on 05-18-18
By: Dave Itzkoff
-
Michael Landon
- The Career and Artistry of a Television Genius
- By: David R. Greenland
- Narrated by: Nat Segaloff
- Length: 4 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Michael Landon was an actor, writer, director, and producer. For over three decades, Michael Landon's creative gifts touched millions of viewers around the world on Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, Highway to Heaven, and in several other productions. This is the first detailed examination of his work both in front of and behind the camera, including information about every Landon script.
-
-
Michael Landon? = GREAT - Narrator? = Not So Much!
- By Jamie M. on 11-08-20
-
American Rebel
- The Life of Clint Eastwood
- By: Marc Eliot
- Narrated by: Marc Eliot
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the New York Times best-selling author Marc Eliot comes the definitive biography of one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful actors, producers, and directors in the history of American motion pictures. Marc Eliot examines the ever-exciting, often tumultuous arc of Eastwood's life and career, from his days as a disaffected college dropout, to his rise to fame as the archetypal loner, to his acceptance into the pantheon of the Academy as a multiple Oscar Award winner.
-
-
I learned the hard way.
- By Ty Pritchard on 07-23-10
By: Marc Eliot
-
Up Till Now
- The Autobiography
- By: William Shatner, David Fisher
- Narrated by: William Shatner
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After almost sixty years as an actor, William Shatner has become one of the most beloved entertainers in the world. And it seems as if Shatner is everywhere. In Up Till Now, Shatner sits down with listeners and offers the remarkable, full story of his life and explains how he got to be, well, everywhere. In this touching and very funny autobiography, William Shatner's Up Till Now reveals the man behind these unforgettable moments, and how he's become the worldwide star and experienced actor he is today.
-
-
Outstanding narration
- By Rob on 02-11-12
By: William Shatner, and others
-
Poirot and Me
- By: David Suchet
- Narrated by: David Suchet
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Actor David Suchet recalls his experience of playing Agatha Christie's world-famous detective, Hercule Poirot, for almost a quarter of a century. In the summer of 2013 David Suchet filmed his final scenes as Hercule Poirot. After 24 years in the role, he will have played the character in every story that Agatha Christie wrote about him (bar one, deemed unfilmable) and he will bid adieu to a role and a character that have changed his life.
-
-
If you like Poirot then you will love this book
- By Gudrun on 01-20-17
By: David Suchet
-
George Lucas
- A Life
- By: Brian Jay Jones
- Narrated by: Jay Snyder
- Length: 18 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On May 25, 1977, a problem-plagued, budget-straining, independent science-fiction film opened in a mere 32 American movie theatres. Conceived, written, and directed by a little-known filmmaker named George Lucas, Star Wars reinvented the cinematic landscape, ushering in a new way for movies to be made, marketed, and merchandised. Simply put, George Lucas is one of the most influential filmmakers of the past 50 years.
-
-
The General in his Labyrinth
- By Joselo on 09-15-17
By: Brian Jay Jones
-
Robin
- By: Dave Itzkoff
- Narrated by: Fred Berman
- Length: 16 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From his rapid-fire stand-up comedy riffs to his breakout role in Mork & Mindy and his Academy Award-winning performance in Good Will Hunting, Robin Williams was a singularly innovative and beloved entertainer. He often came across as a man possessed, holding forth on culture and politics while mixing in personal revelations - all with mercurial, tongue-twisting intensity as he inhabited and shed one character after another with lightning speed. But as Dave Itzkoff shows in this revelatory biography, Williams’ comic brilliance masked a deep well of conflicting emotions and self-doubt.
-
-
Disappointing but worth a read
- By Joe Moore on 05-18-18
By: Dave Itzkoff
-
Michael Landon
- The Career and Artistry of a Television Genius
- By: David R. Greenland
- Narrated by: Nat Segaloff
- Length: 4 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Michael Landon was an actor, writer, director, and producer. For over three decades, Michael Landon's creative gifts touched millions of viewers around the world on Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, Highway to Heaven, and in several other productions. This is the first detailed examination of his work both in front of and behind the camera, including information about every Landon script.
-
-
Michael Landon? = GREAT - Narrator? = Not So Much!
- By Jamie M. on 11-08-20
-
American Rebel
- The Life of Clint Eastwood
- By: Marc Eliot
- Narrated by: Marc Eliot
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the New York Times best-selling author Marc Eliot comes the definitive biography of one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful actors, producers, and directors in the history of American motion pictures. Marc Eliot examines the ever-exciting, often tumultuous arc of Eastwood's life and career, from his days as a disaffected college dropout, to his rise to fame as the archetypal loner, to his acceptance into the pantheon of the Academy as a multiple Oscar Award winner.
-
-
I learned the hard way.
- By Ty Pritchard on 07-23-10
By: Marc Eliot
-
Up Till Now
- The Autobiography
- By: William Shatner, David Fisher
- Narrated by: William Shatner
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After almost sixty years as an actor, William Shatner has become one of the most beloved entertainers in the world. And it seems as if Shatner is everywhere. In Up Till Now, Shatner sits down with listeners and offers the remarkable, full story of his life and explains how he got to be, well, everywhere. In this touching and very funny autobiography, William Shatner's Up Till Now reveals the man behind these unforgettable moments, and how he's become the worldwide star and experienced actor he is today.
-
-
Outstanding narration
- By Rob on 02-11-12
By: William Shatner, and others
-
Poirot and Me
- By: David Suchet
- Narrated by: David Suchet
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Actor David Suchet recalls his experience of playing Agatha Christie's world-famous detective, Hercule Poirot, for almost a quarter of a century. In the summer of 2013 David Suchet filmed his final scenes as Hercule Poirot. After 24 years in the role, he will have played the character in every story that Agatha Christie wrote about him (bar one, deemed unfilmable) and he will bid adieu to a role and a character that have changed his life.
-
-
If you like Poirot then you will love this book
- By Gudrun on 01-20-17
By: David Suchet
-
George Lucas
- A Life
- By: Brian Jay Jones
- Narrated by: Jay Snyder
- Length: 18 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On May 25, 1977, a problem-plagued, budget-straining, independent science-fiction film opened in a mere 32 American movie theatres. Conceived, written, and directed by a little-known filmmaker named George Lucas, Star Wars reinvented the cinematic landscape, ushering in a new way for movies to be made, marketed, and merchandised. Simply put, George Lucas is one of the most influential filmmakers of the past 50 years.
-
-
The General in his Labyrinth
- By Joselo on 09-15-17
By: Brian Jay Jones
-
American Titan
- Searching for John Wayne
- By: Marc Eliot
- Narrated by: Pete Larkin
- Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As he did in his bestselling biographies of Jimmy Stewart and Clint Eastwood, acclaimed Hollywood biographer Marc Eliot digs deep beneath the myth in this revealing look at the most legendary Western film hero of all time; the man with the distinctive voice, walk, and demeanor who was an inspiration to many and a symbol of American masculinity, power, and patriotism.
-
-
Perspective of Duke
- By Mr W. on 07-11-18
By: Marc Eliot
-
All That Heaven Allows
- A Biography of Rock Hudson
- By: Mark Griffin
- Narrated by: Jeremy Arthur
- Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The definitive biography of the deeply complex and widely misunderstood matinee idol of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Devastatingly handsome, broad-shouldered, and clean-cut, Rock Hudson was the ultimate movie star. The embodiment of romantic masculinity in American film throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s, Hudson reigned supreme as the king of Hollywood. But in a more conservative era, Hudson’s wholesome, straight-arrow screen image was at odds with his closeted homosexuality.
-
-
Almost all of book is filtered by his sexuality.
- By James M. Patton on 03-30-19
By: Mark Griffin
-
Leonard
- My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man
- By: William Shatner
- Narrated by: William Shatner
- Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner first crossed paths as actors on the set of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Little did they know that their next roles, in a new science-fiction television series, would shape their lives in ways no one could have anticipated. In 79 television episodes of Star Trek and six feature films, they grew to know each other more than most friends could ever imagine. Over the course of half a century, Shatner and Nimoy saw each other through personal and professional highs and lows.
-
-
Shatner brings to life an amazing tale about a talented, hardworking man!
- By Jeremy Stone on 02-20-16
By: William Shatner
-
Camera Man
- Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century
- By: Dana Stevens
- Narrated by: Dana Stevens
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Camera Man, film critic Dana Stevens pulls the lens out from Keaton’s life and work to look at concurrent developments in entertainment, journalism, law, technology, the political and social status of women, and the popular understanding of addiction. With erudition and sparkling humor, Stevens hopscotches among disciplines to bring us up to the present day, when Keaton’s breathtaking (and sometimes life-threatening) stunts remain more popular than ever as they circulate on the internet in the form of viral gifs
-
-
Worth a listen, but only as a postscript to Curtis
- By Vikon on 05-05-22
By: Dana Stevens
-
Robin Williams
- By: Emily Herbert
- Narrated by: Marston York
- Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Through roles in cherished films such as Mrs. Doubtfire, Jumanji, Aladdin and Hook, he became the genial face of family comedy. His childlike enthusiasm was infectious, sweeping viewers away. Allied to his lightning-quick improvisation and ability to riff lewdly off any cue thrown at him, Robin was that rare thing - a true comic genius who appealed to adults and children equally. He could also play it straight, and empathetic depth came to him naturally.
-
-
Good... but too many quotes
- By DDub on 11-09-18
By: Emily Herbert
-
From Hollywood with Love
- The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again) of the Romantic Comedy
- By: Scott Meslow
- Narrated by: Jeremy Arthur
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An in-depth celebration of the romantic comedy’s modern golden era and its role in our culture, tracking the genre from its heyday in the ’80s and the ’90s, its unfortunate decline in the 2000s, and its explosive reemergence in the age of streaming, featuring exclusive interviews with the directors, writers, and stars of the iconic films that defined the genre.
-
-
RomCom History and Future Personified
- By Brooklyn Gem on 03-07-22
By: Scott Meslow
-
Paul Newman
- A Life
- By: Shawn Levy
- Narrated by: Marc Cashman
- Length: 16 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paul Newman, the Oscar-winning actor with the legendary blue eyes, achieved superstar status by playing charismatic renegades, broken heroes, and winsome antiheroes in such revered films as The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Verdict, The Color of Money, and Nobody’s Fool. But Newman was also an oddity in Hollywood: the rare box-office titan who cared about the craft of acting, the sexy leading man known for the staying power of his marriage, and the humble celebrity who made philanthropy his calling card long before it was cool.
-
-
Charismatic subject makes for great reading
- By Glory on 07-25-09
By: Shawn Levy
-
Charlton Heston
- Hollywood's Last Icon
- By: Marc Eliot
- Narrated by: Marc Eliot
- Length: 19 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With unforgettable performances such as Moses in The Ten Commandments, the anguished astronaut George Taylor in 1968's Planet of the Apes, and the eponymous Ben-Hur - for which he won an Academy Award - Charlton Heston cemented his place in the pantheon of 20th-century Hollywood royalty. But his fame as an actor was matched by his political activism. A Democrat in his early years, Heston became a staunch supporter of Richard Nixon and Reagan Republicanism.
-
-
Terrific!
- By lawrence sturchio on 09-04-17
By: Marc Eliot
-
Pictures at a Revolution
- Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood
- By: Mark Harris
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 17 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here is the epic human drama behind the making of the five movies nominated for Best Picture in 1967 - Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, The Graduate, In the Heat of the Night, Doctor Dolittle, and Bonnie and Clyde - and through them, the larger story of the cultural revolution that transformed Hollywood and America forever.
-
-
Would It Be Too Much To Ask?
- By Casey Keller on 12-31-08
By: Mark Harris
-
Steve McQueen
- A Biography
- By: Marc Eliot
- Narrated by: Marc Eliot
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and '70s with now-classics such as The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, The Thomas Crown Affair, and Bullit, Steve McQueen is renowned as one of the most exciting actors ever to come out of Hollywood. Now, in Steve McQueen: A Biography, best-selling author Marc Eliot gives unique insight into McQueen's life, from his films to his three marriages, many affairs, and struggles with addictions.
-
-
Snooze
- By Cill on 10-27-11
By: Marc Eliot
-
The Platinum Age of Television
- From I Love Lucy to The Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific
- By: David Bianculli
- Narrated by: David Bianculli
- Length: 23 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Darwin had his theory of evolution, and David Bianculli has his. Bianculli's theory has to do with the concept of quality television: what it is and, crucially, how it got that way. In tracing the evolutionary history of our progress toward a Platinum Age of Television - our age, the era of The Sopranos and Breaking Bad and Mad Men and The Wire and Homeland and Girls - he focuses on the development of the classic TV genres.
-
-
I want to give it higher, except one thing
- By Sandra L. Etemad on 12-07-16
By: David Bianculli
-
The Life and Times of Mickey Rooney
- By: Richard A. Lertzman, William J. Birnes
- Narrated by: Pete Cross
- Length: 18 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mickey Rooney began his career almost a century ago as a one-year-old performer in burlesque and stamped his mark in vaudeville, silent and talking films, Broadway, and television. He acted in his final motion picture just weeks before he died at age 93. He was an iconic presence in movies and the poster boy for American youth. Yet, by World War II, Mickey Rooney had become frozen in time.
-
-
Complicated personal life amazing professional lif
- By Jody R. Nathan on 12-19-15
By: Richard A. Lertzman, and others