Babe's 100th Anniversary

[Richard M Roberts]

Okay, forget all this Chaplin Centenary Crap, today we're talking an important century milestone:

OUTWITTING DAD, released by Lubin, April 21, 1914.

100 years ago today, movie audiences got their first look at Oliver Hardy.


RICHARD M ROBERTS

[Joe Migliore]

Richard M Roberts wrote:

100 years ago today, movie audiences got their first look at Oliver Hardy.

Without that toothbrush moustache, he really looked like a baby. It's too bad his earliest films don't have a better survival rate; it would be fascinating to watch a few of them in tandem, just to gauge his performances against the Oliver Hardy we already know.

[Pasquale Ventura]

What is the earliest film of Oliver Hardy's currently available for viewing?

[Richard M Roberts]

What is the earliest film of Oliver Hardy's currently available for viewing?

That’s a good question, very few of Oliver Hardy’s Lubins exist, as far as I know, the earliest surviving one is still BACK TO THE FARM (released August 18, 1914) in which, oddly enough, Babe is teamed with the diminuitive Bert Tracy in what could be called the first of Babes big/little pairings. It’s at one of the Archives (BFI I think, someone please correct me if I’m wrong). Then SHE WANTED A CAR (aka A FOOL THERE WAS) (released September 14, 1914) also survives, I have a print of that, but Hardy only has a few seconds walk-on as a Cop in that one. THE DADDY OF THEM ALL (released November 21, 1914) is at UCLA, and we ran it at one of the Slapsticons (2005 or 06), it’s a split-reeler, but Hardy has a good-sized part in that.

THE SERVANT GIRL’S LEGACY (released November 28, 1914) is one that is out there circulating on video and a few 16mm prints, Hardy has a good part in that one too. I also know that I also know that THEY LOOKED ALIKE (released January 5, 1915) and SHODDY THE TAILOR (January 23, 1915) both exist in foreign archives, but Babe only has a walk-on in the former one.

Those are the Hardy Lubins I know to exist, then we’re into THE SIMP AND THE SOPHOMORES (September 1, 1915) which Babe shot for Edison and survives at LOC.

Anyone know of any other surviving Oliver Hardy Lubins?


RICHARD M ROBERTS