Here’s a GEM from the early Laurel and Hardy short “Men ‘O War.”
It’s their famous Soda Fountain Skit. Notice:
–That this is one of the more verbal of their routines.
–Their adept use of slapstick.
–The guy at the soda fountain, supporting player Jimmy Finlayson, who often played their foil. He originated the “DOH!” expression now used by Homer Simpson.
–Abbott and Costello later did their own version of this skit — a lot rougher and meaner in tone but equally funny.
You can read more about Laurel and Hardy here. And you can start your collection of their DVDs (do NOT order the inferior ones done after 1939 unless you have watched the Hal Roach shorts and features first)by CLICKING HERE.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.