LAUREL & HARDY: OTHER INCARNATIONS

Sherwood Schwartz, creator of the beloved sixties sitcom GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, admitted to basing his character's of Gilligan and The Skipper and many of their antics on Stan and Ollie. Pictured below are: Alan Hale Jr (left) as The Skipper and Bob Denver as Gilligan.

Few people realize that George Lucas' original concept for his famed STAR WARS characters C3PO and R2-D2 were actually none other than Laurel & Hardy. Pictured below: Anthony Daniels as C3PO (left) and Kenny Baker as R2-D2.

In a wonderful episode of the Mel Brooks / Buck Henry comedy series GET SMART, entitled "House of Max - Part 2", Don Adams and Barbara Feldon encounter several wax museum figures which come to life, including Laurel & Hardy. The team was played uncannily by Bill Oberlin (Oliver) and Jim MacGeorge (Stan). MacGeorge provided the voice of Oliver in the L&H animated shorts by Larry Harmon. This classic was Episode 128 of the TV series and originally aired on January 16, 1970.

Left Click To Enlarge Photos

The wax figures played by Bill Oberlin and Jim MacGeorge.

The figures come to life!

The duo searches for Maxwell Smart Note Don Adams disguised as the wax figure of Hitler.

A new L&H film, THE ALL NEW ADVENTURES OF LAUREL & HARDY: FOR LOVE OR MUMMY, was released in 1998, starring Bronson Pinchot (pictured below) as Laurel and Gailard Sartain as Hardy. For more information click on "For Love Or Mummy" in the "Movies" section of this web site.

Two popular tourist attractions in the United States were the Stars Hall of Fame Wax Museum in Orlando, Florida and the Movieland Wax Museum in Hollywood, California. The Orlando location has long been closed. Both Museums featured dozens of figures with incredible likenesses to famed movie and TV actors and actresses, many in original wardrobe. Laurel & Hardy had the honor of being the first display in both locations as patrons entered their journey down memory lane.

The set in the Orlando locale featured L&H sitting on the bumper of a car, in front of a theatre called the Bijou, with a police officer close by. It is however a puzzlement as to what this scene is based on. The clapper board in both locales stated that it was from THE PERFECT DAY and that Edgar Kennedy played the policeman. The California museum had the Edgar Kennedy character in a suit. Oh, well, at least our team was featured, albeit on an inaccurate set. Wonder what ever happened to the set of figures when the establishment in Florida closed down????????

In 1982, the animated likenesses of Stan and Oliver, presented by Larry Harmon, were used as the spokesmen for Anco wipers. They were featured in many TV spots and magazine advertisements.

In 1990, 2 brilliant impersonators began working at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. Since then, anyone who has seen or met them will agree how absolutely wonderful their personalities are.

I first saw the duo at Universal in 1990 and loved their "piano moving" impromptu sketch in the street. When I revisited in 1995, with my wife, I finally got a photo op, as they are hard to track down. I visited many more times in the next few years, but it wasn't until 2000 when I caught another glimpse of them. We were in the parking garage and I heard a strange sounding horn beep. I jumped out of the way, and there were Stan and Ollie in an antique car flying past. Ollie flipped his tie and Stan removed his hat and did the classic smile while scratching his head. These two are wonderful. When we took this photo Ollie leaned back shoving me with his right shoulder, as I did my best Stan face and Ollie gestures. I fell off the back of the back of the bench onto my butt and Ollie said, "You meet the strangest people out here Stanley."

The Talented men who portray Stan and Ollie are Mike MacArthur (as Stan) and Jamie McKenna (as Ollie).