Trying Not To Make A Mess Of Laurel And Hardy’s Scottish Connections

To this day, they seem the most unlikely of comedy pairings, the thin waif-like Stan Laurel, and the “well padded” Oliver Hardy.   Whilst Ulverston born Stan Laurel’s connections with Scotland are well documented, Janice Hawton, a leading light in one of the branches of the Laurel and Hardy appreciation society, is making investigations as to what, if any,  connections Oliver Hardy had with Scotland.

Hardy was born Norvell Hardy in Harlem, Georgia, USA, in 1892.  His father, Oliver, had been a sergeant in the Confederate army during the American Civil War, and his mother was Emily Norvell. Some  biographies on the internet seem to suggest that Hardy's paternal ancestors were of  English origin, while his maternal side had Scottish origins.

Despite help from the staff and volunteers at the Oliver Hardy Museum in Harlem, nothing concrete is appearing. No direct link has been established, but Norvell is recognised as a Scottish name. Scots from in and around Inverness, and also lowland parts of Scotland, were among Georgia's early European colonists in the 1700’s. Highlanders were recruited because of their reputation as fierce warriors and were brought in to defend territory against Spanish colonists.

While Hardy's ancestral past might not be too clear, his and Laurel's affection for Scotland was evident in their visits to Britain. Janice Hawton said: "Both Laurel and Hardy visited Glasgow and Edinburgh. They stayed at the Central Hotel in Glasgow. Oliver Hardy was a great golfer and he did go to Gleneagles during their tour of the UK in 1932."

They visited Scotland again in the 1940s and 50s. Some of the duo's films also featured Scotland, including  the 1927 short silent movie Putting Pants on Philip, described as the first true Laurel and Hardy film. This was said to be Laurel’s favourite silent short.

Laurel's kilt-wearing character arrives in America from Scotland to stay with an uncle, played by Hardy. The uncle mistakenly believes his nephew's Highland dress is a lady's skirt, a storyline that is so typically Laurel and Hardy. Later on, they made Bonnie Scotland, a feature length film.

Stan Laurel was born in Ulverston in the Lake District of England, but moved to Glasgow while still a boy. Laurel joined his father working in the box office of the city's Metropole Theatre. but, like his actress mother before him, he was drawn to a career on stage rather than behind it.