We have a little piece of history about 10 miles from where
I live. In the little town of Harlem,
Georgia there is a small brick building that houses the Laurel and Hardy
Museum. It's a kitschy place and very dated, but it recalls a simpler time when
we were amused by the film antics of a couple of funny-looking men who could
make us laugh with nothing more than a facial expression and a few words.
I know that some of you are too young to remember Stan
Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Their career in Hollywood faded in 1955 after Hardy
was diagnosed with lung cancer and Laurel suffered a stroke within a few months
of that. Oliver Hardy died within two
years, while Stan laurel lived until 1965, but never acted again. Laurel and
Hardy were the precursors to other famous pairs like Bud Abbot and Lou Costello
and Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, but in many ways they were even more famous
than these later comedians.
If you've never seen a Laurel and Hardy movie, you can find
several on YouTube or by entering their names in your Internet search
engine. Or you can visit the museum in
a refurbished post office building in Harlem, the town where Oliver Norvell
Hardy was born. They have most of the films and will show you one of your
choice in the theater on premises.
Of course, the most famous Oliver and Hardy line, uttered by the hapless screw-up and
overweight clown, Oliver Hardy while the meek and diminutive Laurel looks
contrite is often misquoted as, "Well, here's another fine mess you've
gotten me into." The actual quote
didn't include the word fine, but instead always used the word nice. The confusion might come from the fact that
the quote was first used in a 1930 movie short titled, Another Fine Mess.
Another trademark of the duo was that Laurel always
addressed Hardy by his nickname, Ollie, and he warbled it is such a way that it
sounded even funnier, and elicited a sour expression from Hardy.
Most visitors come to Augusta for the golf tournament that
made this community world famous, The Masters.
However, if you're here anyway, and you have some time to see the
sights, be sure to include the Oliver
and Hardy Museum during your stay.
It's only a short drive up I-20 toward Atlanta, and I know you'll love
it.
While you're in Harlem, take the time to visit Lucky Lady Pecans and
pick up some of the best flavored pecans in Georgia. The museum and the pecan store will be almost as memorable as the
golf tournament.
There is a museum for Stan Laurel, too, but it is over in
England in the town where he was born, Ulverston, Cumbria. Needless to say, it is a little harder to visit.
