Possibly the most fondly-remembered of all the Laurel & Hardy shorts, and the only one for which they were honoured by the Academy.  After the ceremony, the duo took a trip to Europe where they discovered how popular they had really become, with the public hysteria from their fans getting out of hand on several occasions, such as in Glasgow where thirty people were hospitalised after a crowd surge.

Producer Hal Roach was a pioneer of silent comedy, the only real rival to Mack Sennett, and responsible for establishing the careers of performers such as Laurel & Hardy and Harold Lloyd, and directors Frank Capra, Leo McCarey and George Stevens.  He later brought Laurel and Hardy into the sound era, with 1929’s Unaccustomed as We Are.  Roach was given a special Academy Award in 1983 ‘in recognition of his distinguished contributions to the motion picture art form.’

Year: 1932