Editing Laurel and Hardy (section)

====Feature films====
Just as Laurel and Hardy's teaming was accidental, so was their entry into the field of feature films. In the words of biographer John McCabe, "Roach planned to use the MGM set [built for ''[[The Big House (1930 film)|The Big House]]''] for a simple prison-break two-reeler but MGM suddenly added a proviso: Laurel and Hardy would have to do a picture for them in exchange. Roach would not agree so he built his own prison set, a very expensive item for a two-reeler. So expensive was it indeed that he added four more reels to bring it into the feature category and, it was hoped, the bigger market."<ref>{{harvnb|McCabe|1987|p=162}}</ref> The experiment was successful, and the team continued to make features along with their established short subjects until 1935, when they converted to features exclusively.

''[[Sons of the Desert]]'' (1933) is often cited as Laurel and Hardy's best feature-length film.<ref>{{harvnb|Mitchell|2010|p=268}}</ref> The situation-comedy script by actor-playwright [[Frank Craven]] and screenwriter Byron Morgan is stronger than usual for a Laurel & Hardy comedy, and versatile director [[William A. Seiter]], who had made light comedies with [[Reginald Denny (actor)|Reginald Denny]] as well as outlandish ones with [[Wheeler and Woolsey]], handled the film with a more controlled sense of pace and style than other directors of the team's features. Stan and Ollie are henpecked husbands who want to attend a convention held by the Sons of the Desert fraternal lodge. They tell their wives that Ollie requires an ocean voyage to [[Honolulu]] for his health, and they sneak off to the convention. They are unaware that the Honolulu-bound ship they were supposedly aboard is sinking, and the wives confront their errant husbands when they get home.

''[[Babes in Toyland (1934 film)|Babes in Toyland]]'' (1934) remains a perennial on American television during the Christmas season.<ref>{{harvnb|Mitchell|2010|p=27}}</ref> When interviewed, Hal Roach spoke scathingly about the film and Laurel's behavior. Roach himself had written a treatment detailing the characters and storyline, only to find that Laurel considered Roach's effort totally unsuitable. Roach, affronted, tried to argue in favor of his treatment, but Laurel was adamant. Roach angrily gave up and allowed Laurel to make the film his way.<ref name="Lawrence">{{cite book |last=Lawrence |first=Danny |title=The Making of Stan Laurel: Echoes of a British Boyhood |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-h3-oAEoQMYC&pg=PA90 |publisher=McFarland |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-7864-6409-8}}</ref> The rift damaged Roach-Laurel relations to the point that Roach said that after ''Toyland'', he did not want to produce for Laurel and Hardy. Although their association continued for another six years, Roach no longer took an active hand in Laurel and Hardy films.<ref name="Mitchell28" />

''[[Way Out West (1937 film)|Way Out West]]'' (1937) was a personal favorite of both Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. A satire of the [[Gene Autry]] musical westerns sweeping America at the time, the film combines Laurel and Hardy's slapstick routines with songs and dances performed by the stars.

It appeared that the team would split permanently in 1938. Hal Roach had become dissatisfied with his distribution arrangement with [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]], and had begun releasing his films through [[United Artists]]. He still owed MGM one last feature, and made the Laurel and Hardy comedy ''[[Block-Heads]]'', with the announcement that this would be Laurel and Hardy's farewell film. Stan Laurel's contract with Roach then expired, and Roach did not renew it. Oliver Hardy's contract was still in force, however, and Roach starred Hardy solo in the antebellum comedy ''[[Zenobia (film)|Zenobia]]'' (1939), with [[Harry Langdon]] as Hardy's comic foil. This fueled rumors that Laurel and Hardy had split on bad terms.

After ''Zenobia'', Laurel rejoined Hardy and the team signed with independent producer [[Boris Morros]] for the comedy feature ''[[The Flying Deuces]]'' (1939). Meanwhile, Hal Roach wanted to demonstrate his new idea of making four-reel, 40-minute featurettes—twice the length of standard two-reel, 20-minute comedies—which Roach felt could fit more conveniently into double-feature programs. He referred to these extended films as [[Hal Roach's Streamliners|"streamliners"]]. To test his theory, Roach rehired Laurel and Hardy.<ref>{{harvnb|MacGillivray|2009|p=3}}</ref> The resulting films, ''[[A Chump at Oxford]]'' and ''[[Saps at Sea]]'' (both 1940), were prepared as featurettes. United Artists overruled Roach and insisted that they be released as full-length features.<ref>''Variety'', "UA Orders Hal Roach to Tack On Footage to Laurel-Hardy 4-Reelers," November 15, 1939, p. 2.</ref>

Hoping for greater artistic freedom, Laurel and Hardy split with Roach, and signed with [[20th Century-Fox]] in 1941 and MGM in 1942.<ref>{{harvnb|MacGillivray|2009|p=6}}</ref> However, their working conditions were now completely different: they were simply hired actors, relegated to both studios' B-film units, and not initially allowed to contribute to the scripts or improvise, as they had always done.<ref>{{harvnb|MacGillivray|2009|p=9}}</ref> When their films proved popular, the studios allowed them more input,<ref>{{harvnb|MacGillivray|2009|p=190}}</ref> and they starred in eight features until the end of 1944. These films, while far from their best work, were still very successful. Budgeted between $300,000 and $450,000 each, they earned millions at the box office for Fox and MGM. The Fox films were so profitable that the studio kept making Laurel and Hardy comedies after it discontinued its other "B" series films.<ref>{{harvnb|MacGillivray|2009|p=126}}</ref>

The busy team decided to take a rest during 1946, but 1947 saw their first European tour in 15 years. A film based in the charters of "Robin Hood" was planned during the tour, but not realized. In 1947, Laurel and Hardy famously attended the reopening of the Dungeness loop of the [[Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway]], where they performed improvised routines with a steam locomotive for the benefit of local crowds and dignitaries.

In 1948, on the team's return to America, Laurel was sidelined by illness and temporarily unable to work. He encouraged Hardy to take movie roles on his own. Hardy's friend [[John Wayne]] hired him to co-star in ''[[The Fighting Kentuckian]]'' for [[Republic Pictures]], and [[Bing Crosby]] got him a small part in [[Frank Capra]]'s ''[[Riding High (1950 film)|Riding High]]''.

In 1950–51, Laurel and Hardy made their final feature-length film together, ''[[Atoll K]]''. A French-Italian co-production directed by [[Léo Joannon]], it was plagued by problems with language barriers, production issues, and both actors' serious health issues. When Laurel received the script's final draft, he felt its heavy political content overshadowed the comedy. He quickly rewrote it, with screen comic [[Monte Collins]] contributing visual gags, and hired old friend [[Alfred J. Goulding|Alfred Goulding]] to direct the Laurel and Hardy scenes.<ref name="Lawrence"/> During filming, Hardy developed an irregular heartbeat, while Laurel experienced painful prostate complications that caused his weight to drop to 114 pounds.<ref name="McGarry73">{{harvnb|McGarry|1992|p=73}}</ref> Critics were disappointed with the storyline, English dubbing, and Laurel's sickly physical appearance.<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> The film was not commercially successful on its first release, and brought an end to Laurel and Hardy's film careers.<ref name="McGarry73"/> ''Atoll K'' did finally turn a profit when it was rereleased in other countries. In 1954, an American distributor removed 18 minutes of footage and released it as ''Utopia''; widely released on film and video, it is the film's best-known version.

After ''Atoll K'' wrapped in April 1951, Laurel and Hardy returned to America and used the remainder of the year to rest. Stan appeared, in character, in a silent TV newsreel, ''Swim Meet'', judging a local California swimming contest.

Most Laurel and Hardy films have survived and are still in circulation. Only three of their 107 films are considered [[lost film|lost]] and have not been seen in complete form since the 1930s.<ref>Dorman, Trevor. [http://www.laurelandhardy.org/MissingFilms.html "A Guide to the lost films of Laurel and Hardy – Update."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101217083857/http://laurelandhardy.org/MissingFilms.html |date=December 17, 2010}} ''The Laurel and Hardy Magazine''. Retrieved: April 20, 2011.</ref> The silent film ''[[Hats Off (1927 film)|Hats Off]]'' from 1927 has vanished completely. The first half of ''[[Now I'll Tell One]]'' (1927) is lost, and the second half has yet to be released on video. ''The Battle of the Century'' (1927), after years of obscurity, is now almost complete but a few minutes are missing. In the 1930 operatic Technicolor musical ''[[The Rogue Song]]'', Laurel and Hardy appeared as comedy relief in 10 sequences; only one exists. The complete soundtrack has survived.<ref>{{harvnb|Haines|1993|p=13}}</ref>