Babe: the Life of Oliver Hardy: The Life of Oliver Hardy

by John McCabe

In this affectionate biography, John McCabe traces the life and times of one of Americaâ s best-loved comics. Oliver “Babeâ Hardy had been destined for a legal career, but he was obsessed with the motion picture industry and eventually moved to Hollywood. By the mid-1920s, he was working as an all-purpose comic at the legendary Hal Roach studio. Laurel and Hardyâ s partnership with the pioneer filmmaker and producer began in 1926. Within a year of their first appearance, they were being touted as the new comedy duo. After collaborating on a number of silent pictures, they seamlessly made the transition to talking films, building a reputation for a warm, charismatic, casual style of comedy. But Hardyâ s life was not all laughter and fun. His performances were overshadowed by a depressing although he despised being overweight, his comic identity depended on it. In The Life of Oliver Hardy, John McCabe looks at the public triumphs and personal tribulations of this celebrated comic actor.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1990

Reviews

[Benjamin Sanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-thought-out biography centered on Oliver Hardy (also known as Babe) of the Laurel and Hardy comedy duo. I learned quite a lot about Hardy and how his past shaped him into the person he would become, both on and off the big screen. As a newcomer to the Laurel and Hardy comedies (for reference, I read this book a few months after watching the Stan and Ollie movie and listening to the Dance of the Cuckoos, the signature theme associated with Laurel and Hardy), I may not have fully connected with every reference McCabe made, but I still greatly enjoyed this biography.

I'm typically someone who avoids reading biographies because they seem dry, but there was something about McCabe's writing that made me emotionally connect with Babe as more than just an actor on a screen. I found McCabe's portrayal of Babe to be very thoughtful, treating Babe as a person first and foremost, while allowing his career as an actor to remain an ever-present part of the story without overshadowing the man himself.

Even though my knowledge of Laurel and Hardy is limited (I grew up watching a lot of The Three Stooges and Abbott and Costello through DVDs and movie compilations on TV), I feel like McCabe's portrayal of Babe allows readers like me (or those who are more familiar with Laurel and Hardy than I am) to enjoy a biography of one half of one of the greatest comedy duos of all time.

To slightly paraphrase one of Babe's famous lines, "Now, here's another nice book you've gotten me into."

[Mick Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid read of a brilliant comedian,not just a straight man to stan laurel,who saw the potential in being a double act who didn't hog all the limelight.they survived as a pair with no recriminations,as there were with other double acts.the only other double act were morcombe and wise.