Laurel and Hardy were a comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo in the silent film era, they later successfully transitioned to "talkies". From the late 1920s to the mid-1950s, they were internationally famous for their slapstick comedy, with Laurel playing the clumsy, childlike friend to Hardy's pompous bully. Their signature theme song, known as "The Cuckoo Song", "Ku-Ku", or "The Dance of the Cuckoos" (by Hollywood composer T. Marvin Hatley) was heard over their films' opening credits, and became as emblematic of them as their bowler hats. Prior to emerging as a team, both had well-established film careers. Laurel had acted in over 50 films, and worked as a writer and director, while Hardy was in more than 250 productions. Both had appeared in The Lucky Dog (1921), but were
Laurel y Hardy fueron un dúo de comedia durante la era clásica de Hollywood del cine estadounidense, compuesto por el inglés Stan Laurel (1890–1965) y el estadounidense Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Comenzando su carrera como dúo en la era del cine silencioso, más tarde se convirtieron con éxito en "talkies". Desde finales de la década de 1920 hasta mediados de la década de 1950, se dieron a conocer internacionalmente por su comedia slapstick, con Laurel interpretando a su amigo infantil, el bully pompous de Hardy. Su canción temática de firma, conocida como "The Cuckoo Song", "Ku-Ku", o "The Dance of the Cuckoos" (por el compositor de Hollywood T. Marvin Hatley) se escuchó sobre los créditos de apertura de sus películas, y se convirtió en tan emblemático como sus sombreros de bowler. Antes de surgir como un equipo, ambos tenían una carrera cinematográfica bien establecida. Laurel había actuado en más de 50 películas y trabajado como escritor y director, mientras que Hardy en B