As far as Laurel and Hardy look-alikes go, I can take them or leave them. In fact, I’d generally rather leave them. For the most part I’d rather watch the real Laurel and Hardy in black and white up on the silver screen, than to see live and in living color imitators perform on a stage. But having said that, I will also confess that my favorite L or H look-alike has always been Jim MacGeorge. Not only does he look and sound the most like the real Stan Laurel, but he is also one of the nicest guys you’d ever hope to meet.
Jim MacGeorge is recognizable as portraying Laurel in a number of appearances, most famously in commercials that featured him with Chuck McCann (portraying Hardy) in a series of commercials for both Sizzler steak houses and Anco wiper blades. He also portrayed Stan in an episode of Get Smart where famous figures in a wax museum come to life. And as strange as it may seem, when it came time to choose the voice of Oliver Hardy in a series of short Laurel and Hardy cartoons produced by Larry Harmon in the 1960’s, Harmon (who himself was pathetically voicing Stan Laurel) picked Jim MacGeorge. So Jim has portrayed both Stan and Ollie.
My association with Jim MacGeorge goes all the way back to his appearance at the Hollywood Sons of the Desert convention in 1980. Here I had him sign my little blue autograph book. Unfortunately, after adding some signatures of ‘less worthy’ stars (namely a couple of former Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders and local TV star Dr. Creep), I at some point decided to rip them out of the autograph book and Jim MacGeorge’s signature went with them!
That was no problem as I would see him again in 1992 on Catalina Island, this time performing a sketch with Chuck McCann in honor of Hal Roach’s 100th birthday. After the sketch was over, Jim and I stood outside smoking a cigarette together while he demurely asked me to critique his performance! It had been wonderful as always and that is what I told him. It was at this event that I had him and Chuck sign the photo below.
I saw him again on the 1996 Laurel and Hardy convention Caribbean cruise, and then again the following year at the Way Out West tent’s 30th anniversary banquet, each time enjoying Jim and Chuck’s routine (which I recall was exactly the same at both events). I didn’t see Jim again until ten years later, this time at the Way Out West tent’s 40th anniversary banquet. He was as funny – and kind – as always. After all the times seeing him, I finally took this chance to get a photo with Jim and also to have him sign the gorgeous cartoon pictures as seen at the top of the posting. I had had him sign as Stan fifteen years earlier, and this time I finally had him sign as “Ollie.”
Return to the Way Out West tent’s 40th Anniversary banquet…
Jim MacGeorge is not only one of the greats for his Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy impersonations, he was also great as the voices of Beany-Boy and Cap’n Huff’n’Puff on Bob Clampett’s surreal “Beany and Cecil” cartoon series. Are you too young to remember these? You really ought to seek them out–they have a weird style of humor which still holds up today.
Randy Skretvedt
January 16th, 2009
And he is about the only person I know that has Bob Hope down perfectly too!
Bob
January 18th, 2009