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One of the more unusual festivals in Georgia is the Oliver Hardy Festival that took place in Harlem, Georgia, a town of 2,000 about 30 miles west of Augusta.
Philip Graitcer was there.
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Piece Description
One of the more unusual festivals in Georgia is the Oliver Hardy Festival that took place in Harlem, Georgia, a town of 2,000 about 30 miles west of Augusta. Philip Graitcer was there.
Transcript
Laurel and Hardy were a wildly popular comedy act in the 1930s and 40s. Oliver Norville Hardy, the portly member of the comedy duo, was born in Harlem, Georgia in 1892. Laurel and Hardy still have fans worldwide, perhaps, according to Dale Walters, an Oliver Hardy impersonator, THAT?S BECAUSE their humor is timeless and safe.
The brand of humor that the boys made you could take your mother, you could take your sister, your daughter or brother and never had to worry about anything off color or anyone getting hurt. However WITH A PARTNER LIKE STANLEY something always got broken, burned or flooded.
Although Harlem has only a tenuous connection to Oliver Hardy ? he was an infant when his mother moved away?this hasn?t stopped the town from capitalizing on the duo?s CACHET. They have a local chapter of the international fan club, Sons of the Desert. There?s a Laurel and Hardy Museum -...
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Timing and Cues
This is the time of the year for festivals. There's the ...... One of the most unusual festivals is the Oliver Hardy Festival that takes place in Harlem, Georgia, a town of 2,000 about 30 miles west of Augusta.
Philip Graitcer has the story.
