Last weekend, I visited the Laurel and Hardy Museum in Harlem, GA, the birthplace of Oliver Hardy. The museum opened in 2002, with an opening day ceremony attended by fans from around the world and several "Our Gang" cast members who worked with Laurel and Hardy at the Hal Roach Studios. The museum is currently open five days a week, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
I've attached a couple of snapshots to provide a sense of the size and scope of the museum. Note that the final photo that's attached is a portrait of Oliver Hardy drawn by Jean Darling, one of the last surviving members of the Hal Roach Studios players. Although not shown in the photographs, the museum contains a small screening room where fans can continuously view Laurel and Hardy films.
The part of the museum I enjoyed most was the large number of scrapbooks containing photographs of the Hal Roach players who had either visited the museum or had provided momentos posted in the museum. Included in the scrapbooks were 2001-2010 snapshots of: Jay R. Smith, Bobby Mallon, Georgie Billings, Dorothy DeBorba, Jack Hanlon, Jerry Tucker, Sidney Kibrick, Dickie Jones, Mildred Kornman, Karl Slover, Tommy Bond, Trudy Marshall, Jean Darling, Eugene Porky Lee, Mary Ann Jackson, Joe Cobb, Edith Fellows, and a couple of players I could not identify.
The museum is very modest and located in the "sticks," away from any big city civilization. That both adds to the charm and makes visits from the ex-Hal Roachers seem all the more remarkable. It also makes the museum experience a bit bittersweet, as the visiting fanbase is rather limited.
Did I mention that a couple of Laurel and Hardy handwritten letters and original artifacts from the films are on display at the museum?
