Marker Monday: Oliver Norvell Hardy, Genius of Comedy

Image Credit: David Seibert

This week’s #MarkerMonday pays tribute to Oliver Norvell Hardy, of Laurel and Hardy.  Hardy was born in January 1892 in Harlem, Georgia, and Growing up, Hardy developed a love for singing and performed in local theatres. In 1917, Hardy made the decision to pursue his film career in California. Hardy signed with Hal Roach Studios in 1926, where he first worked with a Charlie Chaplin understudy named Stan Laurel, forming the dynamic comedy duo, Laurel and Hardy. Together, Laurel and Hardy made more than 100 comedies including Big Business (1929), The Music Box (1932), Sons of the Desert (1933), and Way Out West (1937). In the 1940s, Laurel and Hardy left Hal Roach Studios and retired from film. The duo embarked on a series of concert appearance in Europe in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Following a series of strokes, Hardy died on August 7, 1957.


Explore the links below to learn more about Oliver Harvey.

Full Marker Text

Oliver Hardy, Genius of Comedy (Morgan County) Marker Text

The Milledgeville Hotel and Oliver Hardy (Baldwin County) Marker Text

New Georgia Encyclopedia

Today in Georgia History

Movie Trailer from Sons of the Desert (1933)