Hal Roach

...who play them to passengers to help pass the time between destinations. A typical (perhaps top quartile) Hal Roach joke is as follows: "He told me that I have a cult following, at least I think that's what he said". "There is a man...

In this article: Ireland, Brendan Grace, Guinness Book of Records, and Dublin

...Negroes in white schools nor recognize social equality between the races, even in children." When Hal Roach sold Our Gang to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1938, he was contractually bound not to produce any more children's comedies. When Roach...

In this article: Curley, Our Gang, United Artists, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Bernard Carr, Who Killed Doc Robbin, Matthew "Stymie" Beard, Robert F. McGowan, and The Little Rascals

...later in life as I tried to collect these fond memories on video did I discover some of the long twisted history of this series. Hal Roach started the series in 1922 as a collection of silent shorts. Sound was added to the series in 1929.

In this article: Our Gang, MGM, Laurel and Hardy, The Little Rascals, DVD, Spanky, and Pete the Pup

...and the schedules were padded with sitcoms imported from America and Britain. The closest we came to Irish TV comedy in the 60s was Hal Roach on The Late Late Show, though, in fairness, that show did expose us to international comic trends...

In this article: RTE, Father Ted, Frank Hall, Mike Murphy, Frank Kelly, and Trademark

• The Our Gang Collection (1938-44, exclusively from warnerarchive.com, unrated, $35): Since 1927, MGM had been distributing producer Hal Roach's vehicles for Little Rascals that included Spanky McFarland, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Darla...

In this article: The Last Days of Disco, DVD, Whit Stillman, Blu-ray, Disney, Kate Beckinsale, Russell Crowe, Chloe Sevigny, and New York

...over the country debated the issue. A store merchant in Otisville, N.Y., suffered a heart attack in an argument about Pitts. Filmmaker Hal Roach offered him a job. Pitts eventually even appeared on Kate Smith's radio show. Pitts had one last...

In this article: Kenesaw Mountain Landis, International League, Michael Vick, Parole, Best interests, Johnny Evers, National Football League, Philadelphia Eagles, and Cubs

...Comic Roach: A Roadhouse Picture Show." It's actually a nifty way to catch a flick at the Fringe -- old silent pictures from producer Hal Roach, with new musical scores played live by D.C.'s Snark Ensemble. Three short comedies are projected...

In this article: Washington, D.C., DVD, and New Orleans

...glimpses of the behind-the-scene wranglings between Stan, the creative brains of the double-act, and their long-time producer Hal Roach. They rarely shuck the mugging and mannerisms of their familiar schtick; when they do, the tone veers...

In this article: Laurel & Hardy, God, Second World War, and DVD

...mannerisms but also in the cascade of scenes they deliver. They double up as a variety of walk-on characters such as film producer Hal Roach and Stan's disastrous early love, an Australian called May. The show imagines Laurel and Hardy in...

In this article: Oliver Hardy, Stan Laurel, Laurel and Hardy, and Waiting for Godot

...and "Jack Palance has just bungee-jumped off the Hollywood sign." Also that evening, 100-year-old veteran producer Hal Roach stood up in the audience to take a bow and, without a microphone, began delivering an inaudible speech.

In this article: Academy Awards, Uma Thurman, Oprah Winfrey, Jack Palance, Billy Crystal, Steve Martin, Hollywood, Ellen DeGeneres, and Michael Moore