The Silver Screen Oasis

Christie's Auction House sold some of Stan Laurel's effects this week. Here is how it is described on the BBC News website:

Items from the estate of comedian Stan Laurel made over $100,000 (£50,600).

These included his trademark bowler hats, a set of bow ties and a folder with joke ideas: "Rather be pregnant than have tooth pulled? Make up your mind lady, so I'll know which way to tilt the chair," he wrote.

The sale brought in more than was anticipated, by the way. If I had had $30,000 or so to spare, I might have bid on his hat. But that folder -- that's the lot that's really priceless. Seems that there was a great deal in there that never made it to the Production Code screen.

Judith:

That's a funny line. Groucho would have been proud of that one.

Didn't W.C. Fields use that line in his movie as the Dentist?

knitwit45 wrote:Didn't W.C. Fields use that line in his movie as the Dentist?

It was probably used for years in vaudeville as well. Point is, it wasn't the sort of line you'd hear in a typical L&H film, but Stanley obviously liked it. L&H could get pretty risque, but always in the most understated, genteel way.