Oliver Hardy's hair in 1925, 1926 and 1927. Part 1
Before he teamed up with Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy often wore his hair long—especially once he began playing the “Heavy.” There’s even a chance he sometimes used wigs for those roles. So keeping his own hair long could avoid the discomfort of a hot wig. Now that he is playing various roles, Hardy was able to maintain medium-length style, letting it grow out between trims. Longer hair afforded more versatility. When a role called for a more professional look, he’d have it cut shorter at the bottom and neatly trimmed along the sides.
In 1925, Hardy found himself freelancing after making the mistake of signing a long-term contract with Larry Semon for a fifth year. Such contracts usually meant exclusivity with one company, a steady rate of pay, and income whether or not the actor was filming. At the time Hardy signed Semon was working under Chadwick Films and had been given his own production company, giving him full control over hiring and finances. Initially, this arrangement worked out well for Hardy—Semon produced only six films a year on average compared to the thirteen his previous employer had churned out, so Hardy likely earned the same annual pay while enjoying more free time. He spent that downtime socializing with other celebrities and improving his golf game at the Beverly Hills Golf Club and others, which Semon had introduced him to.
Things soured, however, when Semon bankrupted both Chadwick and himself with his over-budget production of The Wizard of Oz. Semon was notorious for ignoring budgets and assuredly been warned many times. Unable to honor Hardy’s contract or pay him, Semon likely told Hardy—probably right after filming wrapped in November 1924—that he wouldn’t be receiving wages anytime soon, and he gave him permission to freelance. And his new contract in February would not be exclusive, so he could earn extra money. Semon expected big profits when The Wizard of Oz was released in April and he could pay Hardy all of his back-pay at that time. Hardy did sign a new non-exclusive contract in February, by which point he had already managed regular opportunities at Fox, Cumberland/Arrow, and Hal Roach. The much-anticipated Wizard of Oz opened strong at the box office but quickly collapsed as word spread about it not being what was expected. Semon managed to pay Hardy briefly, but the money dried up, leaving Hardy to continue freelancing. Unfortunately, his contract with Semon prevented him from signing with another company for a year. Hal Roach would have gladly taken him on in 1925, but the risk of Semon suing kept that from happening. During this period, Hardy filmed eight pictures for Roach, four for Fox, seven for Arrow, one for Chadwick, and one self-funded project with Semon. Some of these may have been shot in 1924. When Hardy was working with Semon, he slimmed down considerably, looking pretty fit in 1923 and 1924. But the prospect of losing his role as Semon’s “Heavy” along with his desire to get back into comedy pushed him to put weight back on. Since the start of his acting career, he had often been encouraged to maintain or even gain weight to keep his comic appeal. Some producers offered him contracts with a weight loss restriction or contract incentives tied to his size. Producer Louis Burstein, for example, did this during Hardy’s time at VIM and King Bee, promising bonuses based on how much weight he gained.
I’ll start in mid-1925, since the Arrow and Fox appearances have questionable production dates.
Oliver Hardy appears in Hal Roach’s Isn’t Life Terrible as Charley Chase’s live-in, work-resistant brother-in-law. Filmed between April 6 and April 16, this was Hardy’s second film with Roach. His hair is cut to a medium length. One photo shows Hardy dresses to the left as his pants are tailored that way. Personally, I don’t think he was especially well endowed. Hardy and Chase had worked together years earlier, back in 1918 on the Billy West films, with Hardy playing the Heavy and Chase directing. Both later moved to the struggling L-KO Kompany after being laid off, though that stint was short-lived due to L-KO’s financial troubles.
Two weeks later, Hardy turned up in another Roach production, Should Sailors Marry?, starring Australian comedian Clyde Cook. Filmed from April 27 to May 8, Hardy played a doctor, which meant trimming the sides of his hair and wearing a derby to cover the mop underneath. In the last photo, Cook is mischievously preparing to kick Hardy in his large behind.
Hardy’s next film came three weeks later with Roach’s Yes, Yes Nanette, co-directed by Stan Laurel and starring James Finlayson. It’s possible that Hardy squeezed in an Arrow production during that gap. In Nanette, he plays the ex-boyfriend of the newly married heroine, Finlayson as her husband—a partnership Hardy would revisit often in the years ahead. His hair here is thick, longer on top than at the sides, and his character is portrayed as uncouth and bullying. One photo even reveals his bald spot at age 33. This was Laurel’s first time directing Hardy and observing him closely at work. They had technically crossed paths before in 1921’s The Lucky Dog, but both later admitted they didn’t remember each other well from that early encounter.
Hardy took the month of June off, though it’s possible he squeezed in a couple of Arrow films or spent the time playing golf. His next project was with Chadwick in The Perfect Clown, starring Larry Semon, starting July 1. This time, Semon was only an actor—he didn’t write, direct, or share in the profits. The film was bumped up in Chadwick’s schedule after another director fell ill. He played the son of Semon’s landlady, Kate Price, the woman to whom Semon’s character owed rent money. In the story, Semon sneaks out without paying her, leaving Hardy’s mother cheated and Hardy in pursuit. By this point, Hardy’s hair had grown quite shaggy. Hardy’s filming was done by July 9th, but the production seemed to go on into August, announcing new cast members.
Around the same time, Hardy placed an ad in the trade papers announcing that he would be “at liberty” starting July 10, even though he was still filming The Perfect Clown. He likely did this because Arrow/Cumberland Films had wrapped for the year, leaving him without guaranteed projects. Hardy knew he couldn’t rely on the jobs he got from Roach.
Hal Roach lined up Hardy for Wandering Papas, filmed from July 13 to August 1. In it, Hardy plays the foreman of a bridge crew, with Clyde Cook starring as the camp cook and Stan Laurel directing. Hardy’s hair was freshly cut—short on the sides, medium length on top. His character was gruff and demanding, but so adorable when intimating he felt his pancake stack was lacking.
Simultaneously, or efficiently, Hardy was working on Laughing Ladies, filmed July 21 to August 4, likely scheduled this way because Roach’s monthly vacation was approaching. The comedy starred Katherine Grant and Lucien Littlefield as patient and dentist, with Hardy cast as the chief of police whose wife was the dental patient. His hair here looks a bit longer, and his role was straightforward—he was simply meant to be threatening.
After those back-to-back productions, Hardy seems to have taken August and September off. Unless records are missing. He likely spent that stretch golfing, playing poker, betting on horse races, and indulging in plenty of food and drink.
From October 3 to 24, Hardy worked on Larry Semon’s self-funded film Stop, Look and Listen. Unfortunately, no clear photos of Hardy from this production survive. Semon had purchased the rights to adapt the musical, though many questioned the decision. Coming on the heels of his disastrous Wizard of Oz—which he had reshaped into his usual formula of a plucky hero outsmarting villains through chases and daredevil stunts—this new effort also failed to connect with audiences and flopped. It would turn out to be Hardy’s final time working with Larry Semon.
Hardy’s next film, 45 Minutes to Hollywood, started October 27 and finished Nov 8th. He performed in a shower curtain. The film starred Glenn Tryon and Oliver’s hair looks like it hadn’t been cut since July. His wet hair reached his eyes. Stan Laurel appeared in this film, but made to look like James Finlayson. Evidently they planned to release this film before Stan was cleared to act from his previous employer, Joe Rock. It wasn’t released until Joe Rock consented, after Christmas of 1926. I seems Hal Roach chickened out and waited.
Hardy had no work through the rest of November, but his advertisement for employment paid off—two different branches of Fox Films wanted him in December, and he also landed a project at Roach with the famous vamp Theda Bara. He managed to fit in all three before the end of the year.
The first Fox film was the western The Gentle Cyclone, starring Buck Jones. Hardy played Sheriff Bill, and it looks like he had his hair freshly trimmed before filming. Production ran from November 30 to December 7.
Next came Madame Mystery at Roach Studios, starting December 9. Hardy played the ship’s captain opposite Theda Bara. His hair was mostly hidden under the captain’s hat, though in one still he pushed the cap back and pulled a long lock out from beneath it. The surviving image is unfortunately from a poor-quality print.
Finally, probably with some overlap beginning around December 17 and running through the end of the year, Hardy appeared in the Fox comedy A Bankrupt Honeymoon. Here he played first a cab driver and then a bus driver, with his hair still long in front.
All told, Hardy filmed as many as 21 pictures in 1925. Despite the workload, he still managed to gain weight, spend plenty of time golfing, lose money gambling, and neglect his wife.
