Simon Louvish's book The Roots Of Comedy: The Double Life Of Laurel And Hardy is an absolutely wonderful read. It not only chronicles the life and times of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy and charts their rise from humble beginnings to worldwide stardom, but it also produces an evocative and entertaining history of the early days of the silent movie industry and its move into the world of the 'talkies'.
Included in its cast of guest characters are Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Hal Roach and Jimmy Finlayson and a host of other early movie stars, but it's Louvish's ability to interweave the stories of these people without losing focus on the main stories of Laurel and Hardy (then the story of Laurel and Hardy as a comedy duo once they come together) that makes it truly superb.
Although Louvish clearly adores his subjects he isn't shy when it comes to discussing the scandals and various marital problems that plagued the duo throughout their lives. But he handles this material with sensitivity and the book is all the better for sticking to the facts rather than indulging in sensationalist speculation.
It's a truly wonderful and enlightening book and its final chapters that chart the end of Hardy then Laurel's lives are both moving and uplifting.
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