Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were an American gift to the world

In Italy, they were known as “Crik and Crok.”

In Turkey, they were “Sisman ve Zaif.”

Through about 37 silent film shorts, 47 sound film shorts and 27 movies, the partnership of comedians Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were, not unlike jazz and Broadway musicals, an American gift to the world.

In The Netherlands, they were De Dikke en de Dunne (The Thick and the Stupid).

In Portugal, they were O Bucha and O Estica.

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And here was their act — Laurel is the guileless simpleton, the cause of most of the duo's troubles, whereas Hardy plays the self-important, fastidious man of the world whose plans always go awry because of his misplaced faith in both his partner and his own abilities.

Their situational skirmishes are still howlers, whether it's Stan's visit to an ailing Ollie in “County Hospital,” or a radiant song and dance bit for “Way Out West” or banging that poor piano up and down some Hollywood stairs in “The Music Box” or attending remedial prison class in “Pardon Us.” (Here's a perfect bit of L&H hilarity — the instructor asks the class how many times three went into nine, and Stan answers “Three, with two left over.” Ollie reacts with knee slapping laughter and when asked what was so funny, he says “There's only one left over.”)

In Romania, they were “Stanlio I Olio.”

In Norway, they were “Helan och Halvan.”

I learned all about the real Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy straight from a reliable source — I had a letter writing relationship with Lucille Hardy Price, Ollie's widow, throughout the last two years of her life. It's a story for another day how it all happened, but her thoughts on the matter of Laurel and Hardy were revelatory.

“What you must understand about Laurel and Hardy is that, unlike many other comics, their entire output is about love — these characters know that neither of them can get along without the other,” she wrote, “and it works because they were extremely close in real life, as well.”

In another letter, Price explained that Laurel and Hardy take their American spirit with them in all their films.

“Even when the chips are down, Laurel and Hardy never lose their sense of optimism, their faith that a better day is coming,” she wrote. “This was extremely important to audiences around the globe in the 30s and 40s.”

Lucille Hardy Price would be beaming at the release of “Stan & Ollie,” a new feature about the comic duo in their later years (Ollie died in 1957 and Stan in 1965), currently playing in theaters to much acclaim.

“Imagine what a joy it was for these friends to work every day just for the purpose of making people laugh. and laugh. and laugh,” she said. “I'm sure that heaven is a much happier place with the souls of these two men among the angels.”