Laurel and Hardy were a comedy duo who performed during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, comprising Englishman Stan Laurel (June 16th, 1890 ? February 23rd, 1965), with American Oliver Hardy (January 18th, 1892 ? August 7th, 1957). They became famous for their slapstick comedy during the late 1920s to the mid-1940s, with Laurel playing the clumsy and childlike friend of the pompous bully Hardy. The duo's signature tune known as "The Cuckoo Song," "Ku-Ku," or "The Dance of the Cuckoos," was played over the opening credits of their movies, having become as emblematic of the duo as their bowler hats.