Laurel and Hardy

Shri Nathji also had a great love for Laurel and Hardy whose films he saw frequently with his children, Pran Nath and Priya Nath. When both Laurel and Hardy passed away, Shri Nathji was genuinely saddened at their departure from the world, and said: "The world has been left bereft of so much humour. My blessings are always with them. They must be in heaven now, making God laugh. Surely their souls must have attained salvation for the happiness they brought to countless millions!" It was no wonder that Laurel and Hardy, while they were alive, were intensely humble men, with a real faith in God. "God bless you," was their famous theme. Shri Nathji never met them in the flesh, but they were ever alive in his mind. He placed them in the category of saints and sages. Shri Nathji would often say in Persian:

"Khandaa roo boodan beh az ganje gauhar bakhsheedan ast

Taa Tavaani bark kaboodan abre neesaani mabaash

Thy smile is worth more than the giving of treasures galore,

Flash thou this smile of lightning, and not the rain of weeping clouds!"

"If you give one heart happiness in any way whatsoever, you will be richly rewarded by God," Shri Nathji used to say, "Imagine, then, the reward of those who give happiness to millions of hearts!"

 Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema. Composed of thin Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and large American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957), they became well known during the late 1920s to the mid-1940s for their slapstick comedy, with Laurel playing the clumsy and childlike friend of the pompous Hardy. They made over 100 films together, initially two-reelers (short films) before expanding into feature length films in the 1930s. Their films include Sons of the Desert (1933), the Academy Award winning short film The Music Box (1932), Babes in Toyland (1934), and Way Out West (1937). Hardy's catchphrase "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!" is still widely recognized.

 Prior to the double act both were established actors with Laurel appearing in over 50 films and Hardy in over 250 films. Although the two comedians first worked together on the film The Lucky Dog (1921), this was a chance pairing

 Laurel and Hardy officially became a team in 1926, in the silent short film Putting Pants on Philip (1927). The pair remained with the Roach studio until 1940, then appeared in eight "B" comedies for 20th Century Fox and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1941 to 1945. After finishing their movie commitments at the end of 1944, they concentrated on stage shows, embarking on a music hall tour of England, Ireland, and Scotland. In 1950 they made their last film, a French/Italian co-production called Atoll K, before retiring from the screen. In total they appeared together in 107 films. They starred in 40 short sound films, 32 short silent films and 23 full-length feature films, and made 12 guest or cameo appearances, including the recently discovered Galaxy of Stars promotional film (1936).

 The duo's signature tune, known variously as "The Cuckoo Song", "Ku-Ku", or "The Dance of the Cuckoos", played on the opening credits of their films. The official Laurel and Hardy appreciation society is known as The Sons of the Desert, after a fraternal society in their film of the same name.