Hal Roach on Letterman, November 9, 1982

As aired on E! October 6, 1995.

[@davidalphonse7536]

His memory is great, and he doesn't look at all near 90? Just an incredible Man!

[@markrothenberg9867]

And 10 years later, at 100 years old, he was on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

[@superfuzzymomma]

No kidding, AMAZING!

[@AdmiralBonetoPick]

Doing a hula dance.

[@unwavery]

he actually seemed sharper somehow at 100 lol

[@IsaacWale2004]

Such a great man... glad he got to 100.. he deserved it...

[@thehal]

I was in the audience that night (afternoon, actually).

[@rkomgm3932]

Joseph wow please tell me more how did Hal Roach come across ????

[@thehal]

@@rkomgm3932 Surprisingly funny. We were pretty psyched since we were big LR fans.

[@rkomgm3932]

Joseph thanks ! You were very fortunate to see him!!!

[@IsaacWale2004]

Wow!

[@IsaacWale2004]

This man made Laurel and Hardy. He has my respect. (He also aided/started the careers of many others but L&H are the only ones I watch often)

[@ignorecorporatenews]

and The Little Rascals

[@nuffzed2001]

they never mentioned how mr roach made his fortune, fame and legacy on the basis telling stories from people on the poverty line

[@watchman1178]

Mr. Roach lived just one week shy of 10 more years from the date of this appearance.

[@superfuzzymomma]

Wowl, Hal Roach...Genius

[@trentreeve]

What a wonderful career he has had. Creating so many memories for all of us.

[@ashleelmb]

...and leaving his stars brassic, especially Laurel and Hardy. He was a greedy shyster.

[@annedwyer797]

The lighthouse impression: that must be where Spanky got that move he used to make when he was surprised 😘

[@mjemigh3304]

Wow, I wouldn't have made the connection if you hadn't mentioned it!

[@geoffunsworth2126]

Great man and worked with some incredible talents. 👏

[@patrixspringer2753]

I met him briefly ten years later! As I watch this now it still boggles my mind a bit..Thanks for posting this!

[@patrixspringer2753]

@pete smyth I did! Within months, so he remained fairly sharp & active to the end.. I met him Las Vegas as a matter of fact & he seemed to be enjoying it!

[@vantheman1234]

Amazing how Hal Roach liked Benny Hill. I grew up on Laurel and Hardy and Benny Hill.

[@shaneoneill299]

Every Saturday morning in Ireland I used to watch their movies on TV. It was the high light of the week for me.

[@djsvnstarr2473]

Much Respect!!!

[@kenray3205]

The man was a legend

[@yourfavvshortyyy7245]

A Pediphile

[@davidwesley2525]

@@yourfavvshortyyy7245 WHAT ! 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

[@raptorfromthe6ix833]

@@yourfavvshortyyy7245his studio was the safest according to many child actors and actressses

[@vantheman1234]

What a legend

[@Piggy-Oink-Oink]

I didnt know this was posted. Guess I missed it for 7 years. It was just a drop mic moment when Letterman finds out Hal's son "died of old age" Ouch. Hal Roach was one of the greatest producers in history.

[@JJJBRICE]

The twins who said the credits at the start of the clip were still alive at the time of this interview. In addition the apple of every school boys eye , Miss Crabappletree, notice the play of the name of the unseen teacher. She was played by June Marlowe who also was living at the time but was probably in ill health . She was I found out a leading lady in silents movies but this was at the end of her career . best known as the apple of every school boys eye. i hope she realized this was what she was most remembered as in the reruns of these comedies.

[@geraldvanhees779]

Miss Crabtree.

[@JJJBRICE]

@@geraldvanhees779 I know her characters name , the famous beautiful Miss Crabtree . I was making a joke of Miss Marlowe's character name . This role more than likely was her most noted role to her prior work as a silent leading lady .

[@geraldvanhees779]

@@JJJBRICE I can't find any pictures of her in her twilight years.bshe was pretty. Reminds me of the lead singer of Fleetwood Mac.

[@gilbertramirez6626]

What a treat !!!!

[@KendrickHarrisKenfinity]

It's unforgettable to get a deeper look and conversation with the "Our Gang" keeping together and "Swiss-Miss" comedy team originating comedy producer.🎯🌳🧒🏻🧒🎩🎩🎥☀️ Stay safe everyone!

[@christopherstilley7756]

They should have played Honolulu Baby for his little hula dance :) I had the pleasure of sitting in on a Q&A panel w Roach,Spanky,authors Richard Bann & W.K. Everson in '91..Roach spoke more about his first pal,Harold Lloyd ,than the others..I consider it a milestone to have witnessed not just a Hollywood legend ,but an historical icon ,in the company of a few other no less legends in their own right .

[@jaggass]

Hard to believe Hal was 91 and could still walk unaided. He didn't even look 90 he looked like he was in his early 70's.

[@dannyspelman1468]

There's another interview on KZbin with him on the Tonight Show when he was 100.

[@jamesdunn9714]

At 90 he was sharp as a tack. At 100 on the Tonight show he was still very mentally sharp for 100 but had physically diminished a great deal. Very interesting man.

[@paulfrombrooklyn5409]

SO when a person is 90, you expect them to be in a wheelchair, drooling on themselves. You are a tool!

[@dannyspelman1468]

Nobody suggested he should be in a wheelchair, drooling on himself. That came from your own imagination.

[@diggerpete9334]

@@paulfrombrooklyn5409 uncalled for. He looked fresh for his age.

[@cdream5414]

That beautiful and funny story Mark Twain told the kids(14:41), not only proved he was a good sensible man talking to kids so appropriately so they can understand and be entertained, but also it proved how non-religious Mark Twain was. PS. What a great man and talent Hal Roach was. He was very funny and friendly too. His movies are still played around the world and still have millions of fans. I still watch Laurel & Hardly tirelessly and enjoy them just as much as i enjoyed them during my childhood. Greatness like that is impossible to find today in the entertainment business. Showbiz died when its legends died.

[@MilesBellas]

Laurel and Hardy were a different level..... they were like the Star Wars of comedy.

[@IsaacWale2004]

Yes.

[@kingsports1113]

Was the honeymooners feuding with laurel n Hardy

[@scotnick59]

This genius was a gentleman as well

[@haroldsgirl5043]

I wish we could of had Harold Lloyd until he was 100. :(

[@pm0501again]

He died in 1971 at age 77. Irving Berlin and George Burns lived to be 100+

[@debbutcher9087]

Harold Lloyd was lucky to see 40 the way he jumped around on on top of those 20 story buildings. Watch Safety Last sometime.

[@davidwesley2525]

@@pm0501again So Did Bob Hope , Kirk Douglas Lived to be 103 years of age.

[@rkomgm3932]

David actually let him Speak and took interest in this movie mogul legend He was a much better interviewer younger !!!

[@victorkong82]

This was his first year when he was imitating Johnny Carson a little bit. It wasn't until the late '80s when he leaned into the wiseass personality.

[@cautionTosser]

he saved his best behaviour for guests he actually respected.

[@waynej2608]

@@cautionTosser Very true.

[@filipecerqueira5937]

Hal Roach was the best producer of the Little Rascals and Laurel and Hardy films.

[@ashleelmb]

...and a greedy shyster who didn't psy his stars a fair cut of his profits, the bastards. He left Laurel and Hardy penniless.

[@larrygevirtz30]

He lived to be 100!

[@juanitajackson6596]

If he was still living he would been 128 years old

[@1776TomPaine]

He was hilarious!

[@neonskyline1]

He was right about Benny Hill

[@robertgerber2533]

great stuff

[@carlyoung8657]

ok i just say the video where jay leno interviewed him at 100 years old and he looked younger then he does here.

[@dtnetlurker]

One of the only times Letterman shut up and just listened. When a legend like Hal Roach sat down to talk to you, you just asked him to tell you about the old days of Hollywood and just listened. I only wished he had talked more about the Our Gang comedies and the kids and also Pete the Pup. Surprised Letterman didn't know why they were called both Our Gang and Little Rascals. A good show host should always do a bit of research. Just about anyone that has been a big fan of Our Gang knows that was the original name and Hal renamed them Little Rascals in the 50s for the Television syndication because when he bought back the rights to the shorts along with the masters MGM would not sell back the Our Gang name. He had to use a different one so he chose "Little Rascals" because in the title cards and in various points in the promotion in the very early days Hal often referred to them as "His Rascals". The original name though that was used for all of the shorts when they were first shown in theaters was always "Our Gang". The "Little Rascals" was a name for the very highly edited and sometimes colorized shorts used for TV.

[@dongiller]

How much of that research was easily available in 1982? I suspect you learned about this online. There was no online then.

[@dongiller]

And you said it yourself: “Big fan.” Not everyone is, nor is expected, to know these sorts of details other than “big fans.” It’s great that you know this stuff, but expecting others to know as much as you, especially a talk-show host from 1982, is unrealistic. Just as it would be unrealistic for me to expect you to know the details of Letterman’s career as, say, I would be.

[@dongiller]

I got these complaints often from super-fans of particular guests. “Why doesn’t Dave know as much about minute xxx from film yyy as me?”

[@agytjax]

The man was 90 years when appeared for this show was so full in command of what he spoke! And we have a much younger Biden, only 78, but only managed to mumble, bumble and fumble!

[@shamusmercieca8394]

Great Artist Rip

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

His son died at GASP ! 53 years old.

[@natfeerick1]

And Hal said he died of old age!

[@kingsports1113]

I love the little rascals show

[@DavidHartley88]

Hal Roach ! Wonderful. I love how he roasts Hiram Bullock, who sounded more like Ry Cooder than Jake Shimabukuro !

[@wackyworldnews]

WOW !!

[@eltoro969]

One of the last real gentleman

[@IsaacWale2004]

Unfortunately so...

[@JJJBRICE]

Almost 10 years to the day before he died.

[@bencool5823]

The man behind the little rascals 🎭 and Laurel and Hardy comedies 🎭

[@KyleInTheSanctuary]

I like that he mentioned Benny Hill.

[@gavinreid8937]

Love the story at a do Hal mistook Michael Jackson for a waiter and asked him to get him stuff. Michael did so with a smile & long retired Hal offered him a job next time he was in town.

[@leesanna3923]

At 12:24, after Hal says he liked Benny Hill, who is the comedian Hal says he likes, it sounds like he said "Connor"? Anyone know?

[@Gaur1983]

Carrol O'Connor aka Archie Bunker, I think!

[@tabsntoot]

What a swell guy

[@davidjones9661]

Kind of ironic, and prescient of Letterman, to have Leno on his next show... seeing how Leno interviews Roach ten years later... "So Jay, tell the viewers what you plan on asking Mr. Roach when you do the interview ten years from now..." I'll take a bow...

[@chrisevans5259]

GAL ROACH..(RIP) ......🎥🎭.....LEGENDARY FILM PRODUCER....🎭🎥 (1892-1992)

[@davidwesley2525]

GAL Roach ? I Didn't Know Hal was a Woman .🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@davidratcliffe1]

Who did he mention after Benny Hill? I couldn’t understand him it sounded like he said Connors???

[@nuffzed2001]

1912 ? 😮 even that is ancient in 1982

[@chongupgrade7069]

Can you get a HQ version of the episode where Hank Williams Jr sings on,

[@dongiller]

June 9, 1982. In time.

[@chongupgrade7069]

@@dongiller thank you

[@shafiq1537]

Laurel and hardy should have never left hal roach

[@kingsports1113]

Facts they got blackballed but would you still wanna get rip-off it's hard one

[@shafiq1537]

@@kingsports1113 ok.

[@davidratcliffe1]

The great Jackie Cooper sitting next to miss Crabtree

[@davidwesley2525]

Nowadays it's Scandalous for a Female Teacher to have a Friendship with an Underage Male Student. BTW Miss Crabtree is Quite a Looker. 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@marcdelente2456]

Hall roach a eu les plus grands comiques stan laurel et hardy qui lui ont rapporter des fortunes mais il na pas ete loyal avec stan et ollie car a la fin de leur carriere ils ne touchait pas un centimes sur l exploitation de leurs enciens. Courts et longs metrages

[@davidratcliffe1]

Harold Lloyd was a genius

[@Trigger_000]

*That was an interesting interview. They should get him back on again.*

[@dongiller]

Rick That might be difficult.

[@Trigger_000]

*Why, have they fell out or something?*

[@dongiller]

Well, Dave retired two years ago, and Hal died in 1992.

[@Trigger_000]

*Oh, Ok thanks.*

[@vantheman1234]

Rick you could be the next big thing

[@Gerkinstock]

I'll bet he liked Steve Martin.

[@goldmetwalli6462]

oh come on that's hawaiian :D

[@kevinhoffman8112]

Hawaiian music dammit!!

[@jwalkin5123]

"The heathen Chini" wasn't even worth a penny. Let them all be heathen. Who cares? That was the Make Twain's massage to the kids.

[@Trust-me-I-am-a-dentist]

He still had 10 years left after this interview... Died 2 November 1992.