producer love 'em and weep
A double act , also known as a comedy duo , is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners , usually of the same gender , age , ethnic origin and profession but drastically different in terms of personality or behavior . Often one of the members of the duo  the straight ___MASK41___ , ___MASK92___ , dead wood , or stooge  is portrayed as reasonable and serious , while the other one  the funny ___MASK41___ , banana ___MASK41___ or comic  is portrayed as funny , less educated or less intelligent , silly , or unorthodox . If the audience identifies primarily with one character , the other will often be referred to as a comic foil . The term " ___MASK92___ " comes from the way a straight ___MASK41___ is wont to set up jokes and " ___MASK92___ " them to his partner . Featurette is a term used in the American film industry to designate a film usually of three reels in length , or about 24  40 minutes in running time , thus longer than a two - reel short subject but shorter than a feature film . Hence , it is a " small feature " ( the ending "- ette " is a common diminutive suffix derived from French ). The term was commonly used from before the start of the sound era into the 1960s , when films of such length as the ___MASK65___ ' s Streamliners  and several French films of that length  ceased being made , or were made as experimental or art films and subsumed under the more general rubric of short . Its use outside the USA is unknown , although it was as commonly applied to foreign imports as to domestic productions within that country . Oliver Norvell " Babe " Hardy ( born Norvell Hardy ; January 18 , 1892  August 7 , 1957 ) was an American comic actor famous as one - half of Laurel and Hardy , the classic double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted 25 years , from 1927 to 1951 . He appeared with his comedy partner ___MASK21___ in 107 short films , feature films , and cameo roles . He was credited with his first film , " Outwitting Dad ", in 1914 . In some of his early works , he was billed as " Babe Hardy ", using his nickname . Love ' em and Weep is a silent comedy short film starring Mae Busch , ___MASK21___ and Oliver Hardy prior to their official billing as the duo Laurel and Hardy . The team appeared in a total of 107 films between 1921 and 1951 . ___MASK21___ ( born Arthur Stanley Jefferson ; 16 June 1890  23 February 1965 ) was an English comic actor , writer , and film director , most famous for his role in the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy . He appeared with his comedy partner Oliver Hardy in 107 short films , feature films , and cameo roles . Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity which exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy . The term arises from a device developed during the broad , physical comedy style known as Commedia dell ' ___MASK81___ in 16th Century ___MASK8___ . The ' slap stick ' consists of two thin slats of wood made from splitting a single long stick , which make a ' slap ' when striking another actor , with little force needed to make a loud - and comical - sound . A feature film is a film ( also called a movie , motion picture or just film ) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole film to fill a program . The notion of how long this should be has varied according to time and place . According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , the American Film Institute , and the ___MASK58___ , a feature film runs for 40 minutes or longer , while the Screen Actors Guild states that it is 80 minutes or longer . Laurel and Hardy were a comedy double act during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema . The team was composed of thin Englishman ___MASK21___ ( 1890  1965 ) and heavyset American Oliver Hardy ( 1892  1957 ). They became well known during the late 1920s through the mid - 1940s for their slapstick comedy , with Laurel playing the clumsy and childlike friend of the pompous Hardy . The duo ' s signature tune is known variously as " The Cuckoo Song ", " Ku - Ku ", or " The Dance of the Cuckoos ". It was played over the opening credits of their films and has become as emblematic of the duo as their bowler hats . A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film . Although no consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn , the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as " an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less , including all credits ". The term featurette originally applied to a film longer than a short subject , but shorter than a standard feature film .