Movie comic Stan Laurel favored getting hitched in Yuma

Readers who are old as this writer will remember movie comic Stan Laurel. Born in Scotland in 1890 where his father was a theater manager, he was given the name of Arthur Stanley Jefferson. Laurel was married four or five times, depending on how you count, with three of them happening here in Yuma.

The actor was half of the famous comedy team of Laurel and Hardy.

On the stage from the age of 16, Laurel was soon traveling with a vaudeville company as an understudy to Charlie Chaplin. It brought him to the United States for the first time in 1910.

After a second trip to this country in 1913, he remained and began appearing in two-reel movie comedies.

Laurel’s first film with Oliver Hardy was made in 1917 while Hardy was still using the screen name of Babe Hardy.

The pairing didn’t lead to an immediate friendship, and years passed before they would meet again.

In 1925, Laurel was directing movies at the Hal Roach Studios where he reunited with Hardy.

Hardy soon appeared in several of Laurel’s films, but was no longer using the name Babe.

The two reappeared together in a two-reel movie in 1926 called “45 Minutes From Hollywood,” but they weren’t cast as partners.

The coupling of the comics started in 1927 when they were both in the film “Sleeping Wives.”

Movie director Leo Mccarey realized that audiences found the two funny and decided to pair them in a series that started later the same year. Laurel and Hardy soon became a popular comedy team.

Laurel, the elder of the two comics, involved himself in four Arizona marriages.

Laurel preferred the marriage benefits the state offered before 1957.

Unlike other states, Arizona didn’t require a blood test or a three-day waiting period before a couple could be wed, often bringing Californians across the state line to tie the knot.

Laurel was in a common-law marriage with Australian actress Mae Laurel that ended when she returned to her home country in 1925.

His first official wife was Lois Nelson, whom he married in Arizona in 1926. They were divorced in 1934.

Laurel and his next wife, Virginia Ruth Rodgers, wed in Florence in 1935. Two years later, Rodgers sued for divorce.

In the meantime, Laurel became involved with Russian singer Vera Shuvalova.

When the divorce proceedings with Rodgers were officially entered on Dec. 31, 1937, Laurel and Shuvalova believed it was safe to get married the next day. They headed for Yuma to avoid the threeday waiting period.

It was then that Laurel’s former wife, Virginia, tried to stop their wedding proceedings by entering claims reconciliation.

Despite Virginia’s actions, Laurel and Shuvalova were married in Yuma on Jan. 1, 1938.

However, because of Virginia’s impediment, the two were concerned about the legality of their marriage.

Not taking any chances, they waited until a final divorce decree with Virginia was issued in February and returned to Yuma to be married again.

Like Stan’s earlier marriages, it didn’t last. Five years later, he became involved with Ida Raphael and his marriage to Shuvalova was soon headed for divorce court.

When the separation became final in May of 1946, Stan and Ida set out for Yuma to get married.

Interstate highways didn’t exist then, and it was rather easy to get lost while traveling from California to Arizona.

Because they temporarily lost their route, the couple didn’t arrive in Yuma until after dark.

A judge had to be awakened from bed to marry them. Once united, Laurel and Raphael drove the rest of the night to San Diego, where they spent their honeymoon at the Grand Hotel.

Stan Laurel finally found the ideal mate when he married Ida Raphael. Their coupling lasted for two decades and didn’t end until his death.

Four years after his marriage to Ida, Laurel and Hardy ended their moviemaking careers. The pair toured England and often appeared in stage shows. Hardy died in 1957.

The passing of his partner took a heavy toll on Laurel, who became depressed and vowed never to make another film.

He didn’t, and lived another eight years until his death in 1965 from a heart attack.