Randy Skretvedt
Encyclopedia
Randy Skretvedt is an American film and music scholar, author, lecturer and broadcaster. His 1987 book Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies (updated in 1996) is the reference standard for Laurel and Hardy
fans (known as Sons of the Desert
after their appreciation society, which itself derives from the 1933 Laurel and Hardy film
of the same name).
Skretvedt is also the host of the radio show Forward Into the Past, which airs weekly on KSPC-FM in Claremont, California (88.7-FM and KSPC online). His nom de heterodyne is Randy Brian.
He was a precocious communicator: his professional writing began at just 16, when he wrote a series of articles for Private Screenings, a magazine devoted to vintage movies.
Although he came along too late to interview either Laurel or Hardy, Skretvedt did debrief Oliver Hardy's widow, Stan Laurel's daughter, actors Anita Garvin
and Dorothy Granger
, music director Marvin Hatley
, effects chief Roy Seawright
, film editor Richard Currier and many, many other of their co-stars, directors and technicians. Perhaps his crowning interview — certainly in prestige if not necessarily in the forthrightness of its subject — was with Hal Roach
, studio boss of "The Lot Of Fun," Roach Studios, where "The Boys" did all their best work. Skretvedt had not a moment to spare in his archival work: most everyone who worked directly with Laurel and Hardy in any capacity has since died.
He is rightly proud of his amazing "Barn Full O’ Records", a carpeted, air-conditioned shrine to all things musical from the early 1900s to the 1960s. Shelves of neatly organized 78rpm records reveal years of collecting, researching and cataloging dedication; additional stacks of CDs, tapes, 33- and 45-rpm records — plus the vast array of apparatus needed to play them all back — make it one of the most significant private archives of its kind. Skretvedt estimates the collection includes over 30,000 recordings.
Forward Into The Past airs Sunday afternoons at 2 pm (PT) on KSPC 88.7 FM in Claremont, California and online at kspc.org.
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
fans (known as Sons of the Desert
The Sons of the Desert
The Sons of the Desert is an international fraternal organization devoted to lives and films of comedians Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. The group takes its name from a lodge that Laurel and Hardy belonged to in the 1933 movie Sons of the Desert....
after their appreciation society, which itself derives from the 1933 Laurel and Hardy film
Sons of the Desert
Sons of the Desert is a 1933 American film starring Laurel and Hardy, and directed by William A. Seiter. It was first released in the United States on December 29, 1933 and is regarded as one of Laurel and Hardy's greatest films...
of the same name).
Skretvedt is also the host of the radio show Forward Into the Past, which airs weekly on KSPC-FM in Claremont, California (88.7-FM and KSPC online). His nom de heterodyne is Randy Brian.
Early years
Skretvedt's interests in vintage media started in childhood and range across the board, including films, music and radio. His primary area of focus is the period between the world wars: the 1920s, '30s and '40s. His penchant for collecting was evident early on; even as a child he began acquiring books, records, memorabilia, rare photos, letters, ephemera, documents — even Super 8mm prints of classic film comedies.He was a precocious communicator: his professional writing began at just 16, when he wrote a series of articles for Private Screenings, a magazine devoted to vintage movies.
Young Turk in the Sons
It was only natural that a Laurel and Hardy fan with an interest the intensity of Skretvedt's would find his way to The Sons of the Desert, the international appreciation society for the duo. Skretvedt joined as a young teen and immediately recognized that the surviving members of Laurel and Hardy casts and crews were not going to be around forever, so he commenced interviewing them and cultivating the "inside stories" that would become the backbone of his work.Although he came along too late to interview either Laurel or Hardy, Skretvedt did debrief Oliver Hardy's widow, Stan Laurel's daughter, actors Anita Garvin
Anita Garvin
Anita Garvin was an American actress and comedienne who appeared in both silent and sound films. She is best known for her work with comedians Laurel and Hardy and Charley Chase....
and Dorothy Granger
Dorothy Granger
Dorothy Granger was an American actress best known for her roles in short subject comedies in Hollywood.-Career:...
, music director Marvin Hatley
Marvin Hatley
Thomas Marvin Hatley , professionally known simply as Marvin Hatley, was an American film composer and musical director, best known for his work for the Hal Roach studio from 1929 until 1940....
, effects chief Roy Seawright
Roy Seawright
Roy Seawright born 19 November 1905 in Los Angeles, California, died 30 April 1991 in Torrance, California was a Hollywood special effects technician, principally with Hal Roach Studios....
, film editor Richard Currier and many, many other of their co-stars, directors and technicians. Perhaps his crowning interview — certainly in prestige if not necessarily in the forthrightness of its subject — was with Hal Roach
Hal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
, studio boss of "The Lot Of Fun," Roach Studios, where "The Boys" did all their best work. Skretvedt had not a moment to spare in his archival work: most everyone who worked directly with Laurel and Hardy in any capacity has since died.
Music authority and music collector
Skretvedt's interest in the popular culture from the first half of the 20th Century doesn't end with film and cinema; he is also a fan of, and an authority on, the music of the time. His activities as a determined collector extend into the musical realm as well.He is rightly proud of his amazing "Barn Full O’ Records", a carpeted, air-conditioned shrine to all things musical from the early 1900s to the 1960s. Shelves of neatly organized 78rpm records reveal years of collecting, researching and cataloging dedication; additional stacks of CDs, tapes, 33- and 45-rpm records — plus the vast array of apparatus needed to play them all back — make it one of the most significant private archives of its kind. Skretvedt estimates the collection includes over 30,000 recordings.
Broadcaster
Skretvedt's vast music archive performs a public service function: it provides the playlist for Forward Into The Past, the weekly radio program that Skretvedt hosts under the moniker Randy Brian. The three-hour program features two hours of primarily '20s, '30s and '40s music — mostly jazzy danceband numbers and some novelty records — flanking a central hour of vintage radio, comedy or drama. The program debuted in 1982.Forward Into The Past airs Sunday afternoons at 2 pm (PT) on KSPC 88.7 FM in Claremont, California and online at kspc.org.
For further reading
Skretvedt has penned many magazine articles and liner notes for over 25 albums. His books include:- Skretvedt, Randy (1996). Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies. Beverly Hills: Past Times Publishing. ISBN 094041029X
- Skretvedt, Randy and Young, Jordan R. (1991) Nostalgia Entertainment Sourcebook: The Complete Resource Guide to Classic Movies, Vintage Music, Old Time Radio and Theatre. Moonstone Press. ISBN 0940410257
- Skretvedt, Randy, author/editor; Stone, Rob; Wyatt, David (1996). Laurel or Hardy: The Solo Films of Stan Laurel and Oliver "Babe" Hardy. Split Reel Books. ISBN 0965238407.
- Lenburg, Greg; Lenburg, Jeff; Skretvedt, Randy (1981). Steve Martin: The Unauthorized Biography. New York: St. Martins Press. ISBN 0312761902