The Thomas W. Sefton Laurel and Hardy Collection consists of photographs, movie stills and posters, correspondence, memorabilia, and scripts related to the great movie comedy team of Stan Laurel (1890-1965) and Oliver Hardy (1892-1957).

Thomas W. Sefton (1917-2006) was president of a major San Diego, California, bank (San Diego Trust) and a leading San Diego philanthropist, who had a life-long devotion to Laurel and Hardy. This interest in Laurel and Hardy led to a friendship with Stan Laurel before the latter's death in 1965. Sefton developed a correlative relationship with Hal Roach, the great producer of the 1920s and 1930s of, among other movie properties, the Laurel and Hardy films. His friendship with Stan Laurel meant that Thomas W. Sefton was able to accumulate from Laurel himself invaluable materials related to the career of the comedian, and, to a lesser extent, that of Oliver Hardy.

8 archival document boxes; 3 oversize boxes, 3 records storage boxes, 7 oversize folders

Materials in the Department of Archives and Special Collections may be subject to copyright. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, Loyola Marymount University does not claim ownership of the copyright of any materials in its collections. The user or publisher must secure permission to publish from the copyright owner. Loyola Marymount University does not assume any responsibility for infringement of copyright or of publication rights held by the original author or artists or his/her heirs, assigns, or executors.

Collection is open to research under the terms of use of the Department of Archives and Special Collections, Loyola Marymount University.