In 1937, while making Way Out West, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy discuss their contracts, agreeing they are not being justly compensated. Stan advocates leaving Hal Roach to set up their own production company while Oliver is reluctant to rock the boat. Later, at Fox Studios, Stan waits for Oliver so they can sign to Fox. Oliver does not arrive and remains tied to Roach, who puts him in the film Zenobia with an elephant, leading to a rift between the two men.
In 1953, they embark on a music hall tour of the UK and Ireland while trying to get a comedic movie of Robin Hood made. Poor publicity in Britain has the tour begin in near-empty backstreet theatres as producer Bernard Delfont focuses on his up-and-coming star Norman Wisdom. Public appearances improve ticket sales, and they sell out much larger prestigious venues.
Meanwhile, driven by Stan, they continue to write and develop for the movie against an ominous silence from its London producer. Stan discovers the movie has been cancelled for insufficient funding. Unable to tell Oliver, he continues work on the script.
Their wives, Ida Laurel and Lucille Hardy, join them at the Savoy Hotel. They sell out the Lyceum Theatre where, at the opening night party, Ida mentions the "elephant movie" resulting in an argument over the contract fiasco 16 years earlier. Stan expresses resentment at Oliver's betrayal of their friendship and accuses him of laziness; Oliver says they were never true friends, that Stan is a hollow man hiding behind his typewriter. When Stan says, "I loved us", Oliver counters that Stan loved Laurel and Hardy, "but you never loved me."
Judging a beauty contest in Worthing, Oliver pointedly rebuffs Stan's attempts at conversation and collapses as Stan addresses the crowd. Delfont suggests Stan replace him with English comic Nobby Cook. Stan goes to Oliver who tells him he is retiring. Going on stage could be fatal, so Oliver has promised Lucille he will not, and they will leave for the United States as soon as possible. They agree it is for the best, that Stan will carry on with a new partner, and that they had not meant the things they said in their argument.
At the next show, Stan observes Nobby Cook onstage from the wings as the orchestra tunes up. Delfont and Ida watch from a box as the Laurel and Hardy Overture is played, only to be interrupted by an announcement that the performance has been cancelled. Ida finds Stan at the bar, he says he loves Oliver and will not continue the tour without him, and not to upset Oliver by telling him. Oliver, in his room, recalls the doctor's words while reminiscing appreciative fans. Lucille returns from an errand to find him gone; he is at Stan's door telling him not to leave as they have shows to perform.
On the boat to Ireland Stan confesses there is no longer a movie and Oliver says he knew, and thought Stan knew he knew. Stan asks why, then, did they continue to rehearse, and Oliver asks, "What else are we going to do?" A large crowd welcomes their arrival in Ireland as church bells ring out their tune. On stage, Stan expresses concern for Oliver's condition in moments when they are hidden from the audience and says they need not finish with the song. Oliver says he is fine, and surprises Stan by announcing to the audience that they will finish with a dance - to Lucille's consternation. As they perform "At the Ball, That's All" Ida takes, and squeezes, Lucille's hand. Stan and Ollie take their bow to wild cheering and applause.
A text epilogue explains they never performed together again; Oliver's health did not recover and he died in 1957. Stan refused all offers to perform without Oliver but continued, until his death in 1965, to write material for Laurel and Hardy.
Real-life background
A brass plate on the pavement outside the Palace Theatre, Plymouth commemorates Laurel and Hardy's final stage appearance on 17 May 1954
The film's story differs from events as they actually happened; while the film is based on fact, the sequence of events has been altered. The "Mrs. Laurel" character is inaccurate: Laurel had married Ida Kitaeva Raphael in 1946, but the film character is based on one of his former wives, Countess Illeana.[citation needed] The scene of Laurel waiting for Hardy at the 20th Century-Fox studios, with Hardy preferring to remain with Hal Roach, is fictitious: while Laurel's contract with Roach had expired, Hardy's had not.[citation needed] Moreover, the team did not report to Fox until July 11, 1941,[4] well after both had severed their connections with Roach. The scene of Laurel and Hardy arguing bitterly was staged for dramatic effect; in reality the comedians never argued. Lucille Hardy, his widow, remembered Hardy being angry with Laurel only once, out of Laurel's hearing: the comedians had agreed to present a strong, united front when negotiating with Hal Roach, only to have Laurel meekly agreeing to Roach's demands.
Starting in October 1953, Laurel and Hardy spent eight months on tour. On arriving at Cobh in Ireland on 9 September 1953 and disembarking from the SS America they were given a warm welcome, and this is recreated in the final scene of the film.[5] Following their opening night at the Palace Theatre, Plymouth on 17 May 1954, Hardy had a mild heart attack. Hardy stayed at the Grand Hotel in Plymouth while recovering.[6] The pair sailed back to the United States on 2 June. The remainder of the tour was cancelled, and Laurel and Hardy never performed together on stage again.[7][8] The character of Nobby Cook portrayed in the film is fictional. There was never a plan to continue the tour without Hardy, as Laurel would have refused to work with anyone else.[9]
Susy Kane as Cynthia Clarke, Harold Miffin's Head of Production
Production
Development
Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly were announced in January 2016 as lined up to play the duo in a biopic to be directed by Jon S. Baird.[10] The film was written by Jeff Pope, who had previously collaborated with Coogan on the Oscar-nominated screenplay for Philomena.[11] Pope described the comedy duo as being his "heroes".[12] Pope took inspiration from Laurel and Hardy: The British Tours by A.J. Marriot, which also served as a research tool.[1] Pope also spoke with great-granddaughter Cassidy Cook, who gave Pope access to the Laurel family archive.[13]
Following Stan & Ollie's October 2018 debut at the BFI London Film Festival, the film received positive reviews from critics.[20][21][22] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 92% based on 221 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Stan & Ollie pays tribute to a pair of beloved entertainers with an affectionate look behind the scenes – and a moving look at the burdens and blessings of a creative bond."[23] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[24]
Guy Lodge of Variety wrote: "Portraying Laurel and Hardy's final comic collaboration with bittersweet affection, Jon S. Baird's film is a laid-back, gamely performed tribute".[25]Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter had high praise for the lead actors, saying: "Much of the time, you feel like you're beholding the real duo, so thoroughly conceived are the actors' physicality and performances". He concluded: "Everything the film has to offer is obvious and on the surface, its pleasures simple and sincere under the attentive guidance of director Jon S. Baird".[26]
Laurel and Hardy were a British-American comedy team during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo in the silent film era, they later successfully transitioned to "talkies". From the late 1920s to the mid-1950s, they were internationally famous for their slapstick comedy, with Laurel playing the clumsy, childlike friend to Hardy's pompous bully. Their signature theme song, known as "The Cuckoo Song", "Ku-Ku", or "The Dance of the Cuckoos" was heard over their films' opening credits, and became as emblematic of them as their bowler hats.
Oliver Norvell Hardy was an American comic actor and one half of Laurel and Hardy, the double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted from 1926 to 1957. He appeared with his comedy partner Stan Laurel in 107 short films, feature films, and cameo roles. He was credited with his first film, Outwitting Dad, in 1914. In most of his silent films before joining producer Hal Roach, he was billed on screen as Babe Hardy.
Stan Laurel was an English comic actor, writer and film director who was one half of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. He appeared with his comedy partner Oliver Hardy in 107 short films, feature films and cameo roles.
Big Business is a 1929 silent Laurel and Hardy comedy short subject directed by James W. Horne and supervised by Leo McCarey from a McCarey (uncredited) and H. M. Walker script. The film, largely about tit-for-tat vandalism between Laurel and Hardy as Christmas tree salesmen and the man who rejects them, was deemed culturally significant and entered into the National Film Registry in 1992.
A Chump at Oxford is a Hal Roach comedy film produced in 1939 and released in 1940 by United Artists. It was directed by Alfred J. Goulding and is the penultimate Laurel and Hardy film made at the Roach studio. The title echoes the film A Yank at Oxford (1938), of which it is a partial parody.
Atoll K is a 1951 Franco-Italian co-production film—also known as Robinson Crusoeland in the United Kingdom and Utopia in the United States – which stars the comedy team Laurel and Hardy in their final screen appearance. The film co-stars French singer/actress Suzy Delair and was directed by Léo Joannon, with uncredited co-direction by blacklisted U.S. director John Berry.
Zenobia is a 1939 comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas and starring Oliver Hardy, Harry Langdon, Billie Burke, Alice Brady, James Ellison, Jean Parker, June Lang, Stepin Fetchit and Hattie McDaniel. The source of the film was the 1891 short story "Zenobia's Infidelity" by H.C. Bunner, which was originally purchased by producer Hal Roach as a vehicle for Roland Young.
Helpmates is a Laurel and Hardy Pre-Code short film comedy. It was directed by James Parrott, produced by Hal Roach and released by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer on January 23, 1932.
Unaccustomed As We Are is the first sound film comedy starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, released on May 4, 1929.
Chickens Come Home is a 1931 American pre-Code short film starring Laurel and Hardy, directed by James W. Horne and produced by Hal Roach. It was shot in January 1931 and released on February 21, 1931. It is a remake of the 1927 silent film Love 'em and Weep in which James Finlayson plays Hardy's role and Hardy plays a party guest.
The Battle of the Century is a 1927 silent short film starring comedy double act Laurel and Hardy, who appeared in 107 films between 1921 and 1951. The film entered the public domain in the United States in 2023.
Block-Heads is a 1938 American comedy film directed by John G. Blystone and starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. It was produced by Hal Roach Studios for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film, a reworking of elements from the Laurel and Hardy shorts We Faw Down (1928) and Unaccustomed As We Are (1929), was Roach's final film for MGM.
Air Raid Wardens is a 1943 comedy film directed by Edward Sedgwick and starring Laurel and Hardy. It was the first of two feature films starring the duo for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Laughing Gravy is a 1931 short film comedy starring Laurel and Hardy. It was directed by James W. Horne, produced by Hal Roach and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The Fixer Uppers is a 1935 American short comedy film directed by Charles Rogers, starring Laurel and Hardy, and produced by Hal Roach.
Their First Mistake is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy short starring Laurel and Hardy. Directed by George Marshall, the film was produced by Hal Roach and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The Live Ghost is a 1934 American comedy short film starring Laurel and Hardy, directed by Charles Rogers, and produced by Hal Roach at his studios in Culver City, California.
Jeff Pope is a British television producer and screenwriter who co-wrote the film Pierrepoint and the television drama The Fattest Man in Britain and who won a BAFTA in 2006 for the drama See No Evil: The Moors Murders. He is also the Head of ITV Productions Factual Drama. Pope wrote the screenplay for the 2018 film Stan & Ollie, and co-wrote the 2022 film The Lost King.
Jon S. Baird is a Scottish film director. Born and raised in Aberdeenshire, he began his career at BBC Television.
A. J. Marriot is the pen name of Alan Johnson, a British writer known for his detailed biographies of Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chaplin. His book Laurel and Hardy: The British Tours was adapted by screenwriter Jeff Pope into the 2018 film Stan and Ollie starring Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly.
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