Stan and Ollie

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were comedy superstars in the 1930s, long before I was born. By the late sixties both were dead yet a whole new generation were being exposed to their unique style of slapstick comedy. Television in Britain had only recently gained a third channel with BBC2 commencing broadcasts in 1968, joining BBC1 and the commercial ITV in providing some choice to the British viewing public. Laurel and Hardy short movies were an ideal filler for the schedules, especially on the BBC who thanks to having no commercial breaks, ended up broadcasting programmes starting at odd times line 7:10pm. Consequently, I saw quite a lot of Laurel and Hardy when I was a lad. More time has elapsed between me first watching their material and now than there had since the movies were made but even as a kid they felt archaic. I found them funny though. Really very funny. It is now many years since I saw a Laurel and Hardy movie.

Last week the film Stan and Ollie was released in the UK. As you may have gathered this is a biopic of Laurel and Hardy and follows them as they embark on a theatre tour of the UK and Ireland in 1953. I went to see the film with my mum who actually witnessed the duo perform at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford during that tour. We were both looking forward to it. We were not disappointed. The movie commences in 1937 on the set of Way Out West, at Hal Roach Studios. Prior to the iconic dance sequence being filmed, Stan Laurel has an argument with Roach which is the beginning of the end of Laurel and Hardy’s heyday. Forward to 1953 and the duo arrive at a dive of a hotel in Newcastle where they are to commence a tour of Britain in an attempt to revive their flagging careers. Without giving too much away they play small, half empty theatres before extra publicity results in more and more people coming to see them and they ending up staying at the Savoy on London whilst performing sellout dates at the Lyceum. Frustrations surface between the two of them, compounded by their respective wives contrasting personalities and Hardy’s failing health. This part of the film is very poignient as it is obvious to everyone that despite the increasing popularity of the tour, the old movie days will never be repeated. The rift between the two doesn’t last long and they complete the tour in Ireland despite Hardy’s weak heart. This was the last time they performed together. Hardy died in 1957 after suffering a number of strokes linked to his heart and weight problems. According to the movie Laurel never stopped writing Laurel and Hardy sketches even after the death of his partner. Some eight years later he too succumbed to heart disease.

Whilst the storyline was a moving account of a difficult period in their lives, what made this film excellent was the performances of the two leading actors. American actor John C Reilly played Hardy whilst Laurel was played by Steve Coogan, famous for portraying fictional local radio disc jockey Alan Partridge. It might have been a while since I last saw an actual Laurel and Hardy movie but I watching these two portrayals took me right back. Physically they looked the part, they had the mannerisms down to a tee and their accents were spot on. Reilly’s Ollie is a half full character, happy to sweep any problems under the carpet in the belief that tomorrow will be rosy. His health problems and gambling problems suggest otherwise to everyone else including his overly fussy wife. Coogan’s Stan on the other hand is the brains of the operation, spending endless hours perfecting the material both will perform, a worrier for both himself and his partner. The pair’s relationship comes to a head in the film, briefly, an argument that probably didn’t happen in real life. However, it served to highlight just how much the two were dedicated to each other and this genuine affection came through in the film, particularly when Stan visits Ollie on his sick bed. It was on stage performing together when they thrived though and it was really quite sad watching this knowing that their careers were coming to an end.

Coogan has been nominated for a BAFTA award for his performance and rightly so. I was never a fan of Alan Partridge. I’m aware that that character received a huge amount of critical acclaim but I just didn’t find him remotely funny. As Stan Laurel, however, Coogan has displayed his undoubted talent in a way I found both amusing and moving, so much so l can almost forgive his overt support for Jeremy Corbyn. Almost, but not quite. It was a marvellous performance, as was Reilly’s. I genuinely had a lump in my throat watching it but I smiled a lot too. The comedy Laurel and Hardy produced may well be from another age but they were the masters of it. This film brings them back to life for ninety minutes or so and as far as both my mum and I are concerned that is something to treasure.