And Laurel and Hardy went beyond the banal notion of celebrities, maybe even beyond the idea of stars. Both then, and in their decline, when they walk among mortals – stagehands, technicians, members of the public – there are no shots of people gasping, gawking, double-taking and trying to siphon off some of their celebrity, as would now be the case in the selfie/social-media era.
They look like modest, unassuming people doing a professional job. Their film shows the boys in their great 1930s heyday, making movies for the testy Hal Roach, played by Danny Huston. Director Baird and screenwriter Jeff Pope offer interesting insights on the subject of what it is, or was, to be famous. My reservation is that there is something occasionally underpowered and genteel in the film’s gentle nostalgic melancholy. But these are brilliant impersonations, the kind that can only be achieved by exceptionally intelligent actors the superb technique of both is matched by their obvious love for the originals. It is usual for critics to talk about performances going beyond “mere” impersonation, as if impersonation at this level was easy, or had nothing to do with acting.
These portraits are detailed, closely observed labours of love, especially as Coogan and Reilly had to nail both the screen personae and also fabricate a subtler, more naturalistic account for the off-stage versions. Steve Coogan and John C Reilly give great portrayals of Laurel and Hardy. It has a persuasive feel for this twilight of the comedy gods. Jon S Baird’s feature appears fictionally to conflate the tour with the wintry mood of later UK tours when Stan and Ollie’s health and career worries had escalated further. Well, here were film stars dying night after night in Newcastle, Glasgow and Worthing. Recently we had Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, about Gloria Grahame’s theatrical engagements in Britain. In 1952, at a low point professionally, out of fashion in the United States, their relationship under stress and needing money, they took on a British tour, sometimes to painfully sparse audiences.
Hal Roach Studios special effects artist Roy Seawright speaks about first meeting Laurel on the studio lot, as well as his production work on the Laurel and Hardy films “Babes In Toyland (March of the Wooden Soldiers)” and “Swiss Miss.” Audio interviews by Skretvedt are included as well, with Hal Roach, Hardy’s widow Lucille, director George Marshall, Roach Studios musical director Marvin Hatley, and more.Ī fascinating series of photos shows a retired Laurel at his Santa Monica apartment from 1959 to 1964 with such celebrity admirers as Dick Van Dyke and Marcel Marceau.T his sweet, sad film is about a little-known final chapter in the lives of comedy legends Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.
Producer Joe Rock talks about signing Laurel up to star in 12 films before the team of Laurel and Hardy was formed. Hardy she describes as a shy, sweet man, who would sometimes sit on the set and play his ukulele. The duo’s frequent co-star Anita Garvin describes Laurel as practically being like a second director behind the scenes with their films.
What’s special, too, are the included interviews Skretvedt conducted with Laurel and Hardy associates using a Kodachrome Super 8 sound movie camera in 1981.