Stan And Ollie

PLOT

In 1937, while making Way Out West, Stan Laurel refuses to renew his contract with Hal Roach, because Laurel believes the studio and Roach himself are failing to financially recognise the global fame the pair enjoyed at that time. Oliver Hardy remains tied to Roach on a different contract and isn't let go, with the studio attempting to pair him up with Harry Langdon in the film Zenobia, and while Laurel and Hardy would soon get back together, Oliver's absence during a meeting with Fox results in them not being signed on by the studio, leaving Laurel feeling betrayed and bitter for years.

In 1953, the comedy duo embark on a grueling music hall tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland while struggling to get another film made: a comedic adaptation of Robin Hood. Poor publicity in Britain managed by the producer Bernard Delfont means the tour begins in almost-empty backstreet theatres with Delfont seeming more interested in his up-and-coming star Norman Wisdom. Belatedly, Delfont organises some public appearances and word of their visit to Britain spreads, resulting in them filling much larger prestigious venues.

During the tour the pair, driven by Stan, continues to write and develop gags for the film. There is an ominous silence from its London-based producer. Once the tour arrives in London, Stan pays a visit to the film's producer and discovers there is insufficient funding and the project has been cancelled. He can't bring himself to tell Oliver and their script development continues.

They are soon joined by their respective wives, Ida and Lucille, at London's Savoy Hotel before they are to perform at a sold out two-week residency at the nearby Lyceum Theatre. After the opening night at the Lyceum, a party is held to honour them. At the party, tensions begin to show between the two wives leading Delfont to remark that he has two double acts for the price of one. As the night progresses Stan's feelings of Oliver's betrayal come to the surface after Ida brings up the "elephant movie", resulting in the two having a public argument over the movie contract fiasco that split them up. As Stan unloads his pent-up resentment for what he considers to be a betrayal of their friendship and accuses Oliver of being lazy, Oliver unloads his own pent-up feelings towards Stan, claiming that the two weren't really friends, only being together because Hal Roach studios had paired them up and that Stan never loved him as a friend but only loved Laurel and Hardy. As a result of the argument Oliver leaves the party with his wife.

Despite their friendship having taken a blow, they press on with their public appearances, which include judging a beauty contest in the seaside resort of Worthing. Oliver refuses to speak to Stan despite the latter's attempts. Just when they are about to announce the winner, Oliver collapses from a heart attack and is forced into bed rest. Informed two days later that it is unlikely that Oliver will get better in time to continue the tour, Delfont suggests having a well-known English comic named Nobby Cook take Oliver's place. When Stan visits Oliver in his room, Oliver tells Stan that he intends to retire immediately, explaining that a doctor warned him that he must never go onstage again because the strain could be fatal; he and his wife will leave for America as soon as possible. The pair admit that they did not mean what they said to each other at the party.

On the night of the next show, Stan finds it impossible to work with Cook simply because he is not Oliver, and the performance is cancelled, much to Delfont's dismay. When Ida finds Stan at the bar, Stan confesses to her that he truly does love Oliver as a friend and intends to return to America instead of continuing the tour, though he asks her not to tell Oliver that they are leaving. Oliver in turn decides he cannot spend the rest of his life idle in bed and leaves his hotel room just before his wife comes back. He goes to Stan's room and tells him they have a show to do. While sailing to Ireland to continue the tour Stan confesses he has deceived Oliver about the prospects of a film even while they continued to work on it. Oliver confesses in turn that he had guessed the truth from Stan's conduct, confusing Stan greatly as he asks why they kept working on the script if Oliver had known the truth for some time, and Oliver admits that working on the script was all they could do. Upon arriving in Ireland, the duo are welcomed by a large crowd of fans, both young and old, the church bells of the town ring out their theme song. Despite his ill health, Oliver performs on stage with Stan to thunderous applause from the audience as Ida comforts the concerned Lucille.

As the film ends, a written epilogue reveals that the tour was the last time they worked together. Oliver's health continued to deteriorate after the tour, leading to his death in 1957; Stan, devastated by his friend's death, refused to work without his partner and went into retirement, dying eight years later in 1965. Stan continued to write sketches for Laurel and Hardy in the last eight years of his life.

CAST

Steve Coogan as Stanley "Stan" Laurel

John C. Reilly as Oliver "Ollie" Hardy

Shirley Henderson as Lucille Hardy

Nina Arianda as Ida Kitaeva Laurel

Rufus Jones as Bernard Delfont

Danny Huston as Hal Roach

Joseph Balderrama as James W. Horne

John Henshaw as Nobby Cook

Keith MacPherson as James Finlayson

Richard Cant as Harry Langdon

Susy Kane as Cynthia Clarke, Harold Miffin's Head of Production

REAL LIFE BACKGROUND

The film's story differs from real life events. 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. 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. 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. 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

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Based on the later years of the lives of the comedy double act Laurel and Hardy,