In anticipation of Stan and Ollie, we take a look at ten essential Laurel and Hardy films. Indeed, directors would often loathe working with Laurel as he would essentially take over and control each aspect of production, such was his understanding and dedication to the team. Though in the films, Hardy was the dominant character, behind the scenes it was Laurel who pulled the strings, often serving as an uncredited writer and director. It took a whole year, and bombed upon release, ending their film career.īut at their best, they were untouchable. Hardy, meanwhile, saw his already hefty frame expand to 330lbs, and he required medical care for cardiac fibrillation and the flu. The gaunt Laurel’s weight had dropped to 114lbs after his pre-existing diabetes was aggravated by developing colitis, dysentery and a prostate ulcer. But their decline was slow and miserable, reaching its nadir with Atoll K – a miserable film with a terribly sick looking Laurel and Hardy. Their glory period was long – over a decade of successful films at the Hal Roach studios. The big, dominating, pompous Hardy is represented by the domineering melody that backs it. The cuckoo sound that plays throughout represents Stan not bright, naïve, not all there. The Cuckoo Song, the duo’s theme, sums their characterisations up perfectly. Ollie (known as “ Babe” to his friends) thinks he’s the straight man, but he is just as stupid as Stan (a native of Ulverston in the Lake District), which in some ways makes him dumber due to his partner’s complete innocence. If anything, the straight men were the supporting players, most notably James Finlayson (arguably their finest antagonist, and the person whom Homer Simpson’s cry of “ D’oh!” is based on). There was no equivalent to Ernie Wise to suffer Eric Morecambe. One of the things that make Laurel and Hardy so consistently funny was that neither of them were dedicated straight men.

For this writer, Laurel and Hardy are Hollywood’s original comedy geniuses. That translates everywhere, and in any age. You have two idiots, and a bunch of dignified people walking around with pies on their faces. Reilly play the team in the highly anticipated biopic, Stan and Ollie.Īlthough it is all in black and white and features some effects that look undoubtedly flimsy, the vast majority of the material has aged remarkably well. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy made over 100 films as a duo – and now Steve Coogan and John C. With the release of the much anticipated biopic Stan and Ollie, Shaun Ponsonby revisits ten of Laurel and Hardy’s classic films.

Top laurel and hardy movies