All language subtitles for Laurel.and.Hardy.Their.Lives.and.Magic.PDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org

GENTLE PIANO MUSIC

What's your name?

Stanley Laurel.

Say "sir" when you're addressing me.

Now, what's your name?

Sir, Stanley Laurel.

What's your name?

Oliver Norvell Hardy.

Sir.

Laurel and Hardy.

Laurel et Hardy.

Dick und Doof.

HE SCREAMS

THEY LAUGH

APPLAUSE

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

TYPEWRITER CLACKS

Stan Laurel in the early '60s.

He lives with his wife Ida
in Santa Monica, California.

Laurel is retired after leaving
showbusiness.

For 30 years he and his best pal
Oliver Hardy were a team.

PHONE RINGS

The world-famous comedian
has no star complex.

He is even listed in the phone book.

I called him up on the phone and
I said, "Hi, is this Stan Laurel?"

He says, "It certainly is.
Who's this, lad? What's your name?"

I said, "Chuck McCann."

He said, "Does your mother know
you're calling?"

I said, "Well, I'm calling..."
"Where you calling from?"

I said, "New York City."
He says, "Oh, my golly!"

In those days it was more than
a quarter a minute, you know?

He says, "You make sure your mother
knows you're calling."

I said,
"No, it's absolutely all right,

"Mr Laurel, I just wanna say
hello to you," and so forth.

We carried on and had
a wonderful conversation.

What do you think of it?
It's very nice. Brief.

And right to the point.

Laurel and Hardy's
comedies are also shown on TV.

So Stan is swamped by fan
mail from all over the world.

He answers every letter personally.

And he continues to write new skits,

although he knows that Laurel and
Hardy will never stand in front

of a camera again.

Once a comedian, always a comedian.

He still was fascinated by the idea
of Laurel and Hardy today.

How would Stan do it?
How would they do it?

Such things as at that time we were
talking about going to the moon

and he would be thinking about,

"What would Laurel and Hardy do
if they were astronauts?"

So he continued playing with
the idea of the characters.

We sure used to have a lot of fun,
didn't we? We sure did.

You remember how dumb I used to be?
Yeah.

Well, I'm better now. Well,
I'm certainly glad to hear it.

Stan Laurel can look
back on a great career.

He and his partner
made 106 comedies together.

Laurel and Hardy are the best-known

and most popular comedy
duo in the world.

Did you ever have any relatives?

Where were you born?

I don't know.

Fancy not knowing
where you were born!

Well, I was too young to remember!

How do I know where I was born?

The county of Cumbria
in north-western England.

Stan Laurel is born in the sleepy
town of Ulverston

on the 16th of June
1890 as Arthur Stanley Jefferson...

..in this house.

And this is where he spends
the first years of his childhood.

Stan's father was in showbusiness.

As a comedian.

On the birth certificate
he's listed as a comedian.

However, by Stan's birth
he was mainly doing more to do with

management. He managed theatres
up and down the country -

in Ulverston there was
a small theatre,

in North Shields,
and in Glasgow also.

Arthur Jefferson, also known as AJ,
has a leading actress -

his wife and Stanley's mother,
Madge Jefferson.

What have I got to do with it?

What have you got to do with it?

I don't want to get mixed
up in this thing.

I have my future.

My career to think of.

And for Arthur Stanley Jefferson,
that started at an early age.

He was just nine when he began
staging little plays at home.

At first, Stan's father is amused
by his son's talents as an actor.

But he soon worries,

because AJ knows how difficult it is
to earn your living as a comedian.

Nevertheless, Stan is magically
attracted to the stage.

He secretly writes little comedy
skits for himself

during the next few years.

Stan first appeared on stage
at 16 in Glasgow.

Without his father's knowing.

He actually appeared in his dad's
greatest rival's theatre.

He stole his dad's best suit,
cut the pants off

and stood up and did a little turn.

Little did he know that his dad was
in that night and saw him perform.

Stan got home, full of himself -
he'd gone down quite well -

and got home, full of himself.

His dad calls him
into the study and says,

"Come in, son. Have a whiskey."
And that was it.

His dad accepted him as a performer.

And so Stan celebrates his first
successful performances

as a boy comedian and pantomime
in the English music halls.

At 19 Stan is discovered by
Fred Karno,

the internationally renowned
theatre producer.

SHIP'S HORN BLASTS

In 1910 Stanley goes on tour with
one of Karno's vaudeville troupes.

All the way across the USA.

At last you're using my brain.

The state of Georgia
in south-eastern America.

A region characterised by cotton
plantations

and stately mansions in the opposing
style of the Southern States.

Oliver Norvell Hardy is born here
in the little town of Harlem

on the 18th of January 1892.

He will continue to say his full
name with great

relish for the rest of his life.

He loves the dignified sound of it.

Oliver Norvell Hardy.

His father, Oliver Hardy Senior,
dies shortly after Oliver is born.

Oliver's mother Emily raises him
and his siblings by herself.

And she becomes a hotel manager.

Ollie likes to imitate people
and therefore he studied

and observed all
the people in the hotel.

He did this to entertain his family,
too. They loved it.

I knew it the minute I set eyes
on him. You did? Yeah.

That's one thing I pride myself on,
is reading character.

Is that so? Yeah.

A young reader of character
with an enormous appetite.

By the age of 15

Oliver has already eaten his way up
to round about 240lbs.

Yet despite his corpulence
he is athletic

and he is exceptionally talented.

MUSIC PLAYS

# Shine on

# Shine on harvest moon

# Up in the sky

# I ain't

# Had no loving since January,
April, June or July

# Snow time

# Ain't no time to stay
outdoors and spoon

# Shine on

# Shine on harvest moon

# For me and my girl. #

Oliver studies for a short
time at the Music Conservatory.

But he drops out and discovers
his passion for the movies at 18.

He gets a job at the first movie
theatre in town as a gofer.

Hardy works as ticket taker
and projectionist.

A short time later
he becomes the assistant manager.

The movies he sees on the big
screen are usually short comedies

shot in rapid succession.

JAUNTY PIANO MUSIC

He would watch
the actors on the screen

and he always thought that he could
do better than them.

So Oliver Hardy
decides to become an actor.

He heads for Jacksonville,
Florida, which is

America's first movie capital -
long before Hollywood.

The city is located about 250 miles
south of Hardy's birthplace.

Are you from the South? Sure am.

Well, fan my brow!
I'm from the South.

You are? Mm-hmm. Well, shut
my mouth, I's from the South, too.

South of what, sir?
The South of London.

London!

SHIP'S HORN BLASTS

In 1913, Stan leaves the south
of England, travelling across the

Atlantic for the second time
with Karno's theatre troupe,

on his way to America.

On board is another up and coming
British comedian,

Charlie Chaplin -
the star of the vaudeville company.

Chaplin and Laurel are friends.

And he is Charlie's substitute.

Both men have been shaped by the
English music halls.

Stan is a good replacement
for Charlie - very good.

In fact, difficult to
distinguish from the original.

In America, Chaplin is immediately
discovered for the movies.

He leaves the vaudeville company
and Stan jumps in.

But there are problems without
Chaplin, the star.

That's what's the matter. You see,
we're not illiterate enough.

I guess you're right.
Sure I'm right.

Stan stays in the USA and starts
his first own comedy troupe -

the Keystone Trio,

later called
the Stan Jefferson Trio.

The comedians perform in various
vaudeville theatres.

Stan wants to change his name
because "Stan Jefferson"

doesn't sound particularly
perky to him.

Besides that, the name
has 13 letters - a possible jinx?

In any case,
too long for most posters.

Especially movie posters.

And that is where he wants
to appear as soon as possible.

Stan Laurel is born.

And soon afterwards he is actually
discovered for the movies.

He makes comedies
for various studios.

JAUNTY PIANO MUSIC

But it still doesn't make
Stan a star.

A fate he shares with Oliver Hardy.

When Ollie started in films
he wasn't the comedian.

They made him the heavy,
the villain.

And he was generally moustached
and was chasing the girl.

..horribly stupid.
He's not quite broken in yet.

Rather thick, as it were.

In fact, Oliver Hardy is
a brilliantly versatile actor.

I never thought of that.

I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings,
Ollie.

I didn't mean to be so dis-polite.

That's all right, Stanley.
Let bygones be bygones.

Also bygone is Oliver's first
marriage to the pianist

Madelyn Saloshin,
whom he wedded in 1913.

His wife divorces him.

But his career continues -
Hardy, as a woman, on a poster.

He performs under his nickname,
"Babe" Hardy.

In an interview from 1950,
he remembers how he got the name.

There's a funny way
that I got the name of Babe.

That was years and years ago.
I had my first shave.

So the barber went in and he charged
me a dime and he put some powder,

he says, "That's all right, baby,
you're clean."

In 1921 Babe is signed
for the comedy The Lucky Dog.

In the movie he's supposed to
ambush the leading man...

Stan Laurel.

JAUNTY PIANO MUSIC

The first mutual appearance
of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.

A coincidental encounter.

It will be years before Babe
encounters Stan again.

It'll have a tendency to promote me
to higher...endeavours.

PHONE RINGS
I'll get it.

Off to America's new film capital -
Los Angeles.

LA in the early '20s.

More and more motion picture studios
are opening here.

Those who have made their mark
either in front of or behind

the camera now live in
the exclusive part of town -

Beverly Hills.

High society's top address.

But not Stan Laurel.
Not yet, anyway.

His first address in Los Angeles
a great deal more modest.

Stan has a big problem.

Her name is May Charlotte Dahlberg.

The Australian his been his partner
for years, both on stage

and privately.

May Dahlberg was jealous of Stan's
success in films.

And she was also jealous
of the ladies he worked with,

so she wanted to be in the films -
she insisted -

and this caused a lot of friction,

a lot of bickering
between the two of them.

On the set May is also quite feisty,

and in regard to acting she's
more like a...talent-free zone.

In real life Stan is actually
under May's thumb.

So he starts drinking more
frequently.

Stan tries to drown his relationship
problems with alcohol.

Something which can't be
concealed from the producers.

Why don't you pattern your life
after mine?

I go places and do things
and THEN tell my wife.

Every man should be
the king in his own castle.

Oliver Hardy also
has his drinking problems.

But he isn't the one who drinks.

It's his second wife,
the actress Myrtle Lee Reeves.

In the meantime, Hardy also lives
and works in Los Angeles.

He appears particularly often with
the comedian Larry Semon,

who is already a big star.
And Babe is his roguish adversary.

Semon is an avid golfer

and he introduces Hardy
to the art of the game.

It catches fire with Babe who goes
on to become a passionate golfer -

Hollywood's best.

For years it was almost unnecessary
to hold any golf tournaments

because Babe would win everything.
His name was on all those prizes.

Hardy is a member of the famous
Lakeside Golf Club in Hollywood.

He plays here almost every day
after leaving the studio,

and meets his friends.

Babe wants to escape
from his marital problems -

on the golf course
or at the horse races.

He also gambles, often,
and for a lot of money.

A passion that will burn inside him
for all his life.

He had lost a lot of money gambling

and so when Hal Roach offered him
a job, a weekly salary,

under contract,
he was very grateful.

In the early '20s Hal Roach is
already a famous movie producer.

He moves his studio to Culver City,
a town not far from Hollywood.

Here you can still sense
the charm of the early days.

Hal Roach founded
his company in 1914.

And in 1919 he was persuaded by
Harry Culver to relocate to the

former barley and bean fields
of Culver City.

And from 1919
until 1960 it was comedy's home.

They called it "the lot of fun."

Roach specialised in comedies.

He celebrates his first success
with the comedy series

The Little Rascals.

Lucky Brown was a guest star
in 1928...

at the age of five.

Come on, go home. Go home.

He played a little snob.

Do you hear me? I said go home.

They did a script where
I wanted to be in the gang.

And they call got together
and said they didn't like me

because I wore a hat and everything.

So they said, "OK, he wants to get
in the club, we'll initiate him."

And so they threw me in the mud.

Otherwise, there was no mudslinging
at the Hal Roach Studios.

The entire staff raves about the
cheerful, family-like atmosphere.

The actress Phyllis Coates,

who later became famous in TV
series like Superman,

often worked at the Roach Studios
at the beginning of her career.

Oh, we had a lot fun.
Everybody liked Hal.

That was a small studio
and everybody knew everybody

and everybody was very...easy-going.

You know, there was no star
complex with anybody.

Which was nice.

Stan also gets
an offer from Hal Roach.

He had already made a few
comedies for the producer,

only modestly successful.

But Roach has noticed Stan's
talent as a gag writer,

and he gives him a contract in 1925.

Not as an actor but as a director
and gag writer.

Um...

Stan's career hadn't gone
so well as a single comedian on film

and so the offer from Hal Roach

allowed Stan - now that he was
separated from May -

to work behind the scenes.

And he is successful.

Stan writes screenplays for comedies
and works as a director.

One of the actors is Hardy,
who dumps his nickname Babe

and now calls himself Oliver.

In 1926 Hardy is going to
be in a movie directed by Stan

but shortly before shooting begins,
Hardy suffers an accident.

Babe loved to eat
so he also loved to cook

and it happened that one day
he was frying a leg of lamb.

The pan slipped out of his hands and
the hot fry landed on his right arm.

It got so badly burned
and he was in so much pain that he

jumped around in the kitchen
like in one of those slapsticks.

And then he fell, he tripped over
and injured his leg.

Hardy's kitchen accident
makes headlines.

He can forget about the movie.
But the producer, Roach,

is unable to find a replacement
quickly enough.

So he persuades Stan to get in front
of the camera again and take

over Hardy's role.

When they printed it,
Roach started to look very funny.

Everything went wrong and so forth,

so he decided to make another
one like that

and I think it was two or three
times they did that.

Stan is back in business -
as an actor.

And so he appears again
and again in movies,

in the meantime with Oliver Hardy,

who is now recovered
from his accident.

The producer Hal Roach decided to
establish Laurel and Hardy as a

comedy duo, a team which never
would have come together

if it hadn't been for Babe's
accident with a leg of lamb.

Thank you, Ollie.
You're welcome, Stan.

And I'm never going to let you out
of my sight again. Thank you, Ollie.

You're welcome, Stan.

The gentleman from the South
now regularly encounters

the visitor from England.

The comedy duo of Laurel
and Hardy is born.

At first, particularly the question
of what to wear causes quite a stir.

But after a short period of time,

the two create their own style -
with suits.

Ollie's is a tight fit
and Stan's is baggy.

And with bowler hats.

The bowler hats become Laurel
and Hardy's trademarks.

And they're great for gags.

In addition to the Laurel
and Hardy outfits, the unmistakable

movie personalities of Stan
and Ollie are soon defined.

First of all, they're nice people.
They're likeable people.

And they're helping one another.
They're a team.

They're childlike in their appeal
in so far as they have innocence.

You don't find innocence in other
comedy teams then or now.

Well, you started it.
No, I didn't.

Yes, you did.
Well, I didn't.

You certainly did. Well, I didn't!
You certainly did.

Whatever Stan does
and whatever happens to Ollie,

he bears it with a stoic demeanour.

When you watch a film with
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy,

you feel for them. They're nice
people. They're good people.

Two great buddies you'd
also like to have as friends.

Movie star Jerry Lewis
felt exactly the same way.

I must have been five years old,
I guess.

And I immediately knew that they
were my friends.

Laurel and Hardy quickly find
friends all over the world.

Their movies are first successful at
the movie theatres and later on TV.

Entire generations of children
and adolescents grow up with Stan

and Ollie.

Did you ever see a face like that
anywhere except in a zoo?

Sure. Where?

In a monkey house.

HE LAUGHS

I never thought of that!

Stan Laurel is
happy about their success.

The same goes for Oliver Hardy.

But while Hardy continues to
suffer from his wife's alcoholism,

Stan has fallen in love again,
with the actress Lois Neilson

whom he met through his friend,
the movie producer Joe Rock.

He met her on the evening of the day
that May was shipped off to

Australia. Um...

Joe Rock didn't want Stan to become
melancholy or sad because May

was gone,

so he thought he should introduce
Stan to a proper young lady.

And knowing Stan's taste in pretty
girls, he introduced Stan to Lois.

And what a success.

Just a few months later,
Stan and Lois get married.

In 1928 they have a daughter,
Lois junior.

Everything seems to be perfect,
both privately and professionally.

The Laurel and Hardy
movies are box office hits,

which is why the movie producer
Roach makes them into a series.

For Laurel and Hardy,
the playground gets bigger.

They're constantly creating new
comical devices which

today are still a standard
part of many comedians' repertoire.

For example, the slow burn.

The person who has experienced
a calamity has enough time to

digest what has happened. Not until
then does the backlash take place.

When something happens to Hardy,
he puts on a particular expression.

He looks straight into the camera
when he was irritated or desperate

and it was something like this.

I think this was new.

The first time he did it,
it was spontaneously,

in a movie when he got a cake
in his face, and the director said,

"I like that. Keep it in."

And he did and it became
the trademark for all his life.

Hardy's look into the camera.
Unbeatable even today.

Another trademark of Ollie -
his famous tie twiddling.

Stan also had some good ideas.
For example, the double take

where he has to look at something
twice in order to understand it.

I love watching Stan
reacting to Babe.

Because it's the only time that you
actually can catch Stan thinking.

But what he's thinking is that he
has nothing to contribute.

Stan's attempts to
think are unforgettable.

Another trademark - Stan's grin
and his head scratching.

Stan Laurel's daughter Lois
grew up with it.

She now lives near Los Angeles.

She isn't actually willing to
give interviews

but she made an exception and agreed
to an exclusive interview.

She talks about her childhood,

what it was like when her friends
came over and saw her famous father.

Everybody that would
come to the house,

before they left they would say,

"Would you please do
the scratching routine?"

And he hated that.
Oh, he just hated to do it.

But he did
it to, you know, please them.

The price of success.

One of the great
things about watching a Laurel

and Hardy film is that they're
simple to follow.

If you're a kid,
if you're an adult, you can follow

and you identify.
And audiences did also.

What Hal Roach did by bringing these
two people together,

he actually brought together
liquid dynamite.

And it's an explosive
mixture for audiences.

Stan and Ollie will always be
inseparable.

HE SHRIEKS

HE SHRIEKS

HE SHOUTS

What's the matter? I just saw
a ghost! Oh, nonsense!

You're acting
like a three-year-old child.

Shut up! Even if there was a ghost
there's nothing to be afraid of.

Oliver Hardy thinks he's superior

and smarter than Stan Laurel
when, in fact,

we see by how their plans work out
and their comedy plays out,

in fact he's not.
He only thinks he is.

Or as Oliver Hardy once put
it himself,

"Nobody is dumber than a dumb man
who thinks he's smart."

You get on my nerves. I'll light it.

Any time I want something done right
I'll always have to do it myself.

EXPLOSION

The comedy world of Laurel
and Hardy.

It works all over the world,
then as now.

I don't think there's a time
limit on comedy.

If it's a laugh picture

they laugh at it 25 years later.

And if it's not a laugh picture
you can't make them laugh anyway.

They have been really the first to
have introduced to the masses

the art of pantomime, the art
of comic and tragic situations.

It is not old-fashioned, it is
still actual and the young people,

the children,
love the Laurel and Hardy.

They have a great fascination
of the big clowns.

And this will always go on.
It will never be old-fashioned.

But no matter how funny
Stan could be in a movie,

it's different in real life.

The brains behind Laurel
and Hardy is not Ollie. It's him.

Off camera he was a very
different personality,

completely different
from the persona...

I mean, he searched for that
character for years

but off screen anyone who knew him

knew that this was 180 degrees
away from his true personality.

The real life Stan has nothing to do
with some guy who runs into walls.

He's the creative
force behind Laurel and Hardy.

He doesn't only write their gags
and star as one of the two leads,

he's also the director
of the directors.

Stan was not given credit
as the director of their films.

He really was the director.

He worked with directors and he
really supervised the films and, um,

everybody on the set really went
with whatever Stan said.

Oliver Hardy, on the other hand,
is satisfied just to make

suggestions for the gags
when they're on the set.

Even though they say my father wrote
most of the material

he always included Oliver Hardy
and his suggestions.

And they may try it one way
and try it another way,

and maybe they would do it
Oliver Hardy's way.

Hardy liked to work on his movie
character but, contrary to Stan,

he considered himself an actor.

Stan's interests were film-making
and the editing and the cutting

and putting the films together
and writing gags.

When Babe was through shooting
a scene he was outta there.

He wanted to go play golf and
he wanted to go to the racetrack.

He wasn't interested in all these
other aspects of it.

We businessmen have to relax
sometime. Don't we, Stan?

We certainly do.

Well, if you wanna relax you can
stay home and wash these dishes.

What do you mean, wash the dishes?
Yeah, what will his friends think?

You keep out of this!

Hardy enjoys his leisure time
while Stan practically

worked around the clock
at the studio and at home.

He always thinking, thinking and he
had these yellow canary pads that...

He would get an idea and he'd write.

He was always writing things down.

Stan is a workaholic.

After they're done
shooting you can usually find him

in the cutting room or
the projection room.

He reviews the daily results to
determine whether the gags work.

One time there was a gentleman
that was walking up to a

projection booth
at the Hal Roach Studios

and he heard wild laughter.

He goes into the projection booth
and he actually sees Stan Laurel

holding on to a chair he's
sitting on, laughing hysterically.

And the guy took a look to see what
Stan was laughing at.

He was laughing at a sequence
with Oliver Hardy.

And he turned around
and said to the guy,

"You know, he really is a funny,
funny fellow."

I'm beginning to think that
you're right.

You bet your life I'm right.

You know, I'm
not as dumb as you look.

You bet your life you're not.

Anybody that could think...

What do you mean you're
not as dumb as I look?

Laurel knows Babe very well.

He knows what comical
qualities his partner has.

Babe Hardy was one of the best
intuitive actors around. Absolutely.

And funny.

His rhythms and his comedy genius,
I mean, is just unparallelled

and a wonderful compliment
to Stan's silliness, you know?

It just worked. It worked so well.
And it was believable.

I mean, when you see Babe Hardy you
believe that. Exactly. You love him.

Stan Laurel's daughter only knew
Hardy under another name.

Uncle Babe.

He was like an uncle.

He had no children.

And, um...

That's what I knew him,
you know, as.

But in regard to Uncle Babe,
Lois changed her opinion

when she was old enough to see
her first Laurel and Hardy movies.

Then there came that time when
I saw him beating up on my father

and that changed my mind.
I didn't like him so well.

But Stan had an idea.

He wrote a special Laurel
and Hardy movie just for Lois.

He did the ending where
he gets the best of Oliver Hardy,

rather than my dad getting beat up.

It was in a garage scene and he goes
right after Oliver Hardy.

And, as they say,
gets the best of him.

And I was fine after that.

Cos I knew my father could
take care of himself.

HE SHOUTS

The title of the movie -
One Good Turn.

And after that one good turn,

little Lois was reconciled
with Uncle Babe again.

There were, however, never any
problems between Laurel and Hardy.

They not only gelled in front
of the camera but also privately.

Babe was very understanding
of Stan's creative side,

and in spite of what people
might tell you,

there are moments when Stan could be
very temperamental,

he could be very much
a perfectionist.

And that's not a bad quality.
I think it's an honest quality.

It's a man who really
understands what he wants.

And Babe sort of was very patient
with that and dealt with that.

WHISTLING

What?

He don't want me!

He wants the other monkey!

You!

Oh.

Stan and Ollie often get
together privately.

The two are more than just
colleagues.

They dine together, play golf
together and even go fishing.

But Laurel and Hardy aren't
the best of buddies yet.

Most people think that Stan
and Babe were very,

very close from the very beginning
and that simply isn't true.

There were friends
but they had different lives.

Professionally, Laurel and Hardy
have just cleared a major hurdle -

the introduction of the talkie.

While many stars of silent movies
vanish without further ado,

Stan and Ollie don't have any
problems adjusting.

Well, how about a nice, cool drink?

That's great, it'll just put me
in the mood. Yes.

Nevertheless, Stan and Ollie only
talk about what's necessary,

staying true to their comedy
tradition -

the art of talking without words.

They knew that if they had to talk
they cannot talk like everyone

because they will become literal.

They talked like mimes
have to talk when they talk.

Well, here's another nice mess
you've gotten me into.

Well, I couldn't...!

Music is now added to movies
and Laurel

and Hardy get their
unmistakable theme melody -

the Cuckoo Song.

THEY WHISTLE THEME TUNE THROUGHOUT

That beats the hell outta
The High And The Mighty.

In addition to the original
English versions,

movie producer Hal Roach decides to
produce foreign language versions.

But since post-production
synchronising is technically

still not possible, every movie
is shot in different languages -

in English, Spanish,
French and German.

Nevertheless, the foreign
versions are a big success

because they have their own
particular charm.

VARIOUS LANGUAGES THROUGHOUT:

HE MOANS

The procedure quickly turns out
to be too complicated.

But not long afterwards,
it becomes technically possible to

synchronise the original
version in various languages.

Here's the dubbed French
version of an MGM trailer that was

believed to be lost.

Laurel and Hardy demonstrate that,
as always,

they have the right perspective.

Oh!

Oh.

DUBBED IN FRENCH:

In German, Laurel and Hardy
are also given suitable voices.

IN GERMAN:

The popular duo -
Walter Bluhm and Michael Habeck.

The now deceased actor
was the voice of Ollie.

Walter Bluhm, on the left,
was Laurel's voice.

DUBBED IN GERMAN:

The famous Hollywood Boulevard
in Los Angeles.

Here on the Walk of Fame,
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy

were given their stars
for their life achievements.

In 1932 Laurel and Hardy achieve
a very special honour...

on these steps.

One of their most famous movies,
The Music Box,

which receives an Oscar as the
Best Short Film, is shot here.

That's the house up there,
right on top of the stoop.

DOORBELL RINGS

HE YELLS

Buoyed by their Oscar, Stan
and Ollie take a break.

They're given a written
leave of absence from Roach Studios

for two months.

They want to travel to
England together.

Stan hadn't been home to England
to visit his father and his brother

and so forth for a long time and
Oliver Hardy had never been there.

So they decided to make a trip.

New York Horbor.
On the 16th of July 1932

Laurel and Hardy leave
here for England on a luxury liner.

Southampton.

As they enter the harbour
they can hardly believe their ears.

The church bells are playing
their theme melody, the Cuckoo Song.

Stan and Ollie are moved to tears.

There were armies of people there.
Stan, I know, at the time said,

"I turned around to see who
was on..."

It was themselves. News had gotten
out that they were there.

They had no idea that the
movies had been such

ambassadors of joy for people, that
they were so curious about them.

Wherever Stan and Ollie show up

they are enthusiastically
celebrated by their fans.

Laurel and Hardy take
a side trip to France.

And they are also
received like guests of state.

Stan and Ollie discover Paris.
They're still in a vacation mood.

But what awaits them at home?

Back in America, Stan had trouble
with Hal Roach because Hal

was wanting to go into feature films

because the theatres

and the releasing companies all
wanted more and more feature films.

They wanted to get
out of the shorts.

Stan always felt that their kind
of comedy lent itself

better to the short format.

Roach gets his way.

The crafty producer has Laurel
and Hardy sign separate contracts

with different expiration dates.

That had a big advantage for him
because if one of them

didn't meet his demands he could
always threat to split up the team

and to make solo films with them
or form another couple.

And the producer threatened to do
that more than just once.

Yet despite all the disputes,

Laurel and Hardy continue to make
movies for Roach.

And during this time they perfect
their unmistakable style of comedy.

One of their basic principals
of comedy - tit for tat.

"I'll do to you what you do to me."

HE LAUGHS
Oh!

Laurel and Hardy are now stars.

And earn what you would expect.

Babe gets around $100,000 a year.

Stan gets about $140,000 because
he helps write the screenplays.

The two are among the top earners,
comparable with today's superstars.

But Babe continues to gamble
and loses lots of money

at the horse races, and he has
a lot of back taxes to pay.

Stan is seen more frequently
at his favourite bar after work.

He's started drinking more
than he should, again.

Stan's drinking began to
accelerate because he

and Lois were going
to have a second baby

and this turned out to be
a son that was born,

and the baby only lived nine days.

And that caused Stan to
start to drink too much.

The marriage to Lois begins
heading for a crisis.

Contrary to his movie character,
Stan is not frightened by females.

In fact, he's quite attracted
to them.

Oh, Stan was a ladies' man!
He was lovely.

Stan liked my mother and I thought
this was a very good idea

until she dumped him.
She said he was a womaniser

and I don't know what had
gone on between them.

It had been going
on for several months.

And I asked Stan...

She wouldn't tell me
what a womaniser meant

and I asked Stan what womaniser
meant and he said,

"Womaniser is something someone does

"until they find what
they really want."

And Stan looked for quite some time.

The ladies' man has
a number of affairs.

In 1935 Lois divorces him.

But Stan falls in love again soon.
And he likes to get married.

He had married his first wife once,
his second wife twice,

his third wife three times.

And his fourth and final wife once.

So Stan ends up getting married
seven times.

To four women.

Ollie is also interested in women.

He separates from his second
wife Myrtle in 1937.

A few years later Babe falls in love
with a script girl, Lucille Jones.

In 1940 the two are wed
and stay happily married.

What's the matter?

I don't know.

I know.

What?

You're in love.

In what?
In love.

L-U-G-H. Love.

Am I?
You certainly are.

How can you tell?

It's easy. Look at the silly,
sloppy look on your face.

Look at it.

While Laurel and Hardy continue
to make successful movies,

the disputes behind the scenes
between the producer Roach

and Stan become more frequent.

Mostly about movie plots
and Stan's affairs,

which invoke negative headlines.

And also about money.

In the end,
the producer fires Laurel.

Stan refutes all
the claims that are made

and the two adversaries
later head off to court.

In the meantime, Roach goes on
making movies with Hardy.

In Zenobia he stars together
with the comedian Harry Langdon.

The movie flops.

Mr Roach tried to team Oliver Hardy
with Harry Langdon

to create another comedy team.
It didn't work.

And Mr Roach realised that.

So he had to have Stan Laurel back

and they were able to reach
an agreement.

But the relationship between the
producer Roach and Laurel and Hardy

is irretrievably shattered.

Only two new movies are made.

In 1940 the party is finally over.

Laurel and Hardy leave
the Roach Studios forever.

Stan in particular hopes that the
separation will lead to more

artistic freedom and more money.

Isn't that swell? Now we're going to
be millionaires.

But there are no new film offers.

So the two decide to
try their luck on stage.

Laurel and Hardy go on a 12-week
tour to major US cities.

Here are the first exclusive
colour clips of their stage show.

Stan and Ollie are the main
attraction with their skit.

While World War II
is raging in Europe,

Laurel and Hardy go on further
tours with other stars,

to entertain American and British
troops in the Caribbean.

After America's official entry
into the war,

Laurel and Hardy commit themselves

to the US donation tour
of the Hollywood Victory Caravan.

America was raising money
for the war effort over in Europe,

for the tanks and everything that
we were doing industrially,

and they put 22 stars together,

which included Cary Grant,
Jimmy Cagney, Bob Hope,

Laurel and Hardy, of course,
and they played 13 cities.

Laurel and Hardy shoot
an instructional movie

on behalf of the US Department
of Agriculture, in colour.

The two show what everyday products
include wood.

Resources are supposed to be used
sparingly during the war.

But for real movie offers,
Laurel and Hardy have to wait,

after having
separated from producer Roach.

But suddenly, one of Hollywood's
biggest studios

gets in touch with them -

20th Century Fox.

Stan and Ollie are finally able
to make comedies again.

That sounds screwy to me.

But any old port in a storm.

The quality of the screenplays they
get from Fox is generally miserable,

and the people in charge
of the studios meddle

with the personal appearance
of Laurel and Hardy.

They wanted to tell Laurel
and Hardy what to wear.

Well, Stan had already always
been in control of that.

Stan always was the person
who decided these things,

and all of a sudden he's not only
dealing with these studios

who don't understand the characters,
and aren't interested in Stan

and Babe's input into the scripts,
but that they're being

moved and pushed around
and being told what to do.

Stan never forgave them for that.

Stan Laurel's Motion Picture
Employee ID from that period.

He doesn't look very happy,

because the movies he and Babe
made for MGM aren't any better,

neither in an artistic sense, nor in
regard to conditions of production.

Essentially, nothing
but trouble for Laurel and Hardy.

They make eight movies
until 1944 for Fox and MGM,

then their contracts expire.

The Bullfighters is the last Laurel

and Hardy movie for both
major studios,

the end of a rapid downhill slide
set off

by the comedy stars themselves,

following their separation
from the movie producer Hal Roach.

Well, that's that.

No use crying over split milk.

Well, I guess we'd better be going,
eh? Come on.

You go ahead. What's the matter?
Aren't you going out with me?

I want to be...

..alone.

In 1946, Stan marries Ida,

his last and happiest marriage.

And Babe is happy with his Lucille.

Hardy has time to pursue his hobbies
- in particular, cooking.

He was really a gourmet.
He loved food,

but he was very
selective in his food.

A nice porterhouse steak smothered
with onions... Yes, sir.

..a baked potato, lima beans,
buttered beets, a combination salad.

Now, for dessert, I think I'll
have a double portion of apple pie

with a large piece of American
cream cheese.

Although Ollie loves to eat, he is
quite unhappy about his weight.

He hated being fat,
and it's something that...

Too many people didn't know that.

He'd walk up behind me...

For instance, I'd be at my dressing
table, or be in front

of a mirror, and he'd walk up behind
me, and he'd say, "Look at me.

"Look at me. How could you love a
great big fat man like me?"

I mean, that's...

That's something I've never told
anyone before in my life,

but it was...

I mean, it's one of those little
personal things

that do happen
between a man and a wife.

On the other hand, Babe knows,
of course, that his corpulence

also helped to contribute to
the success of Laurel and Hardy,

and he and Stan want to get
back into the thick of showbiz,

but new film offers fail to show up.
Stan and Ollie are unemployed.

Well, here we are at last,

right down in the gutter.

I wonder what's the matter with us.

We're just as good as other people,

yet we don't seem
to advance ourselves.

We never get anyplace.

BOAT HORN BLARES

Theatre instead of movies.

Better than staying unemployed.

Laurel and Hardy need the money,
anyway,

so they leave New York for
England in 1947.

Laurel and Hardy are greeted
by thousands in Southampton.

Stan and Ollie are still
superstars in Europe.

Their fans are unaware
of their career slump in America.

Previously unreleased
scenes from the newsreel.

What do you intend
to do now that you're here?

Well, it...

I haven't quite made up my mind yet.

What about you, Mr Laurel?

Well, if he hasn't made up his mind,
I can't do anything about it.

Bye.

Stan and Ollie's tour starts here,
in London.

The fans want to see their idols.

Laurel and Hardy now perform onstage
what they used to do in the movies -

a turbulent comedy
full of slapstick scenes.

Stan and Ollie live, the way
their fans know and love them

from the movies.

It was a huge success, almost
like a royal visit, in effect.

There were so many people there that
were interested in just

seeing them in the flesh,
and they played twice a week,

sometimes three times a week,
all over the country,

right from London to Scotland.

Boy, is this the life?

Mm-hm. These English colleges
certainly give you the works.

Don't they, though?

In addition to their stage
performances,

Laurel and Hardy are invited to
official events as guests of honour,

such as here, at the ceremony
in 1947 for the British Film Award.

Ulverston, Stan's birthplace.

Laurel and Hardy take advantage
of their stay in England

for a side trip here.

There were such
a lot of people around, and I said,

"What's going on?"
"Oh, Laurel and Hardy's coming."

So we went up and stood

and watched them come along
in their open car with their wives,

and they went up onto
the balcony of the Coronation Hall.

Laurel and Hardy, together
on the trail of Stan's past.

The two of them visit the house
where Stan was born.

The trip to Ulverston.

For Stan, as he later recalls, it is
one of the nicest days of his life.

These statues now commemorate
the town's most famous son,

and his comedy partner.

For us? Certainly! Right.

The music hall tour is extended
due to its tremendous success.

Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and France.

Previously unreleased
clips from Paris.

The two are also frenetically
celebrated here.

Laurel and Hardy
are a well-rehearsed team

who easily slip
into their comic roles.

HARDY SPEAKS FRENCH

CROWD LAUGHS

And you, Laurel.

Well, say something nice.

Well, ladies and gentlemen,
I'm sorry I can't speak French,

but we're very happy and delighted

to be invited to this
wonderful occasion this evening.

PRESENTER SPEAKS FRENCH

The tour is so successful,
it is extended several times.

Instead of the originally
scheduled six weeks,

it's a whole 11 months before
Laurel and Hardy return to the USA.

Well, Stanley,
a very profitable evening.

What about a little refreshment?
That's a good idea.

Come, Stanley.

Their great stage success leads to
a new movie offer in the early '50s,

after being abstinent from
the big screen for five years.

But Laurel and Hardy won't be
filming in the USA.

They'll be working on a film
in Europe for the first time,

a French-Italian co-production
entitled Atoll K.

Stan travels to Paris
before Ollie does.

He wants to go over the screenplay
and add some gags,

if necessary, and that proves
to be very necessary.

Stan completely rewrites
the screenplay,

with the help of gag writers
he has flown in from America.

In June of 1950,
Babe arrives in Paris.

It's the first time

Stan and Ollie have
seen each other in quite a while.

During the course of so many years,

Stan and Ollie have become
especially close friends,

particularly because of
their music hall tours.

They got to spend more time
together, actually.

They were as close as brothers.

Really close. I would say they're
closer than brothers,

and they had
so much respect for each other.

They loved each other. There was
never, ever arguments.

It's amazing.

There is no better love story of
the Hollywood comedy than

the love and respect for Stan
and Babe.

Nothing. Nothing has ever come
close, and nothing ever will.

The strange love
story between Laurel and Hardy,

who don't only highly respect
and appreciate each other.

They also love each other.

A true friendship between men,
which developed over decades,

and was never more than that,
as rumours have sometimes claimed.

All right.
Let's get a room with twin beds.

Why twin beds?

One for me.

Well, I can't sleep with the monkey!

Oh, she won't mind.

I think that those rumours come
out of the fact that these men

were so close and spent so much time
together, but I don't think

that those rumours are all that
evident,

and the reason for that

is because both Stan and Babe
were always getting married.

They were always involved
with women.

They were always having these
relationships,

and I think they were...
I think, if anything,

Stan and Babe were very secure
in their masculinity.

I think they were very
secure about themselves.

Well, what's the matter with her,
anyway? Oh, I don't know.

She says that I think more of you
than I do of her.

Well, you do, don't you?

We won't go into that.

In France, Laurel and Hardy
have worse problems to deal with

than just warding off
baseless rumours,

because once shooting
finally begins in Marseilles,

the next problem materialises -

the various languages of the actors,
French and Italian.

Wiggle your ears. What?
Wiggle your ears.

Fortunately, Sylvette Baudrot
from France was on the set.

It was her first job
as a script girl.

We were only five script
girl in France speaking English.

I was lucky to understand
and speak a little bit of Italian.

So Sylvette Baudrot
becomes the unofficial interpreter,

especially for Laurel and Hardy.

The set of the movie's atoll

is the peninsula Cap Roux
on the Cote d'Azur.

The summer of 1950
is one of the century's hottest.

Extreme conditions for the film
crew. Babe has heart problems,

and Stan isn't any better off.

He gets sick and loses weight,

but he continues to film.

While Hardy improves, Stan is
hardly able to stay on his feet.

Shooting has to be interrupted.

He's admitted to
the American Hospital of Paris,

and operated on his prostate gland.

While Stan has to lie in hospital,

Ollie and his wife Lucille
wait patiently.

The two of them explore Paris.

Once, I went to see Hardy
and his wife.

He brought me on his balcony,

and his balcony
was full of boxes full of wine.

Bottles of wine. And he said,
"Do you want some white wine?"

I said, "No, I prefer red wine."

Stan lost 60lb when he was ill.

Shooting can't be continued
until December of 1950,

in a Parisian studio.

Stan begins to recover, slowly.

After shooting is done for the day,
he enjoys the "varietes" of Paris.

He particularly likes
to get together

with a young unknown pantomime,
Marcel Marceau.

Valerie Bochenek, who is later
one of Marceau's dearest colleagues,

knows how Marceau used a trick
to meet Laurel.

In order to lure Stan to his show,

Marceau organised a short circuit
in Stan's hotel room.

He then sent the stage electrician
to repair it.

Why do I have to always
do everything?

Always me, me, me.

In fact, Stan is wowed by Marceau.

He recognises his potential.

I remember he came at that time
to our show,

and we had prepared champagne.

We were so happy, you know?

We had, for us, a case of champagne,
and he arrived.

He said he could not drink
champagne.

He only drank mineral water,
you see.

It was an expensive affair
for Marcel Marceau,

but Stan didn't want to drink
any alcohol

such a short time
after his operation.

The Viennese photographer
Erich Lessing

was living in Paris in 1950.

He took pictures in the dressing
room for his friend Marcel Marceau.

The pantomime didn't need
an interpreter.

Stan becomes Marceau's
biggest promoter,

first helping him to achieve
nationwide success in France,

and then international success.

The shooting of Atoll K - it is
still a battle, not only for Stan.

Both comedians want to go back
to America as soon as possible

after the stormy
film-making process.

In April of 1951,
they're finally finished.

HE BLOWS WHISTLE

The movie is in the can
for Laurel and Hardy.

The 12 weeks which were originally
scheduled have become 12 months.

Oh, he was very upset about that.

It was very, very, very hard.

He never saw... You know,
shown...the final cut.

He never did...
He didn't want to see it.

Atoll K is Laurel and Hardy's
final movie.

Internationally,
it's a commercial success,

and definitely
not their worst comedy.

In 1952 and 1953,

Laurel and Hardy go on further
music hall tours in Great Britain.

That is where these previously
unreleased clips

of Stan and Ollie were made,

filmed by a fan.

In early 1954,
Ollie suffers a heart attack.

All of their shows
have to be cancelled.

Laurel and Hardy close their
theatrical wardrobe trunks forever.

After Ollie has gradually recovered,

they travel back to the USA
onboard the MS Manchuria.

Hey, Ollie? What?

Where are you going?

Back to American for me!

DOOR SLAMS

Hey, Ollie!

Ollie!

SOBBING: Aren't you going
to take me with you?

TV is the latest rage in the USA.

Stan and Ollie make
a few appearances,

like here in 1954,
on the cult show This Is Your Life.

They're given an offer to make TV
comedies in colour...

INADUDIBLE CHATTER ON TV

..but on the 25th of April,
Stan suffers a stroke.

Ten days before shooting
was to begin,

the project has to be cancelled.

Stan shows signs of paralysis in one
of his legs. He can hardly walk.

It takes over a year
for him to basically recover.

Babe also depends on his doctors.

They put him on a diet,

and he loses a lot of weight,

up to 150lb, as much as Stan weighs.

The two friends meet
as often as possible.

Here are the last film clips
of Stan and Babe together.

The last official photograph
of the two.

Shortly afterwards, Oliver Hardy
suffers a severe stroke.

Babe is almost completely paralysed.

He can hardly eat,
and is unable to speak.

Stan came to see him several times.

Sometimes, Babe would recognise him,
sometimes he wouldn't,

because at times he would be lucid.
Other times, he wouldn't.

Oliver Hardy suffers
two further strokes.

On the seventh of August 1957,
his heart stops beating.

Obituaries are published
all over the world.

Stan is shocked.

Although he knew that his friend
and partner was incurably ill,

his death hits him hard.

Stan's doctor advises him
not to attend Babe's funeral.

Oliver Norvell Hardy is
buried at Valhalla Memorial Cemetery

in Los Angeles.

The inscription on his gravestone
reads...

Stan Laurel retires
from show business, forever.

He never wants to perform again
without his friend

and comedy partner.

LOUD WHISTLE

Hey, Stan!

Look! I'm over here!

Well, here's another nice mess
you've gotten me into.

Ollie, is that really you?

Of course it's me.
Gee, I'm glad to see you.

Stan lives
in the Oceania Apartment Hotel

in Santa Monica,
with his wife Ida.

He liked the hotel living.

The maid service everyday, you know,
it just... It was convenient.

You didn't have to put out
the garbage.

You didn't have to do this.

Stan doesn't get a cent
for the Laurel and Hardy movies,

which were a great success on TV.

There's not much left
of the money he's earned.

A large part of it has gone to
pay for this three ex-wives,

but, despite rumours
that claim the opposite,

he's financially well-settled.

I can't say "wealthy",
but he certainly wasn't in need.

He had some money invested.

He said he had an income,

but it was modest compared to what
some people today would have.

I mean, it wouldn't compare at all.

That was a lucky break. What are you
going to do with your $1,000?

I'm going to buy $1,000 worth
of chocolate ice cream.

Stan primarily spends his days
personally answering fan mail

from all over the world.

Laurel and Hardy have gained
many new fans

through the TV broadcasts...

..and Stan takes time for them.

He welcomes fans, allowing them
to take pictures and make films.

Previously unreleased
clips from his 74th birthday.

Stan is also visited
by film students.

The Englishman Jordan Reynolds

studied in California
in the early '60s,

and met Laurel.

I think he was very happy.

He enjoyed the company of young
people very much,

and he regularly
had tea with students,

and he took an interest in me
because I was from London.

Lots of celebrities
also go to see Stan.

They ask him for advice,
or they simply want to meet him.

Among them were Dick Van Dyke,
Jerry Lewis, Danny Kaye,

Peter Sellers, Alec Guinness...

He was absolutely
shocked that Alec Guinness,

one of Britain's greatest stars,
wanted to meet him.

He was always fasci...

He didn't see himself
on that same level,

and so when these people would
come to his home -

Peter Ustinov, Jerry Lewis,
people like that -

he was just absolutely
amazed that they wanted to see him.

In 1961, Stan is given
a late honour.

He receives
a Lifetime Achievement Oscar.

To him, it's a recognition
of the work of Laurel and Hardy,

an award he would gladly
have shared with Babe.

Stan calls the Oscar Mr Clean.

He thinks the statue looks
like the logo for the cleaning fluid

known as Mr Clean.

In 1964, fans and friends of Stan
found The Sons Of The Desert,

a club named after the Laurel
and Hardy movie of the same title.

# We are the sons of the desert

# Having the time of our lives

# Marching along

# Two thousand strong

# Far from our sweethearts and wives

# God bless them

# Tramp, tramp, tramp,
the boys are marching

# And dancing to this melody

# La la la la la,

# La la la-la la-la la

# Sons of the desert are we. #

Worldwide, there are now more than
200 Sons Of The Desert chapters,

called tents, with several
tens of thousands of members.

Like here, in Holland,
they hold national

and international conventions.

The Sons Of The Desert go on outings
together, they watch Laurel

and Hardy movies, and they celebrate
the two comedians.

Because they are so very funny.

You always see that
when they have trouble,

and they always get
out of the trouble.

That's so nice of it.

It's a good thing.

Live the life of Laurel and Hardy,
and you have a good life.

At the convention in Holland,

we meet Stan's great-granddaughter
Cassidy Cook.

It's amazing that still today,
people come and appreciate

and laugh,
and the can watch these movies,

and they're timeless and classic.

It's just...

It's beautiful to know that that's
part of my family history.

At conventions like this one,
everybody is a real Laurel

and Hardy fan,

including, of course,
the lookalikes.

INAUDIBLE SPEECH

It just grabs you. It just pulls
you in, and it really...

It's amazing how it makes
you feel good,

and the comedy is just magical.

It's just absolutely magical.

Isn't that swell?
Can you imagine that?

Our very own twin brothers.

The last film clips of Stan,
made by a couple he knew well.

The film was quite recently
discovered.

Stan's daughter Lois sees
the footage for the first time.

It has never been shown before.

For the last time,

Stan slips into his film character
in front of a camera.

It's so familiar, that pose.

That's really what he looked like,
you know, off-screen, you know?

INAUDIBLE SPEECH

Shortly after this footage
was taken, Stan's health worsens.

In February, he caught a cold, or...

We thought he had the flu,
and it was very, very quick.

In his final days,
Stan is confined to his bed,

and cared for by Ida and a nurse.

While preparing an injection,
Stan said to the nurse,

"I wish I was skiing now,"

and the nurse said, "Oh, Mr Laurel,
I didn't know that you skied."

He said, "I don't ski,

"but I'd rather be skiing
than having an injection."

A few days later,
Stan Laurel dies of a heart attack,

on the 23rd of February 1965.

He lived for comedy,
and believed so much in laughter.

I would say, an introspective man...

..who could see humour
in almost anything.

I really miss him,
and I miss what I've learned,

and very selfishly I feel deprived.

I would have liked for him
to be here...

..a longer time.

He was one that I think
they should have arranged

to have live forever.

They should have worked
that out somehow.

Stan Laurel is buried at Forest Lawn
Memorial Cemetery in Hollywood.

Previously unreleased film footage.

In addition to his family,
there are many celebrities,

friends and companions.

Stan once said, "If anyone
at my funeral has a long face,

"I'll never speak to him again."

Stan' grave at the
Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery.

The inscription reads...

And that's how it always will be,

because Laurel and Hardy

will live on in the hearts
of their fans forever.