﻿1
00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:05,940
GENTLE PIANO MUSIC

2
00:00:06,060 --> 00:00:08,100
What's your name?

3
00:00:08,220 --> 00:00:11,060
Stanley Laurel.

4
00:00:11,180 --> 00:00:13,420
Say "sir" when you're addressing me.

5
00:00:13,540 --> 00:00:15,020
Now, what's your name?

6
00:00:15,140 --> 00:00:17,420
Sir, Stanley Laurel.

7
00:00:17,540 --> 00:00:18,860
What's your name?

8
00:00:20,260 --> 00:00:23,380
Oliver Norvell Hardy.

9
00:00:23,500 --> 00:00:24,580
Sir.

10
00:00:26,020 --> 00:00:28,700
Laurel and Hardy.

11
00:00:28,820 --> 00:00:31,580
Laurel et Hardy.

12
00:00:31,700 --> 00:00:33,780
Dick und Doof.

13
00:00:41,820 --> 00:00:43,020
HE SCREAMS

14
00:00:52,060 --> 00:00:54,980
THEY LAUGH

15
00:01:04,180 --> 00:01:06,660
APPLAUSE

16
00:01:14,620 --> 00:01:17,940
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

17
00:01:39,740 --> 00:01:42,660
TYPEWRITER CLACKS

18
00:02:19,660 --> 00:02:22,020
Stan Laurel in the early '60s.

19
00:02:23,220 --> 00:02:27,540
He lives with his wife Ida
in Santa Monica, California.

20
00:02:27,700 --> 00:02:31,900
Laurel is retired after leaving
showbusiness.

21
00:02:32,060 --> 00:02:37,740
For 30 years he and his best pal
Oliver Hardy were a team.

22
00:02:37,860 --> 00:02:40,180
PHONE RINGS

23
00:02:40,340 --> 00:02:44,180
The world-famous comedian
has no star complex.

24
00:02:44,300 --> 00:02:47,700
He is even listed in the phone book.

25
00:02:47,860 --> 00:02:51,780
I called him up on the phone and
I said, "Hi, is this Stan Laurel?"

26
00:02:51,940 --> 00:02:55,820
He says, "It certainly is.
Who's this, lad? What's your name?"

27
00:02:55,940 --> 00:02:57,420
I said, "Chuck McCann."

28
00:02:57,580 --> 00:02:59,900
He said, "Does your mother know
you're calling?"

29
00:03:00,060 --> 00:03:03,460
I said, "Well, I'm calling..."
"Where you calling from?"

30
00:03:03,620 --> 00:03:07,460
I said, "New York City."
He says, "Oh, my golly!"

31
00:03:07,620 --> 00:03:10,980
In those days it was more than
a quarter a minute, you know?

32
00:03:11,140 --> 00:03:13,820
He says, "You make sure your mother
knows you're calling."

33
00:03:13,980 --> 00:03:16,140
I said,
"No, it's absolutely all right,

34
00:03:16,300 --> 00:03:18,820
"Mr Laurel, I just wanna say
hello to you," and so forth.

35
00:03:18,980 --> 00:03:21,940
We carried on and had
a wonderful conversation.

36
00:03:22,100 --> 00:03:26,260
What do you think of it?
It's very nice. Brief.

37
00:03:26,380 --> 00:03:28,380
And right to the point.

38
00:03:32,660 --> 00:03:36,300
Laurel and Hardy's
comedies are also shown on TV.

39
00:03:36,460 --> 00:03:40,860
So Stan is swamped by fan
mail from all over the world.

40
00:03:40,980 --> 00:03:43,460
He answers every letter personally.

41
00:03:44,700 --> 00:03:47,660
And he continues to write new skits,

42
00:03:47,820 --> 00:03:51,140
although he knows that Laurel and
Hardy will never stand in front

43
00:03:51,260 --> 00:03:53,180
of a camera again.

44
00:03:53,300 --> 00:03:55,900
Once a comedian, always a comedian.

45
00:03:57,940 --> 00:04:03,020
He still was fascinated by the idea
of Laurel and Hardy today.

46
00:04:03,180 --> 00:04:05,860
How would Stan do it?
How would they do it?

47
00:04:06,020 --> 00:04:09,860
Such things as at that time we were
talking about going to the moon

48
00:04:09,980 --> 00:04:11,620
and he would be thinking about,

49
00:04:11,780 --> 00:04:14,660
"What would Laurel and Hardy do
if they were astronauts?"

50
00:04:14,820 --> 00:04:17,980
So he continued playing with
the idea of the characters.

51
00:04:18,140 --> 00:04:21,260
We sure used to have a lot of fun,
didn't we? We sure did.

52
00:04:21,420 --> 00:04:23,620
You remember how dumb I used to be?
Yeah.

53
00:04:23,780 --> 00:04:26,820
Well, I'm better now. Well,
I'm certainly glad to hear it.

54
00:04:29,940 --> 00:04:33,140
Stan Laurel can look
back on a great career.

55
00:04:33,300 --> 00:04:37,220
He and his partner
made 106 comedies together.

56
00:04:37,340 --> 00:04:39,860
Laurel and Hardy are the best-known

57
00:04:40,020 --> 00:04:43,460
and most popular comedy
duo in the world.

58
00:04:43,580 --> 00:04:45,260
Did you ever have any relatives?

59
00:04:47,500 --> 00:04:48,940
Where were you born?

60
00:04:50,740 --> 00:04:52,060
I don't know.

61
00:04:53,540 --> 00:04:56,340
Fancy not knowing
where you were born!

62
00:04:56,460 --> 00:04:59,460
Well, I was too young to remember!

63
00:04:59,580 --> 00:05:01,300
How do I know where I was born?

64
00:05:06,100 --> 00:05:09,500
The county of Cumbria
in north-western England.

65
00:05:11,940 --> 00:05:15,500
Stan Laurel is born in the sleepy
town of Ulverston

66
00:05:15,660 --> 00:05:20,300
on the 16th of June
1890 as Arthur Stanley Jefferson...

67
00:05:25,340 --> 00:05:26,980
..in this house.

68
00:05:28,780 --> 00:05:32,340
And this is where he spends
the first years of his childhood.

69
00:05:32,460 --> 00:05:34,860
Stan's father was in showbusiness.

70
00:05:36,100 --> 00:05:37,740
As a comedian.

71
00:05:37,900 --> 00:05:40,460
On the birth certificate
he's listed as a comedian.

72
00:05:40,620 --> 00:05:43,660
However, by Stan's birth
he was mainly doing more to do with

73
00:05:43,820 --> 00:05:46,940
management. He managed theatres
up and down the country -

74
00:05:47,100 --> 00:05:49,020
in Ulverston there was
a small theatre,

75
00:05:49,180 --> 00:05:51,580
in North Shields,
and in Glasgow also.

76
00:05:53,580 --> 00:05:57,980
Arthur Jefferson, also known as AJ,
has a leading actress -

77
00:05:58,140 --> 00:06:02,940
his wife and Stanley's mother,
Madge Jefferson.

78
00:06:03,060 --> 00:06:04,820
What have I got to do with it?

79
00:06:04,940 --> 00:06:06,620
What have you got to do with it?

80
00:06:06,780 --> 00:06:09,460
I don't want to get mixed
up in this thing.

81
00:06:09,580 --> 00:06:12,100
I have my future.

82
00:06:12,220 --> 00:06:14,300
My career to think of.

83
00:06:14,460 --> 00:06:19,380
And for Arthur Stanley Jefferson,
that started at an early age.

84
00:06:19,540 --> 00:06:22,940
He was just nine when he began
staging little plays at home.

85
00:06:28,300 --> 00:06:32,860
At first, Stan's father is amused
by his son's talents as an actor.

86
00:06:32,980 --> 00:06:34,620
But he soon worries,

87
00:06:34,780 --> 00:06:39,260
because AJ knows how difficult it is
to earn your living as a comedian.

88
00:06:39,420 --> 00:06:43,380
Nevertheless, Stan is magically
attracted to the stage.

89
00:06:43,540 --> 00:06:46,220
He secretly writes little comedy
skits for himself

90
00:06:46,340 --> 00:06:48,300
during the next few years.

91
00:06:51,100 --> 00:06:54,300
Stan first appeared on stage
at 16 in Glasgow.

92
00:06:54,420 --> 00:06:55,940
Without his father's knowing.

93
00:06:56,100 --> 00:06:59,700
He actually appeared in his dad's
greatest rival's theatre.

94
00:06:59,860 --> 00:07:03,700
He stole his dad's best suit,
cut the pants off

95
00:07:03,820 --> 00:07:06,780
and stood up and did a little turn.

96
00:07:06,940 --> 00:07:10,660
Little did he know that his dad was
in that night and saw him perform.

97
00:07:10,820 --> 00:07:14,900
Stan got home, full of himself -
he'd gone down quite well -

98
00:07:15,020 --> 00:07:16,900
and got home, full of himself.

99
00:07:17,060 --> 00:07:19,980
His dad calls him
into the study and says,

100
00:07:20,140 --> 00:07:22,940
"Come in, son. Have a whiskey."
And that was it.

101
00:07:23,060 --> 00:07:25,460
His dad accepted him as a performer.

102
00:07:27,580 --> 00:07:31,220
And so Stan celebrates his first
successful performances

103
00:07:31,380 --> 00:07:36,140
as a boy comedian and pantomime
in the English music halls.

104
00:07:36,300 --> 00:07:39,580
At 19 Stan is discovered by
Fred Karno,

105
00:07:39,740 --> 00:07:42,180
the internationally renowned
theatre producer.

106
00:07:44,420 --> 00:07:45,860
SHIP'S HORN BLASTS

107
00:07:46,020 --> 00:07:50,820
In 1910 Stanley goes on tour with
one of Karno's vaudeville troupes.

108
00:07:50,940 --> 00:07:53,620
All the way across the USA.

109
00:07:53,740 --> 00:07:57,260
At last you're using my brain.

110
00:07:58,700 --> 00:08:02,300
The state of Georgia
in south-eastern America.

111
00:08:02,460 --> 00:08:05,820
A region characterised by cotton
plantations

112
00:08:05,980 --> 00:08:10,860
and stately mansions in the opposing
style of the Southern States.

113
00:08:11,020 --> 00:08:13,340
Oliver Norvell Hardy is born here
in the little town of Harlem

114
00:08:14,740 --> 00:08:17,500
on the 18th of January 1892.

115
00:08:17,660 --> 00:08:20,900
He will continue to say his full
name with great

116
00:08:21,060 --> 00:08:23,180
relish for the rest of his life.

117
00:08:23,300 --> 00:08:26,460
He loves the dignified sound of it.

118
00:08:26,580 --> 00:08:29,740
Oliver Norvell Hardy.

119
00:08:29,900 --> 00:08:34,460
His father, Oliver Hardy Senior,
dies shortly after Oliver is born.

120
00:08:34,620 --> 00:08:38,580
Oliver's mother Emily raises him
and his siblings by herself.

121
00:08:40,500 --> 00:08:42,780
And she becomes a hotel manager.

122
00:08:44,020 --> 00:08:47,180
Ollie likes to imitate people
and therefore he studied

123
00:08:47,340 --> 00:08:49,660
and observed all
the people in the hotel.

124
00:08:49,820 --> 00:08:53,700
He did this to entertain his family,
too. They loved it.

125
00:08:53,860 --> 00:08:56,340
I knew it the minute I set eyes
on him. You did? Yeah.

126
00:08:56,500 --> 00:08:59,580
That's one thing I pride myself on,
is reading character.

127
00:08:59,700 --> 00:09:01,180
Is that so? Yeah.

128
00:09:04,180 --> 00:09:07,500
A young reader of character
with an enormous appetite.

129
00:09:07,620 --> 00:09:09,180
By the age of 15

130
00:09:09,340 --> 00:09:13,340
Oliver has already eaten his way up
to round about 240lbs.

131
00:09:13,500 --> 00:09:16,940
Yet despite his corpulence
he is athletic

132
00:09:17,060 --> 00:09:19,380
and he is exceptionally talented.

133
00:09:19,500 --> 00:09:21,820
MUSIC PLAYS

134
00:09:25,580 --> 00:09:27,740
# Shine on

135
00:09:27,860 --> 00:09:31,380
# Shine on harvest moon

136
00:09:31,500 --> 00:09:33,540
# Up in the sky

137
00:09:33,660 --> 00:09:35,820
# I ain't

138
00:09:35,980 --> 00:09:42,460
# Had no loving since January,
April, June or July

139
00:09:42,580 --> 00:09:44,140
# Snow time

140
00:09:44,300 --> 00:09:49,660
# Ain't no time to stay
outdoors and spoon

141
00:09:49,780 --> 00:09:51,940
# Shine on

142
00:09:52,060 --> 00:09:54,780
# Shine on harvest moon

143
00:09:54,900 --> 00:09:57,980
# For me and my girl. #

144
00:10:09,020 --> 00:10:13,020
Oliver studies for a short
time at the Music Conservatory.

145
00:10:13,180 --> 00:10:18,100
But he drops out and discovers
his passion for the movies at 18.

146
00:10:18,260 --> 00:10:21,860
He gets a job at the first movie
theatre in town as a gofer.

147
00:10:22,980 --> 00:10:26,180
Hardy works as ticket taker
and projectionist.

148
00:10:26,340 --> 00:10:29,780
A short time later
he becomes the assistant manager.

149
00:10:29,940 --> 00:10:33,660
The movies he sees on the big
screen are usually short comedies

150
00:10:33,780 --> 00:10:35,300
shot in rapid succession.

151
00:10:35,420 --> 00:10:37,580
JAUNTY PIANO MUSIC

152
00:10:41,900 --> 00:10:44,060
He would watch
the actors on the screen

153
00:10:44,220 --> 00:10:46,740
and he always thought that he could
do better than them.

154
00:10:48,100 --> 00:10:51,460
So Oliver Hardy
decides to become an actor.

155
00:10:51,620 --> 00:10:53,980
He heads for Jacksonville,
Florida, which is

156
00:10:54,140 --> 00:10:57,060
America's first movie capital -
long before Hollywood.

157
00:10:58,500 --> 00:11:03,260
The city is located about 250 miles
south of Hardy's birthplace.

158
00:11:03,380 --> 00:11:05,540
Are you from the South? Sure am.

159
00:11:05,700 --> 00:11:08,820
Well, fan my brow!
I'm from the South.

160
00:11:08,980 --> 00:11:12,980
You are? Mm-hmm. Well, shut
my mouth, I's from the South, too.

161
00:11:13,140 --> 00:11:16,500
South of what, sir?
The South of London.

162
00:11:16,620 --> 00:11:18,300
London!

163
00:11:18,420 --> 00:11:20,220
SHIP'S HORN BLASTS

164
00:11:20,380 --> 00:11:25,060
In 1913, Stan leaves the south
of England, travelling across the

165
00:11:25,220 --> 00:11:28,180
Atlantic for the second time
with Karno's theatre troupe,

166
00:11:28,300 --> 00:11:30,500
on his way to America.

167
00:11:30,660 --> 00:11:34,580
On board is another up and coming
British comedian,

168
00:11:34,740 --> 00:11:38,180
Charlie Chaplin -
the star of the vaudeville company.

169
00:11:42,940 --> 00:11:44,820
Chaplin and Laurel are friends.

170
00:11:44,940 --> 00:11:48,100
And he is Charlie's substitute.

171
00:11:48,260 --> 00:11:52,380
Both men have been shaped by the
English music halls.

172
00:11:52,540 --> 00:11:56,620
Stan is a good replacement
for Charlie - very good.

173
00:11:56,780 --> 00:11:59,900
In fact, difficult to
distinguish from the original.

174
00:12:02,460 --> 00:12:05,740
In America, Chaplin is immediately
discovered for the movies.

175
00:12:05,900 --> 00:12:09,100
He leaves the vaudeville company
and Stan jumps in.

176
00:12:09,260 --> 00:12:12,500
But there are problems without
Chaplin, the star.

177
00:12:35,260 --> 00:12:38,740
That's what's the matter. You see,
we're not illiterate enough.

178
00:12:38,900 --> 00:12:41,420
I guess you're right.
Sure I'm right.

179
00:12:43,460 --> 00:12:47,780
Stan stays in the USA and starts
his first own comedy troupe -

180
00:12:47,900 --> 00:12:50,340
the Keystone Trio,

181
00:12:50,500 --> 00:12:53,420
later called
the Stan Jefferson Trio.

182
00:12:53,580 --> 00:12:57,220
The comedians perform in various
vaudeville theatres.

183
00:12:58,700 --> 00:13:02,020
Stan wants to change his name
because "Stan Jefferson"

184
00:13:02,180 --> 00:13:05,220
doesn't sound particularly
perky to him.

185
00:13:05,380 --> 00:13:09,940
Besides that, the name
has 13 letters - a possible jinx?

186
00:13:10,100 --> 00:13:13,140
In any case,
too long for most posters.

187
00:13:13,260 --> 00:13:14,900
Especially movie posters.

188
00:13:15,060 --> 00:13:18,380
And that is where he wants
to appear as soon as possible.

189
00:13:38,820 --> 00:13:41,340
Stan Laurel is born.

190
00:13:41,500 --> 00:13:45,660
And soon afterwards he is actually
discovered for the movies.

191
00:13:45,820 --> 00:13:48,060
He makes comedies
for various studios.

192
00:13:51,500 --> 00:13:53,340
JAUNTY PIANO MUSIC

193
00:14:03,100 --> 00:14:05,900
But it still doesn't make
Stan a star.

194
00:14:06,020 --> 00:14:10,220
A fate he shares with Oliver Hardy.

195
00:14:10,380 --> 00:14:14,300
When Ollie started in films
he wasn't the comedian.

196
00:14:14,460 --> 00:14:17,220
They made him the heavy,
the villain.

197
00:14:17,380 --> 00:14:21,180
And he was generally moustached
and was chasing the girl.

198
00:14:21,340 --> 00:14:24,380
..horribly stupid.
He's not quite broken in yet.

199
00:14:24,500 --> 00:14:26,020
Rather thick, as it were.

200
00:14:30,820 --> 00:14:34,660
In fact, Oliver Hardy is
a brilliantly versatile actor.

201
00:14:38,980 --> 00:14:41,140
I never thought of that.

202
00:14:41,300 --> 00:14:43,740
I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings,
Ollie.

203
00:14:43,860 --> 00:14:46,220
I didn't mean to be so dis-polite.

204
00:14:46,380 --> 00:14:50,260
That's all right, Stanley.
Let bygones be bygones.

205
00:14:50,420 --> 00:14:54,540
Also bygone is Oliver's first
marriage to the pianist

206
00:14:54,700 --> 00:14:58,660
Madelyn Saloshin,
whom he wedded in 1913.

207
00:14:58,780 --> 00:15:00,940
His wife divorces him.

208
00:15:04,340 --> 00:15:09,340
But his career continues -
Hardy, as a woman, on a poster.

209
00:15:09,500 --> 00:15:13,380
He performs under his nickname,
"Babe" Hardy.

210
00:15:17,020 --> 00:15:21,380
In an interview from 1950,
he remembers how he got the name.

211
00:15:21,540 --> 00:15:23,820
There's a funny way
that I got the name of Babe.

212
00:15:23,980 --> 00:15:27,020
That was years and years ago.
I had my first shave.

213
00:15:27,180 --> 00:15:30,380
So the barber went in and he charged
me a dime and he put some powder,

214
00:15:30,540 --> 00:15:33,340
he says, "That's all right, baby,
you're clean."

215
00:15:35,980 --> 00:15:40,500
In 1921 Babe is signed
for the comedy The Lucky Dog.

216
00:15:43,100 --> 00:15:46,740
In the movie he's supposed to
ambush the leading man...

217
00:15:46,860 --> 00:15:48,620
Stan Laurel.

218
00:15:48,740 --> 00:15:50,380
JAUNTY PIANO MUSIC

219
00:15:57,700 --> 00:16:01,580
The first mutual appearance
of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.

220
00:16:01,700 --> 00:16:03,860
A coincidental encounter.

221
00:16:06,420 --> 00:16:09,420
It will be years before Babe
encounters Stan again.

222
00:16:11,980 --> 00:16:17,260
It'll have a tendency to promote me
to higher...endeavours.

223
00:16:17,420 --> 00:16:20,420
PHONE RINGS
I'll get it.

224
00:16:20,580 --> 00:16:24,020
Off to America's new film capital -
Los Angeles.

225
00:16:25,820 --> 00:16:27,460
LA in the early '20s.

226
00:16:27,620 --> 00:16:30,940
More and more motion picture studios
are opening here.

227
00:16:31,100 --> 00:16:34,300
Those who have made their mark
either in front of or behind

228
00:16:34,460 --> 00:16:37,340
the camera now live in
the exclusive part of town -

229
00:16:37,460 --> 00:16:39,020
Beverly Hills.

230
00:16:39,140 --> 00:16:41,500
High society's top address.

231
00:16:43,180 --> 00:16:45,540
But not Stan Laurel.
Not yet, anyway.

232
00:16:49,420 --> 00:16:53,820
His first address in Los Angeles
a great deal more modest.

233
00:16:55,380 --> 00:16:58,100
Stan has a big problem.

234
00:16:58,220 --> 00:17:01,460
Her name is May Charlotte Dahlberg.

235
00:17:01,620 --> 00:17:04,780
The Australian his been his partner
for years, both on stage

236
00:17:04,900 --> 00:17:06,060
and privately.

237
00:17:07,380 --> 00:17:11,220
May Dahlberg was jealous of Stan's
success in films.

238
00:17:11,380 --> 00:17:14,060
And she was also jealous
of the ladies he worked with,

239
00:17:14,220 --> 00:17:16,900
so she wanted to be in the films -
she insisted -

240
00:17:17,020 --> 00:17:18,740
and this caused a lot of friction,

241
00:17:18,900 --> 00:17:20,780
a lot of bickering
between the two of them.

242
00:17:22,900 --> 00:17:25,100
On the set May is also quite feisty,

243
00:17:25,260 --> 00:17:29,500
and in regard to acting she's
more like a...talent-free zone.

244
00:17:34,900 --> 00:17:37,940
In real life Stan is actually
under May's thumb.

245
00:17:38,100 --> 00:17:40,580
So he starts drinking more
frequently.

246
00:17:40,740 --> 00:17:43,820
Stan tries to drown his relationship
problems with alcohol.

247
00:17:43,980 --> 00:17:47,020
Something which can't be
concealed from the producers.

248
00:17:47,180 --> 00:17:50,100
Why don't you pattern your life
after mine?

249
00:17:50,260 --> 00:17:53,620
I go places and do things
and THEN tell my wife.

250
00:17:56,900 --> 00:18:02,220
Every man should be
the king in his own castle.

251
00:18:05,580 --> 00:18:08,420
Oliver Hardy also
has his drinking problems.

252
00:18:08,540 --> 00:18:10,780
But he isn't the one who drinks.

253
00:18:10,940 --> 00:18:14,460
It's his second wife,
the actress Myrtle Lee Reeves.

254
00:18:17,340 --> 00:18:21,380
In the meantime, Hardy also lives
and works in Los Angeles.

255
00:18:21,540 --> 00:18:25,260
He appears particularly often with
the comedian Larry Semon,

256
00:18:25,420 --> 00:18:30,260
who is already a big star.
And Babe is his roguish adversary.

257
00:18:32,900 --> 00:18:34,900
Semon is an avid golfer

258
00:18:35,060 --> 00:18:37,340
and he introduces Hardy
to the art of the game.

259
00:18:43,580 --> 00:18:47,660
It catches fire with Babe who goes
on to become a passionate golfer -

260
00:18:47,780 --> 00:18:49,780
Hollywood's best.

261
00:18:49,940 --> 00:18:53,820
For years it was almost unnecessary
to hold any golf tournaments

262
00:18:53,980 --> 00:18:57,620
because Babe would win everything.
His name was on all those prizes.

263
00:18:59,940 --> 00:19:03,460
Hardy is a member of the famous
Lakeside Golf Club in Hollywood.

264
00:19:03,620 --> 00:19:07,460
He plays here almost every day
after leaving the studio,

265
00:19:07,580 --> 00:19:08,980
and meets his friends.

266
00:19:10,460 --> 00:19:13,380
Babe wants to escape
from his marital problems -

267
00:19:13,540 --> 00:19:17,620
on the golf course
or at the horse races.

268
00:19:17,780 --> 00:19:21,620
He also gambles, often,
and for a lot of money.

269
00:19:21,780 --> 00:19:25,180
A passion that will burn inside him
for all his life.

270
00:19:27,300 --> 00:19:30,620
He had lost a lot of money gambling

271
00:19:30,780 --> 00:19:33,980
and so when Hal Roach offered him
a job, a weekly salary,

272
00:19:34,140 --> 00:19:36,540
under contract,
he was very grateful.

273
00:19:38,140 --> 00:19:42,340
In the early '20s Hal Roach is
already a famous movie producer.

274
00:19:42,500 --> 00:19:46,820
He moves his studio to Culver City,
a town not far from Hollywood.

275
00:19:48,580 --> 00:19:51,660
Here you can still sense
the charm of the early days.

276
00:19:54,460 --> 00:19:59,220
Hal Roach founded
his company in 1914.

277
00:19:59,380 --> 00:20:04,660
And in 1919 he was persuaded by
Harry Culver to relocate to the

278
00:20:04,820 --> 00:20:08,380
former barley and bean fields
of Culver City.

279
00:20:09,500 --> 00:20:16,020
And from 1919
until 1960 it was comedy's home.

280
00:20:16,140 --> 00:20:18,580
They called it "the lot of fun."

281
00:20:20,260 --> 00:20:22,940
Roach specialised in comedies.

282
00:20:23,100 --> 00:20:26,260
He celebrates his first success
with the comedy series

283
00:20:26,380 --> 00:20:27,820
The Little Rascals.

284
00:20:30,660 --> 00:20:34,260
Lucky Brown was a guest star
in 1928...

285
00:20:34,380 --> 00:20:36,300
at the age of five.

286
00:20:42,100 --> 00:20:43,580
Come on, go home. Go home.

287
00:20:43,700 --> 00:20:45,460
He played a little snob.

288
00:20:45,580 --> 00:20:47,380
Do you hear me? I said go home.

289
00:20:47,540 --> 00:20:50,300
They did a script where
I wanted to be in the gang.

290
00:20:50,460 --> 00:20:52,860
And they call got together
and said they didn't like me

291
00:20:52,980 --> 00:20:55,340
because I wore a hat and everything.

292
00:20:55,500 --> 00:21:00,580
So they said, "OK, he wants to get
in the club, we'll initiate him."

293
00:21:00,700 --> 00:21:02,540
And so they threw me in the mud.

294
00:21:05,460 --> 00:21:09,580
Otherwise, there was no mudslinging
at the Hal Roach Studios.

295
00:21:09,740 --> 00:21:14,180
The entire staff raves about the
cheerful, family-like atmosphere.

296
00:21:14,300 --> 00:21:16,380
The actress Phyllis Coates,

297
00:21:16,540 --> 00:21:19,820
who later became famous in TV
series like Superman,

298
00:21:19,980 --> 00:21:23,860
often worked at the Roach Studios
at the beginning of her career.

299
00:21:24,020 --> 00:21:27,060
Oh, we had a lot fun.
Everybody liked Hal.

300
00:21:27,220 --> 00:21:29,980
That was a small studio
and everybody knew everybody

301
00:21:30,100 --> 00:21:33,740
and everybody was very...easy-going.

302
00:21:33,900 --> 00:21:38,260
You know, there was no star
complex with anybody.

303
00:21:38,380 --> 00:21:39,420
Which was nice.

304
00:21:41,260 --> 00:21:44,340
Stan also gets
an offer from Hal Roach.

305
00:21:44,500 --> 00:21:47,300
He had already made a few
comedies for the producer,

306
00:21:47,420 --> 00:21:49,500
only modestly successful.

307
00:21:50,820 --> 00:21:54,620
But Roach has noticed Stan's
talent as a gag writer,

308
00:21:54,740 --> 00:21:57,540
and he gives him a contract in 1925.

309
00:22:00,220 --> 00:22:03,500
Not as an actor but as a director
and gag writer.

310
00:22:03,620 --> 00:22:05,300
Um...

311
00:22:05,460 --> 00:22:10,940
Stan's career hadn't gone
so well as a single comedian on film

312
00:22:11,060 --> 00:22:14,100
and so the offer from Hal Roach

313
00:22:14,260 --> 00:22:18,620
allowed Stan - now that he was
separated from May -

314
00:22:18,740 --> 00:22:20,980
to work behind the scenes.

315
00:22:21,100 --> 00:22:22,980
And he is successful.

316
00:22:23,140 --> 00:22:27,460
Stan writes screenplays for comedies
and works as a director.

317
00:22:27,620 --> 00:22:31,100
One of the actors is Hardy,
who dumps his nickname Babe

318
00:22:31,220 --> 00:22:33,860
and now calls himself Oliver.

319
00:22:34,020 --> 00:22:37,820
In 1926 Hardy is going to
be in a movie directed by Stan

320
00:22:37,980 --> 00:22:41,980
but shortly before shooting begins,
Hardy suffers an accident.

321
00:22:42,140 --> 00:22:44,860
Babe loved to eat
so he also loved to cook

322
00:22:45,020 --> 00:22:48,900
and it happened that one day
he was frying a leg of lamb.

323
00:22:49,060 --> 00:22:54,020
The pan slipped out of his hands and
the hot fry landed on his right arm.

324
00:22:54,180 --> 00:22:57,540
It got so badly burned
and he was in so much pain that he

325
00:22:57,700 --> 00:23:01,380
jumped around in the kitchen
like in one of those slapsticks.

326
00:23:01,540 --> 00:23:04,940
And then he fell, he tripped over
and injured his leg.

327
00:23:06,500 --> 00:23:09,300
Hardy's kitchen accident
makes headlines.

328
00:23:09,460 --> 00:23:12,540
He can forget about the movie.
But the producer, Roach,

329
00:23:12,700 --> 00:23:15,220
is unable to find a replacement
quickly enough.

330
00:23:15,380 --> 00:23:18,860
So he persuades Stan to get in front
of the camera again and take

331
00:23:18,980 --> 00:23:21,300
over Hardy's role.

332
00:23:21,460 --> 00:23:24,780
When they printed it,
Roach started to look very funny.

333
00:23:24,900 --> 00:23:27,660
Everything went wrong and so forth,

334
00:23:27,820 --> 00:23:30,500
so he decided to make another
one like that

335
00:23:30,660 --> 00:23:34,020
and I think it was two or three
times they did that.

336
00:23:36,220 --> 00:23:39,660
Stan is back in business -
as an actor.

337
00:23:39,820 --> 00:23:42,620
And so he appears again
and again in movies,

338
00:23:42,740 --> 00:23:45,100
in the meantime with Oliver Hardy,

339
00:23:45,260 --> 00:23:47,540
who is now recovered
from his accident.

340
00:24:10,620 --> 00:24:14,740
The producer Hal Roach decided to
establish Laurel and Hardy as a

341
00:24:14,900 --> 00:24:18,740
comedy duo, a team which never
would have come together

342
00:24:18,900 --> 00:24:22,740
if it hadn't been for Babe's
accident with a leg of lamb.

343
00:24:22,900 --> 00:24:24,980
Thank you, Ollie.
You're welcome, Stan.

344
00:24:25,140 --> 00:24:29,060
And I'm never going to let you out
of my sight again. Thank you, Ollie.

345
00:24:29,180 --> 00:24:30,540
You're welcome, Stan.

346
00:24:32,300 --> 00:24:36,020
The gentleman from the South
now regularly encounters

347
00:24:36,140 --> 00:24:37,780
the visitor from England.

348
00:24:41,740 --> 00:24:45,180
The comedy duo of Laurel
and Hardy is born.

349
00:24:45,340 --> 00:24:49,820
At first, particularly the question
of what to wear causes quite a stir.

350
00:24:51,780 --> 00:24:53,620
But after a short period of time,

351
00:24:53,780 --> 00:24:56,260
the two create their own style -
with suits.

352
00:24:56,420 --> 00:25:00,460
Ollie's is a tight fit
and Stan's is baggy.

353
00:25:00,580 --> 00:25:02,660
And with bowler hats.

354
00:25:22,060 --> 00:25:26,180
The bowler hats become Laurel
and Hardy's trademarks.

355
00:25:26,300 --> 00:25:28,020
And they're great for gags.

356
00:25:28,180 --> 00:25:31,420
In addition to the Laurel
and Hardy outfits, the unmistakable

357
00:25:31,580 --> 00:25:36,220
movie personalities of Stan
and Ollie are soon defined.

358
00:25:36,380 --> 00:25:39,420
First of all, they're nice people.
They're likeable people.

359
00:25:39,580 --> 00:25:42,180
And they're helping one another.
They're a team.

360
00:25:42,340 --> 00:25:46,820
They're childlike in their appeal
in so far as they have innocence.

361
00:25:46,980 --> 00:25:53,180
You don't find innocence in other
comedy teams then or now.

362
00:25:53,340 --> 00:25:55,780
Well, you started it.
No, I didn't.

363
00:25:55,940 --> 00:25:58,340
Yes, you did.
Well, I didn't.

364
00:25:58,500 --> 00:26:02,100
You certainly did. Well, I didn't!
You certainly did.

365
00:26:04,140 --> 00:26:08,020
Whatever Stan does
and whatever happens to Ollie,

366
00:26:08,140 --> 00:26:10,660
he bears it with a stoic demeanour.

367
00:26:31,140 --> 00:26:34,780
When you watch a film with
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy,

368
00:26:34,940 --> 00:26:37,740
you feel for them. They're nice
people. They're good people.

369
00:26:39,500 --> 00:26:44,500
Two great buddies you'd
also like to have as friends.

370
00:26:44,660 --> 00:26:48,140
Movie star Jerry Lewis
felt exactly the same way.

371
00:26:48,300 --> 00:26:50,900
I must have been five years old,
I guess.

372
00:26:51,060 --> 00:26:56,060
And I immediately knew that they
were my friends.

373
00:26:57,740 --> 00:27:01,860
Laurel and Hardy quickly find
friends all over the world.

374
00:27:02,020 --> 00:27:06,460
Their movies are first successful at
the movie theatres and later on TV.

375
00:27:06,620 --> 00:27:10,580
Entire generations of children
and adolescents grow up with Stan

376
00:27:10,700 --> 00:27:12,100
and Ollie.

377
00:27:47,500 --> 00:27:50,580
Did you ever see a face like that
anywhere except in a zoo?

378
00:27:50,700 --> 00:27:52,380
Sure. Where?

379
00:27:52,500 --> 00:27:53,780
In a monkey house.

380
00:27:53,900 --> 00:27:55,580
HE LAUGHS

381
00:27:55,700 --> 00:27:57,500
I never thought of that!

382
00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:03,560
Stan Laurel is
happy about their success.

383
00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:06,160
The same goes for Oliver Hardy.

384
00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:10,640
But while Hardy continues to
suffer from his wife's alcoholism,

385
00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:14,920
Stan has fallen in love again,
with the actress Lois Neilson

386
00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:18,720
whom he met through his friend,
the movie producer Joe Rock.

387
00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:26,040
He met her on the evening of the day
that May was shipped off to

388
00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:29,160
Australia. Um...

389
00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:33,880
Joe Rock didn't want Stan to become
melancholy or sad because May

390
00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:35,280
was gone,

391
00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:40,160
so he thought he should introduce
Stan to a proper young lady.

392
00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:45,520
And knowing Stan's taste in pretty
girls, he introduced Stan to Lois.

393
00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:47,560
And what a success.

394
00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:51,200
Just a few months later,
Stan and Lois get married.

395
00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:55,800
In 1928 they have a daughter,
Lois junior.

396
00:28:55,960 --> 00:29:00,320
Everything seems to be perfect,
both privately and professionally.

397
00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:05,360
The Laurel and Hardy
movies are box office hits,

398
00:29:05,520 --> 00:29:10,160
which is why the movie producer
Roach makes them into a series.

399
00:29:13,400 --> 00:29:17,400
For Laurel and Hardy,
the playground gets bigger.

400
00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:20,760
They're constantly creating new
comical devices which

401
00:29:20,920 --> 00:29:25,320
today are still a standard
part of many comedians' repertoire.

402
00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:27,600
For example, the slow burn.

403
00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:33,840
The person who has experienced
a calamity has enough time to

404
00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:39,040
digest what has happened. Not until
then does the backlash take place.

405
00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:46,640
When something happens to Hardy,
he puts on a particular expression.

406
00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:50,240
He looks straight into the camera
when he was irritated or desperate

407
00:29:50,360 --> 00:29:52,120
and it was something like this.

408
00:29:57,240 --> 00:29:58,800
I think this was new.

409
00:29:58,960 --> 00:30:02,040
The first time he did it,
it was spontaneously,

410
00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:05,960
in a movie when he got a cake
in his face, and the director said,

411
00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:07,880
"I like that. Keep it in."

412
00:30:08,040 --> 00:30:11,320
And he did and it became
the trademark for all his life.

413
00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:16,840
Hardy's look into the camera.
Unbeatable even today.

414
00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:23,120
Another trademark of Ollie -
his famous tie twiddling.

415
00:30:41,040 --> 00:30:44,440
Stan also had some good ideas.
For example, the double take

416
00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:48,000
where he has to look at something
twice in order to understand it.

417
00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:55,760
I love watching Stan
reacting to Babe.

418
00:30:55,920 --> 00:31:01,080
Because it's the only time that you
actually can catch Stan thinking.

419
00:31:01,240 --> 00:31:05,280
But what he's thinking is that he
has nothing to contribute.

420
00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:08,600
Stan's attempts to
think are unforgettable.

421
00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:14,200
Another trademark - Stan's grin
and his head scratching.

422
00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:20,920
Stan Laurel's daughter Lois
grew up with it.

423
00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:23,080
She now lives near Los Angeles.

424
00:31:23,240 --> 00:31:26,080
She isn't actually willing to
give interviews

425
00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:29,920
but she made an exception and agreed
to an exclusive interview.

426
00:31:31,840 --> 00:31:33,840
She talks about her childhood,

427
00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:37,640
what it was like when her friends
came over and saw her famous father.

428
00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:41,120
Everybody that would
come to the house,

429
00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:42,840
before they left they would say,

430
00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:45,400
"Would you please do
the scratching routine?"

431
00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:48,120
And he hated that.
Oh, he just hated to do it.

432
00:31:48,280 --> 00:31:51,400
But he did
it to, you know, please them.

433
00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:53,680
The price of success.

434
00:32:05,480 --> 00:32:08,160
One of the great
things about watching a Laurel

435
00:32:08,320 --> 00:32:11,760
and Hardy film is that they're
simple to follow.

436
00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:16,040
If you're a kid,
if you're an adult, you can follow

437
00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:20,000
and you identify.
And audiences did also.

438
00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:23,480
What Hal Roach did by bringing these
two people together,

439
00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:27,360
he actually brought together
liquid dynamite.

440
00:32:28,800 --> 00:32:31,760
And it's an explosive
mixture for audiences.

441
00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:35,000
Stan and Ollie will always be
inseparable.

442
00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:01,280
HE SHRIEKS

443
00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:07,440
HE SHRIEKS

444
00:33:07,560 --> 00:33:10,680
HE SHOUTS

445
00:33:10,840 --> 00:33:15,560
What's the matter? I just saw
a ghost! Oh, nonsense!

446
00:33:15,720 --> 00:33:18,680
You're acting
like a three-year-old child.

447
00:33:21,320 --> 00:33:25,600
Shut up! Even if there was a ghost
there's nothing to be afraid of.

448
00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:29,360
Oliver Hardy thinks he's superior

449
00:33:29,520 --> 00:33:32,640
and smarter than Stan Laurel
when, in fact,

450
00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:38,800
we see by how their plans work out
and their comedy plays out,

451
00:33:38,960 --> 00:33:41,680
in fact he's not.
He only thinks he is.

452
00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:45,320
Or as Oliver Hardy once put
it himself,

453
00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:50,240
"Nobody is dumber than a dumb man
who thinks he's smart."

454
00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:07,520
You get on my nerves. I'll light it.

455
00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:15,800
Any time I want something done right
I'll always have to do it myself.

456
00:34:18,520 --> 00:34:19,480
EXPLOSION

457
00:34:44,680 --> 00:34:47,400
The comedy world of Laurel
and Hardy.

458
00:34:47,560 --> 00:34:51,400
It works all over the world,
then as now.

459
00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:58,440
I don't think there's a time
limit on comedy.

460
00:34:58,560 --> 00:35:01,640
If it's a laugh picture

461
00:35:01,760 --> 00:35:05,480
they laugh at it 25 years later.

462
00:35:05,640 --> 00:35:10,080
And if it's not a laugh picture
you can't make them laugh anyway.

463
00:35:25,080 --> 00:35:28,480
They have been really the first to
have introduced to the masses

464
00:35:28,640 --> 00:35:32,880
the art of pantomime, the art
of comic and tragic situations.

465
00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:36,720
It is not old-fashioned, it is
still actual and the young people,

466
00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:39,560
the children,
love the Laurel and Hardy.

467
00:35:39,720 --> 00:35:44,080
They have a great fascination
of the big clowns.

468
00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:50,560
And this will always go on.
It will never be old-fashioned.

469
00:35:50,720 --> 00:35:53,880
But no matter how funny
Stan could be in a movie,

470
00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:56,280
it's different in real life.

471
00:35:56,440 --> 00:36:01,560
The brains behind Laurel
and Hardy is not Ollie. It's him.

472
00:36:03,680 --> 00:36:06,480
Off camera he was a very
different personality,

473
00:36:06,640 --> 00:36:10,680
completely different
from the persona...

474
00:36:10,840 --> 00:36:14,840
I mean, he searched for that
character for years

475
00:36:14,960 --> 00:36:18,960
but off screen anyone who knew him

476
00:36:19,120 --> 00:36:23,720
knew that this was 180 degrees
away from his true personality.

477
00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:31,200
The real life Stan has nothing to do
with some guy who runs into walls.

478
00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:34,920
He's the creative
force behind Laurel and Hardy.

479
00:36:35,080 --> 00:36:38,240
He doesn't only write their gags
and star as one of the two leads,

480
00:36:38,400 --> 00:36:41,800
he's also the director
of the directors.

481
00:36:41,960 --> 00:36:46,360
Stan was not given credit
as the director of their films.

482
00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:48,120
He really was the director.

483
00:36:48,280 --> 00:36:53,760
He worked with directors and he
really supervised the films and, um,

484
00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:59,560
everybody on the set really went
with whatever Stan said.

485
00:37:00,800 --> 00:37:03,840
Oliver Hardy, on the other hand,
is satisfied just to make

486
00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:06,720
suggestions for the gags
when they're on the set.

487
00:37:08,440 --> 00:37:12,000
Even though they say my father wrote
most of the material

488
00:37:12,160 --> 00:37:16,600
he always included Oliver Hardy
and his suggestions.

489
00:37:16,760 --> 00:37:20,680
And they may try it one way
and try it another way,

490
00:37:20,840 --> 00:37:23,920
and maybe they would do it
Oliver Hardy's way.

491
00:37:24,080 --> 00:37:28,160
Hardy liked to work on his movie
character but, contrary to Stan,

492
00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:31,120
he considered himself an actor.

493
00:37:31,280 --> 00:37:34,680
Stan's interests were film-making
and the editing and the cutting

494
00:37:34,840 --> 00:37:37,400
and putting the films together
and writing gags.

495
00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:40,360
When Babe was through shooting
a scene he was outta there.

496
00:37:40,520 --> 00:37:43,280
He wanted to go play golf and
he wanted to go to the racetrack.

497
00:37:43,440 --> 00:37:46,640
He wasn't interested in all these
other aspects of it.

498
00:37:46,800 --> 00:37:49,200
We businessmen have to relax
sometime. Don't we, Stan?

499
00:37:49,320 --> 00:37:50,480
We certainly do.

500
00:37:50,640 --> 00:37:54,040
Well, if you wanna relax you can
stay home and wash these dishes.

501
00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:57,120
What do you mean, wash the dishes?
Yeah, what will his friends think?

502
00:37:57,240 --> 00:37:58,680
You keep out of this!

503
00:38:03,320 --> 00:38:07,080
Hardy enjoys his leisure time
while Stan practically

504
00:38:07,240 --> 00:38:11,040
worked around the clock
at the studio and at home.

505
00:38:11,200 --> 00:38:17,000
He always thinking, thinking and he
had these yellow canary pads that...

506
00:38:17,120 --> 00:38:20,720
He would get an idea and he'd write.

507
00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:23,560
He was always writing things down.

508
00:38:23,680 --> 00:38:26,400
Stan is a workaholic.

509
00:38:26,560 --> 00:38:29,320
After they're done
shooting you can usually find him

510
00:38:29,480 --> 00:38:31,880
in the cutting room or
the projection room.

511
00:38:32,040 --> 00:38:35,600
He reviews the daily results to
determine whether the gags work.

512
00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:40,520
One time there was a gentleman
that was walking up to a

513
00:38:40,680 --> 00:38:42,800
projection booth
at the Hal Roach Studios

514
00:38:42,920 --> 00:38:44,800
and he heard wild laughter.

515
00:38:44,960 --> 00:38:48,920
He goes into the projection booth
and he actually sees Stan Laurel

516
00:38:49,080 --> 00:38:52,840
holding on to a chair he's
sitting on, laughing hysterically.

517
00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:56,480
And the guy took a look to see what
Stan was laughing at.

518
00:38:56,640 --> 00:38:59,160
He was laughing at a sequence
with Oliver Hardy.

519
00:38:59,320 --> 00:39:02,080
And he turned around
and said to the guy,

520
00:39:02,240 --> 00:39:05,000
"You know, he really is a funny,
funny fellow."

521
00:39:05,160 --> 00:39:08,000
I'm beginning to think that
you're right.

522
00:39:08,120 --> 00:39:09,760
You bet your life I'm right.

523
00:39:09,920 --> 00:39:12,640
You know, I'm
not as dumb as you look.

524
00:39:12,760 --> 00:39:14,960
You bet your life you're not.

525
00:39:15,080 --> 00:39:17,160
Anybody that could think...

526
00:39:17,320 --> 00:39:21,000
What do you mean you're
not as dumb as I look?

527
00:39:21,120 --> 00:39:23,120
Laurel knows Babe very well.

528
00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:27,080
He knows what comical
qualities his partner has.

529
00:39:27,240 --> 00:39:33,760
Babe Hardy was one of the best
intuitive actors around. Absolutely.

530
00:39:33,880 --> 00:39:35,280
And funny.

531
00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:39,840
His rhythms and his comedy genius,
I mean, is just unparallelled

532
00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:44,400
and a wonderful compliment
to Stan's silliness, you know?

533
00:39:44,560 --> 00:39:48,880
It just worked. It worked so well.
And it was believable.

534
00:39:49,040 --> 00:39:53,960
I mean, when you see Babe Hardy you
believe that. Exactly. You love him.

535
00:40:00,280 --> 00:40:04,040
Stan Laurel's daughter only knew
Hardy under another name.

536
00:40:05,400 --> 00:40:06,800
Uncle Babe.

537
00:40:06,920 --> 00:40:08,680
He was like an uncle.

538
00:40:08,800 --> 00:40:10,120
He had no children.

539
00:40:10,240 --> 00:40:13,560
And, um...

540
00:40:13,720 --> 00:40:17,000
That's what I knew him,
you know, as.

541
00:40:17,160 --> 00:40:21,320
But in regard to Uncle Babe,
Lois changed her opinion

542
00:40:21,480 --> 00:40:24,800
when she was old enough to see
her first Laurel and Hardy movies.

543
00:40:29,080 --> 00:40:33,160
Then there came that time when
I saw him beating up on my father

544
00:40:33,320 --> 00:40:37,320
and that changed my mind.
I didn't like him so well.

545
00:40:37,440 --> 00:40:39,360
But Stan had an idea.

546
00:40:39,520 --> 00:40:45,000
He wrote a special Laurel
and Hardy movie just for Lois.

547
00:40:45,160 --> 00:40:49,320
He did the ending where
he gets the best of Oliver Hardy,

548
00:40:49,440 --> 00:40:52,120
rather than my dad getting beat up.

549
00:40:52,280 --> 00:40:57,080
It was in a garage scene and he goes
right after Oliver Hardy.

550
00:40:57,240 --> 00:41:00,000
And, as they say,
gets the best of him.

551
00:41:00,120 --> 00:41:02,200
And I was fine after that.

552
00:41:02,360 --> 00:41:05,160
Cos I knew my father could
take care of himself.

553
00:41:07,520 --> 00:41:09,120
HE SHOUTS

554
00:41:17,080 --> 00:41:20,520
The title of the movie -
One Good Turn.

555
00:41:20,640 --> 00:41:22,600
And after that one good turn,

556
00:41:22,760 --> 00:41:26,080
little Lois was reconciled
with Uncle Babe again.

557
00:41:33,200 --> 00:41:36,920
There were, however, never any
problems between Laurel and Hardy.

558
00:41:37,080 --> 00:41:41,400
They not only gelled in front
of the camera but also privately.

559
00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:44,120
Babe was very understanding
of Stan's creative side,

560
00:41:44,280 --> 00:41:46,120
and in spite of what people
might tell you,

561
00:41:46,280 --> 00:41:48,520
there are moments when Stan could be
very temperamental,

562
00:41:48,680 --> 00:41:50,520
he could be very much
a perfectionist.

563
00:41:50,680 --> 00:41:53,200
And that's not a bad quality.
I think it's an honest quality.

564
00:41:53,360 --> 00:41:55,920
It's a man who really
understands what he wants.

565
00:41:56,080 --> 00:41:59,440
And Babe sort of was very patient
with that and dealt with that.

566
00:42:02,200 --> 00:42:03,480
WHISTLING

567
00:42:03,600 --> 00:42:04,960
What?

568
00:42:05,080 --> 00:42:07,600
He don't want me!

569
00:42:07,720 --> 00:42:09,480
He wants the other monkey!

570
00:42:13,920 --> 00:42:14,920
You!

571
00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:17,480
Oh.

572
00:42:19,280 --> 00:42:22,840
Stan and Ollie often get
together privately.

573
00:42:23,000 --> 00:42:25,120
The two are more than just
colleagues.

574
00:42:25,280 --> 00:42:29,320
They dine together, play golf
together and even go fishing.

575
00:42:29,480 --> 00:42:33,240
But Laurel and Hardy aren't
the best of buddies yet.

576
00:42:39,080 --> 00:42:41,280
Most people think that Stan
and Babe were very,

577
00:42:41,440 --> 00:42:43,960
very close from the very beginning
and that simply isn't true.

578
00:42:44,120 --> 00:42:47,640
There were friends
but they had different lives.

579
00:42:47,800 --> 00:42:51,560
Professionally, Laurel and Hardy
have just cleared a major hurdle -

580
00:42:51,680 --> 00:42:54,600
the introduction of the talkie.

581
00:42:54,760 --> 00:42:58,200
While many stars of silent movies
vanish without further ado,

582
00:42:58,360 --> 00:43:01,600
Stan and Ollie don't have any
problems adjusting.

583
00:43:03,920 --> 00:43:06,000
Well, how about a nice, cool drink?

584
00:43:06,160 --> 00:43:11,400
That's great, it'll just put me
in the mood. Yes.

585
00:43:11,560 --> 00:43:15,160
Nevertheless, Stan and Ollie only
talk about what's necessary,

586
00:43:15,320 --> 00:43:17,680
staying true to their comedy
tradition -

587
00:43:17,800 --> 00:43:20,680
the art of talking without words.

588
00:43:20,840 --> 00:43:24,040
They knew that if they had to talk
they cannot talk like everyone

589
00:43:24,160 --> 00:43:25,840
because they will become literal.

590
00:43:26,000 --> 00:43:29,560
They talked like mimes
have to talk when they talk.

591
00:43:31,280 --> 00:43:35,120
Well, here's another nice mess
you've gotten me into.

592
00:43:35,240 --> 00:43:36,960
Well, I couldn't...!

593
00:43:37,120 --> 00:43:41,120
Music is now added to movies
and Laurel

594
00:43:41,280 --> 00:43:44,720
and Hardy get their
unmistakable theme melody -

595
00:43:44,840 --> 00:43:47,000
the Cuckoo Song.

596
00:43:48,080 --> 00:43:52,480
THEY WHISTLE THEME TUNE THROUGHOUT

597
00:43:57,920 --> 00:44:00,600
That beats the hell outta
The High And The Mighty.

598
00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:03,640
In addition to the original
English versions,

599
00:44:03,800 --> 00:44:07,720
movie producer Hal Roach decides to
produce foreign language versions.

600
00:44:09,160 --> 00:44:12,160
But since post-production
synchronising is technically

601
00:44:12,320 --> 00:44:16,520
still not possible, every movie
is shot in different languages -

602
00:44:16,680 --> 00:44:20,800
in English, Spanish,
French and German.

603
00:44:33,400 --> 00:44:37,000
Nevertheless, the foreign
versions are a big success

604
00:44:37,160 --> 00:44:39,920
because they have their own
particular charm.

605
00:44:43,200 --> 00:44:46,720
VARIOUS LANGUAGES THROUGHOUT:

606
00:45:01,480 --> 00:45:03,600
HE MOANS

607
00:45:23,200 --> 00:45:26,320
The procedure quickly turns out
to be too complicated.

608
00:45:26,480 --> 00:45:29,360
But not long afterwards,
it becomes technically possible to

609
00:45:29,520 --> 00:45:32,720
synchronise the original
version in various languages.

610
00:45:32,880 --> 00:45:35,960
Here's the dubbed French
version of an MGM trailer that was

611
00:45:36,080 --> 00:45:37,480
believed to be lost.

612
00:45:37,640 --> 00:45:40,240
Laurel and Hardy demonstrate that,
as always,

613
00:45:40,360 --> 00:45:42,280
they have the right perspective.

614
00:45:44,120 --> 00:45:45,400
Oh!

615
00:45:46,680 --> 00:45:47,960
Oh.

616
00:45:50,320 --> 00:45:52,000
DUBBED IN FRENCH:

617
00:46:27,040 --> 00:46:30,840
In German, Laurel and Hardy
are also given suitable voices.

618
00:46:30,960 --> 00:46:32,280
IN GERMAN:

619
00:46:38,120 --> 00:46:41,560
The popular duo -
Walter Bluhm and Michael Habeck.

620
00:46:41,720 --> 00:46:44,400
The now deceased actor
was the voice of Ollie.

621
00:46:50,720 --> 00:46:55,000
Walter Bluhm, on the left,
was Laurel's voice.

622
00:46:55,120 --> 00:46:56,480
DUBBED IN GERMAN:

623
00:47:33,470 --> 00:47:35,870
The famous Hollywood Boulevard
in Los Angeles.

624
00:47:36,030 --> 00:47:39,070
Here on the Walk of Fame,
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy

625
00:47:39,230 --> 00:47:42,590
were given their stars
for their life achievements.

626
00:47:46,390 --> 00:47:51,190
In 1932 Laurel and Hardy achieve
a very special honour...

627
00:47:51,310 --> 00:47:52,870
on these steps.

628
00:47:53,030 --> 00:47:56,070
One of their most famous movies,
The Music Box,

629
00:47:56,230 --> 00:48:00,310
which receives an Oscar as the
Best Short Film, is shot here.

630
00:48:04,070 --> 00:48:07,550
That's the house up there,
right on top of the stoop.

631
00:48:25,070 --> 00:48:26,630
DOORBELL RINGS

632
00:48:37,270 --> 00:48:39,110
HE YELLS

633
00:48:49,230 --> 00:48:52,910
Buoyed by their Oscar, Stan
and Ollie take a break.

634
00:48:53,070 --> 00:48:55,950
They're given a written
leave of absence from Roach Studios

635
00:48:56,070 --> 00:48:57,790
for two months.

636
00:48:57,950 --> 00:49:00,550
They want to travel to
England together.

637
00:49:03,310 --> 00:49:09,070
Stan hadn't been home to England
to visit his father and his brother

638
00:49:09,230 --> 00:49:14,230
and so forth for a long time and
Oliver Hardy had never been there.

639
00:49:14,350 --> 00:49:17,630
So they decided to make a trip.

640
00:49:17,790 --> 00:49:21,710
New York Horbor.
On the 16th of July 1932

641
00:49:21,870 --> 00:49:25,870
Laurel and Hardy leave
here for England on a luxury liner.

642
00:49:28,590 --> 00:49:30,110
Southampton.

643
00:49:30,270 --> 00:49:33,870
As they enter the harbour
they can hardly believe their ears.

644
00:49:34,030 --> 00:49:38,350
The church bells are playing
their theme melody, the Cuckoo Song.

645
00:49:38,470 --> 00:49:42,870
Stan and Ollie are moved to tears.

646
00:49:43,030 --> 00:49:47,430
There were armies of people there.
Stan, I know, at the time said,

647
00:49:47,590 --> 00:49:50,310
"I turned around to see who
was on..."

648
00:49:50,470 --> 00:49:54,030
It was themselves. News had gotten
out that they were there.

649
00:49:54,190 --> 00:49:57,870
They had no idea that the
movies had been such

650
00:49:58,030 --> 00:50:03,670
ambassadors of joy for people, that
they were so curious about them.

651
00:50:05,030 --> 00:50:06,710
Wherever Stan and Ollie show up

652
00:50:06,870 --> 00:50:10,190
they are enthusiastically
celebrated by their fans.

653
00:50:19,910 --> 00:50:22,670
Laurel and Hardy take
a side trip to France.

654
00:50:22,830 --> 00:50:25,830
And they are also
received like guests of state.

655
00:50:40,590 --> 00:50:45,230
Stan and Ollie discover Paris.
They're still in a vacation mood.

656
00:50:45,350 --> 00:50:47,470
But what awaits them at home?

657
00:50:50,110 --> 00:50:54,350
Back in America, Stan had trouble
with Hal Roach because Hal

658
00:50:54,470 --> 00:50:57,990
was wanting to go into feature films

659
00:50:58,110 --> 00:51:00,350
because the theatres

660
00:51:00,510 --> 00:51:04,470
and the releasing companies all
wanted more and more feature films.

661
00:51:04,630 --> 00:51:06,870
They wanted to get
out of the shorts.

662
00:51:07,030 --> 00:51:11,550
Stan always felt that their kind
of comedy lent itself

663
00:51:11,670 --> 00:51:15,310
better to the short format.

664
00:51:15,430 --> 00:51:17,150
Roach gets his way.

665
00:51:17,310 --> 00:51:21,310
The crafty producer has Laurel
and Hardy sign separate contracts

666
00:51:21,430 --> 00:51:24,190
with different expiration dates.

667
00:51:24,350 --> 00:51:27,790
That had a big advantage for him
because if one of them

668
00:51:27,950 --> 00:51:31,350
didn't meet his demands he could
always threat to split up the team

669
00:51:31,510 --> 00:51:34,790
and to make solo films with them
or form another couple.

670
00:51:36,230 --> 00:51:39,350
And the producer threatened to do
that more than just once.

671
00:51:39,470 --> 00:51:41,310
Yet despite all the disputes,

672
00:51:41,470 --> 00:51:44,950
Laurel and Hardy continue to make
movies for Roach.

673
00:51:45,110 --> 00:51:49,470
And during this time they perfect
their unmistakable style of comedy.

674
00:51:49,630 --> 00:51:52,590
One of their basic principals
of comedy - tit for tat.

675
00:51:52,710 --> 00:51:55,510
"I'll do to you what you do to me."

676
00:51:58,790 --> 00:52:00,790
HE LAUGHS
Oh!

677
00:52:12,070 --> 00:52:14,230
Laurel and Hardy are now stars.

678
00:52:14,350 --> 00:52:16,750
And earn what you would expect.

679
00:52:16,870 --> 00:52:19,750
Babe gets around $100,000 a year.

680
00:52:19,910 --> 00:52:25,150
Stan gets about $140,000 because
he helps write the screenplays.

681
00:52:25,310 --> 00:52:30,390
The two are among the top earners,
comparable with today's superstars.

682
00:52:30,550 --> 00:52:34,550
But Babe continues to gamble
and loses lots of money

683
00:52:34,710 --> 00:52:37,950
at the horse races, and he has
a lot of back taxes to pay.

684
00:52:41,030 --> 00:52:45,150
Stan is seen more frequently
at his favourite bar after work.

685
00:52:45,310 --> 00:52:48,470
He's started drinking more
than he should, again.

686
00:52:50,430 --> 00:52:55,150
Stan's drinking began to
accelerate because he

687
00:52:55,310 --> 00:52:57,870
and Lois were going
to have a second baby

688
00:52:58,030 --> 00:53:01,470
and this turned out to be
a son that was born,

689
00:53:01,590 --> 00:53:04,430
and the baby only lived nine days.

690
00:53:04,590 --> 00:53:09,750
And that caused Stan to
start to drink too much.

691
00:53:09,910 --> 00:53:13,030
The marriage to Lois begins
heading for a crisis.

692
00:53:17,830 --> 00:53:22,150
Contrary to his movie character,
Stan is not frightened by females.

693
00:53:22,310 --> 00:53:25,670
In fact, he's quite attracted
to them.

694
00:53:25,830 --> 00:53:28,830
Oh, Stan was a ladies' man!
He was lovely.

695
00:53:28,990 --> 00:53:32,590
Stan liked my mother and I thought
this was a very good idea

696
00:53:32,750 --> 00:53:35,670
until she dumped him.
She said he was a womaniser

697
00:53:35,830 --> 00:53:38,110
and I don't know what had
gone on between them.

698
00:53:38,270 --> 00:53:40,950
It had been going
on for several months.

699
00:53:41,070 --> 00:53:43,110
And I asked Stan...

700
00:53:43,270 --> 00:53:45,950
She wouldn't tell me
what a womaniser meant

701
00:53:46,110 --> 00:53:49,270
and I asked Stan what womaniser
meant and he said,

702
00:53:49,390 --> 00:53:52,110
"Womaniser is something someone does

703
00:53:52,270 --> 00:53:55,270
"until they find what
they really want."

704
00:53:55,390 --> 00:53:58,190
And Stan looked for quite some time.

705
00:53:58,350 --> 00:54:00,790
The ladies' man has
a number of affairs.

706
00:54:00,910 --> 00:54:03,870
In 1935 Lois divorces him.

707
00:54:04,030 --> 00:54:08,630
But Stan falls in love again soon.
And he likes to get married.

708
00:54:10,270 --> 00:54:14,630
He had married his first wife once,
his second wife twice,

709
00:54:14,750 --> 00:54:17,150
his third wife three times.

710
00:54:17,270 --> 00:54:20,630
And his fourth and final wife once.

711
00:54:20,790 --> 00:54:24,030
So Stan ends up getting married
seven times.

712
00:54:24,150 --> 00:54:25,750
To four women.

713
00:54:28,510 --> 00:54:31,230
Ollie is also interested in women.

714
00:54:31,390 --> 00:54:35,750
He separates from his second
wife Myrtle in 1937.

715
00:54:35,910 --> 00:54:41,230
A few years later Babe falls in love
with a script girl, Lucille Jones.

716
00:54:41,390 --> 00:54:46,630
In 1940 the two are wed
and stay happily married.

717
00:54:46,750 --> 00:54:48,190
What's the matter?

718
00:54:48,310 --> 00:54:50,070
I don't know.

719
00:54:50,190 --> 00:54:52,070
I know.

720
00:54:52,190 --> 00:54:54,070
What?

721
00:54:54,190 --> 00:54:56,710
You're in love.

722
00:54:56,870 --> 00:54:59,230
In what?
In love.

723
00:54:59,350 --> 00:55:02,510
L-U-G-H. Love.

724
00:55:02,670 --> 00:55:05,830
Am I?
You certainly are.

725
00:55:05,950 --> 00:55:07,990
How can you tell?

726
00:55:08,150 --> 00:55:11,590
It's easy. Look at the silly,
sloppy look on your face.

727
00:55:11,710 --> 00:55:13,710
Look at it.

728
00:55:13,870 --> 00:55:17,070
While Laurel and Hardy continue
to make successful movies,

729
00:55:17,230 --> 00:55:20,390
the disputes behind the scenes
between the producer Roach

730
00:55:20,510 --> 00:55:22,310
and Stan become more frequent.

731
00:55:22,470 --> 00:55:25,670
Mostly about movie plots
and Stan's affairs,

732
00:55:25,790 --> 00:55:27,830
which invoke negative headlines.

733
00:55:27,950 --> 00:55:30,150
And also about money.

734
00:55:30,310 --> 00:55:32,750
In the end,
the producer fires Laurel.

735
00:55:32,910 --> 00:55:35,470
Stan refutes all
the claims that are made

736
00:55:35,630 --> 00:55:38,230
and the two adversaries
later head off to court.

737
00:55:42,350 --> 00:55:45,390
In the meantime, Roach goes on
making movies with Hardy.

738
00:55:45,550 --> 00:55:49,230
In Zenobia he stars together
with the comedian Harry Langdon.

739
00:55:49,350 --> 00:55:51,310
The movie flops.

740
00:55:51,470 --> 00:55:57,150
Mr Roach tried to team Oliver Hardy
with Harry Langdon

741
00:55:57,310 --> 00:56:00,990
to create another comedy team.
It didn't work.

742
00:56:01,110 --> 00:56:02,830
And Mr Roach realised that.

743
00:56:02,950 --> 00:56:06,470
So he had to have Stan Laurel back

744
00:56:06,630 --> 00:56:10,790
and they were able to reach
an agreement.

745
00:56:10,950 --> 00:56:14,950
But the relationship between the
producer Roach and Laurel and Hardy

746
00:56:15,070 --> 00:56:17,270
is irretrievably shattered.

747
00:56:17,390 --> 00:56:19,750
Only two new movies are made.

748
00:56:19,870 --> 00:56:23,350
In 1940 the party is finally over.

749
00:56:23,510 --> 00:56:26,310
Laurel and Hardy leave
the Roach Studios forever.

750
00:56:28,670 --> 00:56:31,790
Stan in particular hopes that the
separation will lead to more

751
00:56:31,910 --> 00:56:35,710
artistic freedom and more money.

752
00:56:35,870 --> 00:56:39,070
Isn't that swell? Now we're going to
be millionaires.

753
00:56:39,190 --> 00:56:41,630
But there are no new film offers.

754
00:56:41,790 --> 00:56:44,870
So the two decide to
try their luck on stage.

755
00:56:47,430 --> 00:56:52,430
Laurel and Hardy go on a 12-week
tour to major US cities.

756
00:56:52,590 --> 00:56:57,110
Here are the first exclusive
colour clips of their stage show.

757
00:56:57,270 --> 00:57:00,950
Stan and Ollie are the main
attraction with their skit.

758
00:57:13,790 --> 00:57:16,630
While World War II
is raging in Europe,

759
00:57:16,790 --> 00:57:19,750
Laurel and Hardy go on further
tours with other stars,

760
00:57:19,910 --> 00:57:23,510
to entertain American and British
troops in the Caribbean.

761
00:57:30,950 --> 00:57:33,590
After America's official entry
into the war,

762
00:57:33,710 --> 00:57:35,110
Laurel and Hardy commit themselves

763
00:57:35,270 --> 00:57:39,110
to the US donation tour
of the Hollywood Victory Caravan.

764
00:57:46,630 --> 00:57:51,030
America was raising money
for the war effort over in Europe,

765
00:57:51,190 --> 00:57:54,430
for the tanks and everything that
we were doing industrially,

766
00:57:54,550 --> 00:57:57,110
and they put 22 stars together,

767
00:57:57,270 --> 00:58:01,270
which included Cary Grant,
Jimmy Cagney, Bob Hope,

768
00:58:01,430 --> 00:58:06,070
Laurel and Hardy, of course,
and they played 13 cities.

769
00:58:08,110 --> 00:58:10,430
Laurel and Hardy shoot
an instructional movie

770
00:58:10,590 --> 00:58:14,630
on behalf of the US Department
of Agriculture, in colour.

771
00:58:14,790 --> 00:58:18,150
The two show what everyday products
include wood.

772
00:58:18,310 --> 00:58:21,550
Resources are supposed to be used
sparingly during the war.

773
00:58:26,150 --> 00:58:29,630
But for real movie offers,
Laurel and Hardy have to wait,

774
00:58:29,790 --> 00:58:32,190
after having
separated from producer Roach.

775
00:58:32,350 --> 00:58:35,030
But suddenly, one of Hollywood's
biggest studios

776
00:58:35,150 --> 00:58:36,550
gets in touch with them -

777
00:58:36,670 --> 00:58:38,270
20th Century Fox.

778
00:58:38,430 --> 00:58:41,550
Stan and Ollie are finally able
to make comedies again.

779
00:59:02,310 --> 00:59:04,150
That sounds screwy to me.

780
00:59:05,510 --> 00:59:08,030
But any old port in a storm.

781
00:59:09,230 --> 00:59:13,750
The quality of the screenplays they
get from Fox is generally miserable,

782
00:59:13,910 --> 00:59:17,390
and the people in charge
of the studios meddle

783
00:59:17,550 --> 00:59:19,950
with the personal appearance
of Laurel and Hardy.

784
00:59:21,550 --> 00:59:24,070
They wanted to tell Laurel
and Hardy what to wear.

785
00:59:24,230 --> 00:59:27,470
Well, Stan had already always
been in control of that.

786
00:59:27,630 --> 00:59:31,030
Stan always was the person
who decided these things,

787
00:59:31,190 --> 00:59:33,790
and all of a sudden he's not only
dealing with these studios

788
00:59:33,950 --> 00:59:37,190
who don't understand the characters,
and aren't interested in Stan

789
00:59:37,350 --> 00:59:39,990
and Babe's input into the scripts,
but that they're being

790
00:59:40,150 --> 00:59:42,710
moved and pushed around
and being told what to do.

791
00:59:42,830 --> 00:59:44,630
Stan never forgave them for that.

792
00:59:45,910 --> 00:59:49,990
Stan Laurel's Motion Picture
Employee ID from that period.

793
00:59:50,110 --> 00:59:52,310
He doesn't look very happy,

794
00:59:52,470 --> 00:59:56,550
because the movies he and Babe
made for MGM aren't any better,

795
00:59:56,710 --> 01:00:00,710
neither in an artistic sense, nor in
regard to conditions of production.

796
01:00:03,230 --> 01:00:06,750
Essentially, nothing
but trouble for Laurel and Hardy.

797
01:00:12,190 --> 01:00:16,990
They make eight movies
until 1944 for Fox and MGM,

798
01:00:17,110 --> 01:00:18,870
then their contracts expire.

799
01:00:20,030 --> 01:00:21,830
The Bullfighters is the last Laurel

800
01:00:21,990 --> 01:00:24,750
and Hardy movie for both
major studios,

801
01:00:24,910 --> 01:00:27,070
the end of a rapid downhill slide
set off

802
01:00:27,190 --> 01:00:29,070
by the comedy stars themselves,

803
01:00:29,230 --> 01:00:32,910
following their separation
from the movie producer Hal Roach.

804
01:00:35,710 --> 01:00:37,990
Well, that's that.

805
01:00:38,110 --> 01:00:40,590
No use crying over split milk.

806
01:00:40,750 --> 01:00:43,230
Well, I guess we'd better be going,
eh? Come on.

807
01:00:43,390 --> 01:00:46,670
You go ahead. What's the matter?
Aren't you going out with me?

808
01:00:48,230 --> 01:00:50,150
I want to be...

809
01:00:51,350 --> 01:00:52,630
..alone.

810
01:01:10,390 --> 01:01:13,590
In 1946, Stan marries Ida,

811
01:01:13,710 --> 01:01:16,630
his last and happiest marriage.

812
01:01:16,750 --> 01:01:19,830
And Babe is happy with his Lucille.

813
01:01:19,990 --> 01:01:24,310
Hardy has time to pursue his hobbies
- in particular, cooking.

814
01:01:24,470 --> 01:01:28,390
He was really a gourmet.
He loved food,

815
01:01:28,550 --> 01:01:31,670
but he was very
selective in his food.

816
01:01:31,830 --> 01:01:34,150
A nice porterhouse steak smothered
with onions... Yes, sir.

817
01:01:34,310 --> 01:01:38,870
..a baked potato, lima beans,
buttered beets, a combination salad.

818
01:01:39,030 --> 01:01:42,150
Now, for dessert, I think I'll
have a double portion of apple pie

819
01:01:42,310 --> 01:01:45,030
with a large piece of American
cream cheese.

820
01:01:46,510 --> 01:01:51,310
Although Ollie loves to eat, he is
quite unhappy about his weight.

821
01:01:51,470 --> 01:01:56,470
He hated being fat,
and it's something that...

822
01:01:57,790 --> 01:02:00,030
Too many people didn't know that.

823
01:02:00,150 --> 01:02:01,350
He'd walk up behind me...

824
01:02:01,510 --> 01:02:04,670
For instance, I'd be at my dressing
table, or be in front

825
01:02:04,830 --> 01:02:07,990
of a mirror, and he'd walk up behind
me, and he'd say, "Look at me.

826
01:02:08,150 --> 01:02:12,670
"Look at me. How could you love a
great big fat man like me?"

827
01:02:12,790 --> 01:02:13,910
I mean, that's...

828
01:02:14,070 --> 01:02:17,590
That's something I've never told
anyone before in my life,

829
01:02:17,710 --> 01:02:18,870
but it was...

830
01:02:19,030 --> 01:02:22,550
I mean, it's one of those little
personal things

831
01:02:22,710 --> 01:02:26,150
that do happen
between a man and a wife.

832
01:02:26,310 --> 01:02:30,270
On the other hand, Babe knows,
of course, that his corpulence

833
01:02:30,430 --> 01:02:33,630
also helped to contribute to
the success of Laurel and Hardy,

834
01:02:33,790 --> 01:02:37,270
and he and Stan want to get
back into the thick of showbiz,

835
01:02:37,430 --> 01:02:42,830
but new film offers fail to show up.
Stan and Ollie are unemployed.

836
01:02:42,950 --> 01:02:44,910
Well, here we are at last,

837
01:02:45,030 --> 01:02:47,390
right down in the gutter.

838
01:02:47,510 --> 01:02:49,550
I wonder what's the matter with us.

839
01:02:49,670 --> 01:02:51,150
We're just as good as other people,

840
01:02:51,310 --> 01:02:53,550
yet we don't seem
to advance ourselves.

841
01:02:53,670 --> 01:02:54,710
We never get anyplace.

842
01:03:04,510 --> 01:03:06,070
BOAT HORN BLARES

843
01:03:06,190 --> 01:03:08,270
Theatre instead of movies.

844
01:03:08,390 --> 01:03:10,310
Better than staying unemployed.

845
01:03:10,470 --> 01:03:12,910
Laurel and Hardy need the money,
anyway,

846
01:03:13,070 --> 01:03:16,590
so they leave New York for
England in 1947.

847
01:03:27,550 --> 01:03:31,470
Laurel and Hardy are greeted
by thousands in Southampton.

848
01:03:31,630 --> 01:03:34,630
Stan and Ollie are still
superstars in Europe.

849
01:03:34,790 --> 01:03:38,070
Their fans are unaware
of their career slump in America.

850
01:03:41,230 --> 01:03:44,350
Previously unreleased
scenes from the newsreel.

851
01:03:45,710 --> 01:03:47,830
What do you intend
to do now that you're here?

852
01:03:48,950 --> 01:03:50,430
Well, it...

853
01:03:52,070 --> 01:03:54,030
I haven't quite made up my mind yet.

854
01:03:54,150 --> 01:03:56,110
What about you, Mr Laurel?

855
01:03:56,270 --> 01:03:59,950
Well, if he hasn't made up his mind,
I can't do anything about it.

856
01:04:07,270 --> 01:04:08,470
Bye.

857
01:04:23,190 --> 01:04:26,790
Stan and Ollie's tour starts here,
in London.

858
01:04:26,910 --> 01:04:29,230
The fans want to see their idols.

859
01:04:32,910 --> 01:04:36,870
Laurel and Hardy now perform onstage
what they used to do in the movies -

860
01:04:37,990 --> 01:04:40,870
a turbulent comedy
full of slapstick scenes.

861
01:04:42,230 --> 01:04:46,830
Stan and Ollie live, the way
their fans know and love them

862
01:04:46,950 --> 01:04:48,670
from the movies.

863
01:04:52,150 --> 01:04:56,150
It was a huge success, almost
like a royal visit, in effect.

864
01:04:56,310 --> 01:04:58,950
There were so many people there that
were interested in just

865
01:04:59,110 --> 01:05:01,990
seeing them in the flesh,
and they played twice a week,

866
01:05:02,150 --> 01:05:05,150
sometimes three times a week,
all over the country,

867
01:05:05,270 --> 01:05:07,150
right from London to Scotland.

868
01:05:07,270 --> 01:05:08,310
Boy, is this the life?

869
01:05:08,470 --> 01:05:12,070
Mm-hm. These English colleges
certainly give you the works.

870
01:05:12,190 --> 01:05:13,390
Don't they, though?

871
01:05:13,550 --> 01:05:15,910
In addition to their stage
performances,

872
01:05:16,070 --> 01:05:20,110
Laurel and Hardy are invited to
official events as guests of honour,

873
01:05:20,270 --> 01:05:24,750
such as here, at the ceremony
in 1947 for the British Film Award.

874
01:05:28,190 --> 01:05:31,310
Ulverston, Stan's birthplace.

875
01:05:31,470 --> 01:05:34,230
Laurel and Hardy take advantage
of their stay in England

876
01:05:34,350 --> 01:05:35,950
for a side trip here.

877
01:05:36,110 --> 01:05:38,710
There were such
a lot of people around, and I said,

878
01:05:38,870 --> 01:05:41,270
"What's going on?"
"Oh, Laurel and Hardy's coming."

879
01:05:41,390 --> 01:05:43,150
So we went up and stood

880
01:05:43,310 --> 01:05:47,550
and watched them come along
in their open car with their wives,

881
01:05:47,710 --> 01:05:51,670
and they went up onto
the balcony of the Coronation Hall.

882
01:05:56,550 --> 01:06:00,430
Laurel and Hardy, together
on the trail of Stan's past.

883
01:06:00,590 --> 01:06:03,590
The two of them visit the house
where Stan was born.

884
01:06:07,430 --> 01:06:09,710
The trip to Ulverston.

885
01:06:09,870 --> 01:06:13,670
For Stan, as he later recalls, it is
one of the nicest days of his life.

886
01:06:15,110 --> 01:06:18,630
These statues now commemorate
the town's most famous son,

887
01:06:18,750 --> 01:06:20,790
and his comedy partner.

888
01:06:20,910 --> 01:06:22,990
For us? Certainly! Right.

889
01:06:24,510 --> 01:06:28,670
The music hall tour is extended
due to its tremendous success.

890
01:06:28,790 --> 01:06:31,510
Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and France.

891
01:06:32,990 --> 01:06:35,550
Previously unreleased
clips from Paris.

892
01:06:35,710 --> 01:06:39,150
The two are also frenetically
celebrated here.

893
01:06:39,310 --> 01:06:42,230
Laurel and Hardy
are a well-rehearsed team

894
01:06:42,390 --> 01:06:44,550
who easily slip
into their comic roles.

895
01:06:49,270 --> 01:06:53,670
HARDY SPEAKS FRENCH

896
01:06:53,790 --> 01:06:55,870
CROWD LAUGHS

897
01:06:55,990 --> 01:06:57,510
And you, Laurel.

898
01:07:04,070 --> 01:07:05,790
Well, say something nice.

899
01:07:05,950 --> 01:07:09,590
Well, ladies and gentlemen,
I'm sorry I can't speak French,

900
01:07:09,710 --> 01:07:12,510
but we're very happy and delighted

901
01:07:12,670 --> 01:07:15,630
to be invited to this
wonderful occasion this evening.

902
01:07:15,750 --> 01:07:17,870
PRESENTER SPEAKS FRENCH

903
01:07:22,030 --> 01:07:26,350
The tour is so successful,
it is extended several times.

904
01:07:26,510 --> 01:07:29,310
Instead of the originally
scheduled six weeks,

905
01:07:29,470 --> 01:07:33,990
it's a whole 11 months before
Laurel and Hardy return to the USA.

906
01:07:34,150 --> 01:07:38,190
Well, Stanley,
a very profitable evening.

907
01:07:38,350 --> 01:07:40,390
What about a little refreshment?
That's a good idea.

908
01:07:40,510 --> 01:07:41,990
Come, Stanley.

909
01:07:46,250 --> 01:07:50,690
Their great stage success leads to
a new movie offer in the early '50s,

910
01:07:50,850 --> 01:07:54,650
after being abstinent from
the big screen for five years.

911
01:07:54,810 --> 01:07:57,490
But Laurel and Hardy won't be
filming in the USA.

912
01:07:57,650 --> 01:08:00,450
They'll be working on a film
in Europe for the first time,

913
01:08:00,610 --> 01:08:04,170
a French-Italian co-production
entitled Atoll K.

914
01:08:07,850 --> 01:08:10,810
Stan travels to Paris
before Ollie does.

915
01:08:10,970 --> 01:08:13,450
He wants to go over the screenplay
and add some gags,

916
01:08:13,610 --> 01:08:17,050
if necessary, and that proves
to be very necessary.

917
01:08:30,810 --> 01:08:33,450
Stan completely rewrites
the screenplay,

918
01:08:33,610 --> 01:08:37,130
with the help of gag writers
he has flown in from America.

919
01:08:40,530 --> 01:08:43,850
In June of 1950,
Babe arrives in Paris.

920
01:08:43,970 --> 01:08:45,610
It's the first time

921
01:08:45,770 --> 01:08:47,970
Stan and Ollie have
seen each other in quite a while.

922
01:08:54,170 --> 01:08:56,690
During the course of so many years,

923
01:08:56,850 --> 01:08:59,570
Stan and Ollie have become
especially close friends,

924
01:08:59,730 --> 01:09:02,930
particularly because of
their music hall tours.

925
01:09:03,090 --> 01:09:05,570
They got to spend more time
together, actually.

926
01:09:05,690 --> 01:09:08,370
They were as close as brothers.

927
01:09:08,530 --> 01:09:12,210
Really close. I would say they're
closer than brothers,

928
01:09:12,370 --> 01:09:15,890
and they had
so much respect for each other.

929
01:09:16,050 --> 01:09:19,490
They loved each other. There was
never, ever arguments.

930
01:09:19,610 --> 01:09:20,930
It's amazing.

931
01:09:21,090 --> 01:09:25,410
There is no better love story of
the Hollywood comedy than

932
01:09:25,570 --> 01:09:28,210
the love and respect for Stan
and Babe.

933
01:09:28,370 --> 01:09:32,130
Nothing. Nothing has ever come
close, and nothing ever will.

934
01:09:32,290 --> 01:09:35,210
The strange love
story between Laurel and Hardy,

935
01:09:35,370 --> 01:09:38,370
who don't only highly respect
and appreciate each other.

936
01:09:38,490 --> 01:09:40,610
They also love each other.

937
01:09:40,770 --> 01:09:43,890
A true friendship between men,
which developed over decades,

938
01:09:44,050 --> 01:09:47,690
and was never more than that,
as rumours have sometimes claimed.

939
01:09:56,370 --> 01:09:58,890
All right.
Let's get a room with twin beds.

940
01:09:59,010 --> 01:10:00,850
Why twin beds?

941
01:10:00,970 --> 01:10:02,890
One for me.

942
01:10:03,010 --> 01:10:05,410
Well, I can't sleep with the monkey!

943
01:10:05,530 --> 01:10:07,370
Oh, she won't mind.

944
01:10:07,530 --> 01:10:09,850
I think that those rumours come
out of the fact that these men

945
01:10:10,010 --> 01:10:12,490
were so close and spent so much time
together, but I don't think

946
01:10:12,650 --> 01:10:14,210
that those rumours are all that
evident,

947
01:10:14,330 --> 01:10:15,250
and the reason for that

948
01:10:15,410 --> 01:10:18,650
is because both Stan and Babe
were always getting married.

949
01:10:18,810 --> 01:10:20,290
They were always involved
with women.

950
01:10:20,450 --> 01:10:22,330
They were always having these
relationships,

951
01:10:22,490 --> 01:10:24,210
and I think they were...
I think, if anything,

952
01:10:24,370 --> 01:10:27,010
Stan and Babe were very secure
in their masculinity.

953
01:10:27,170 --> 01:10:29,570
I think they were very
secure about themselves.

954
01:10:29,730 --> 01:10:32,530
Well, what's the matter with her,
anyway? Oh, I don't know.

955
01:10:34,210 --> 01:10:37,210
She says that I think more of you
than I do of her.

956
01:10:40,050 --> 01:10:43,050
Well, you do, don't you?

957
01:10:43,170 --> 01:10:44,570
We won't go into that.

958
01:10:49,650 --> 01:10:53,650
In France, Laurel and Hardy
have worse problems to deal with

959
01:10:53,810 --> 01:10:56,690
than just warding off
baseless rumours,

960
01:10:56,850 --> 01:10:59,650
because once shooting
finally begins in Marseilles,

961
01:10:59,770 --> 01:11:02,210
the next problem materialises -

962
01:11:02,370 --> 01:11:06,650
the various languages of the actors,
French and Italian.

963
01:11:26,050 --> 01:11:28,170
Wiggle your ears. What?
Wiggle your ears.

964
01:11:33,370 --> 01:11:37,170
Fortunately, Sylvette Baudrot
from France was on the set.

965
01:11:37,330 --> 01:11:39,930
It was her first job
as a script girl.

966
01:11:43,530 --> 01:11:46,730
We were only five script
girl in France speaking English.

967
01:11:48,290 --> 01:11:51,730
I was lucky to understand
and speak a little bit of Italian.

968
01:11:51,890 --> 01:11:55,290
So Sylvette Baudrot
becomes the unofficial interpreter,

969
01:11:55,410 --> 01:11:58,690
especially for Laurel and Hardy.

970
01:12:00,570 --> 01:12:02,410
The set of the movie's atoll

971
01:12:02,570 --> 01:12:05,610
is the peninsula Cap Roux
on the Cote d'Azur.

972
01:12:06,810 --> 01:12:11,250
The summer of 1950
is one of the century's hottest.

973
01:12:11,410 --> 01:12:16,290
Extreme conditions for the film
crew. Babe has heart problems,

974
01:12:16,410 --> 01:12:18,450
and Stan isn't any better off.

975
01:12:18,570 --> 01:12:20,770
He gets sick and loses weight,

976
01:12:20,890 --> 01:12:22,250
but he continues to film.

977
01:12:39,130 --> 01:12:43,810
While Hardy improves, Stan is
hardly able to stay on his feet.

978
01:12:43,930 --> 01:12:45,450
Shooting has to be interrupted.

979
01:12:48,010 --> 01:12:50,930
He's admitted to
the American Hospital of Paris,

980
01:12:51,050 --> 01:12:53,130
and operated on his prostate gland.

981
01:12:57,690 --> 01:13:00,210
While Stan has to lie in hospital,

982
01:13:00,370 --> 01:13:03,290
Ollie and his wife Lucille
wait patiently.

983
01:13:03,410 --> 01:13:06,210
The two of them explore Paris.

984
01:13:06,370 --> 01:13:09,770
Once, I went to see Hardy
and his wife.

985
01:13:09,890 --> 01:13:11,930
He brought me on his balcony,

986
01:13:12,090 --> 01:13:19,370
and his balcony
was full of boxes full of wine.

987
01:13:19,530 --> 01:13:24,010
Bottles of wine. And he said,
"Do you want some white wine?"

988
01:13:24,130 --> 01:13:26,090
I said, "No, I prefer red wine."

989
01:13:35,570 --> 01:13:38,690
Stan lost 60lb when he was ill.

990
01:13:38,850 --> 01:13:42,010
Shooting can't be continued
until December of 1950,

991
01:13:42,130 --> 01:13:43,850
in a Parisian studio.

992
01:13:45,970 --> 01:13:48,570
Stan begins to recover, slowly.

993
01:13:48,730 --> 01:13:52,810
After shooting is done for the day,
he enjoys the "varietes" of Paris.

994
01:13:52,970 --> 01:13:55,130
He particularly likes
to get together

995
01:13:55,290 --> 01:13:58,210
with a young unknown pantomime,
Marcel Marceau.

996
01:14:00,250 --> 01:14:04,130
Valerie Bochenek, who is later
one of Marceau's dearest colleagues,

997
01:14:04,290 --> 01:14:06,770
knows how Marceau used a trick
to meet Laurel.

998
01:14:08,610 --> 01:14:10,450
In order to lure Stan to his show,

999
01:14:10,610 --> 01:14:14,690
Marceau organised a short circuit
in Stan's hotel room.

1000
01:14:14,850 --> 01:14:18,010
He then sent the stage electrician
to repair it.

1001
01:15:01,530 --> 01:15:03,570
Why do I have to always
do everything?

1002
01:15:06,730 --> 01:15:09,810
Always me, me, me.

1003
01:15:09,930 --> 01:15:13,330
In fact, Stan is wowed by Marceau.

1004
01:15:13,450 --> 01:15:15,650
He recognises his potential.

1005
01:15:16,930 --> 01:15:19,890
I remember he came at that time
to our show,

1006
01:15:20,010 --> 01:15:22,490
and we had prepared champagne.

1007
01:15:22,610 --> 01:15:24,330
We were so happy, you know?

1008
01:15:24,490 --> 01:15:29,210
We had, for us, a case of champagne,
and he arrived.

1009
01:15:29,370 --> 01:15:31,610
He said he could not drink
champagne.

1010
01:15:31,770 --> 01:15:33,570
He only drank mineral water,
you see.

1011
01:15:34,850 --> 01:15:37,130
It was an expensive affair
for Marcel Marceau,

1012
01:15:37,290 --> 01:15:39,570
but Stan didn't want to drink
any alcohol

1013
01:15:39,730 --> 01:15:41,650
such a short time
after his operation.

1014
01:15:43,050 --> 01:15:45,850
The Viennese photographer
Erich Lessing

1015
01:15:46,010 --> 01:15:47,810
was living in Paris in 1950.

1016
01:15:47,970 --> 01:15:52,410
He took pictures in the dressing
room for his friend Marcel Marceau.

1017
01:15:52,570 --> 01:15:55,050
The pantomime didn't need
an interpreter.

1018
01:16:06,770 --> 01:16:08,850
Stan becomes Marceau's
biggest promoter,

1019
01:16:09,010 --> 01:16:12,010
first helping him to achieve
nationwide success in France,

1020
01:16:12,130 --> 01:16:14,130
and then international success.

1021
01:16:14,290 --> 01:16:19,050
The shooting of Atoll K - it is
still a battle, not only for Stan.

1022
01:16:31,850 --> 01:16:35,490
Both comedians want to go back
to America as soon as possible

1023
01:16:35,650 --> 01:16:38,570
after the stormy
film-making process.

1024
01:16:38,730 --> 01:16:41,770
In April of 1951,
they're finally finished.

1025
01:16:41,890 --> 01:16:43,450
HE BLOWS WHISTLE

1026
01:16:43,610 --> 01:16:46,170
The movie is in the can
for Laurel and Hardy.

1027
01:16:46,330 --> 01:16:51,010
The 12 weeks which were originally
scheduled have become 12 months.

1028
01:16:51,130 --> 01:16:54,250
Oh, he was very upset about that.

1029
01:16:54,370 --> 01:16:56,010
It was very, very, very hard.

1030
01:16:56,170 --> 01:17:01,250
He never saw... You know,
shown...the final cut.

1031
01:17:01,410 --> 01:17:03,250
He never did...
He didn't want to see it.

1032
01:17:05,450 --> 01:17:09,050
Atoll K is Laurel and Hardy's
final movie.

1033
01:17:09,210 --> 01:17:12,010
Internationally,
it's a commercial success,

1034
01:17:12,170 --> 01:17:14,450
and definitely
not their worst comedy.

1035
01:17:27,170 --> 01:17:29,730
In 1952 and 1953,

1036
01:17:29,890 --> 01:17:33,730
Laurel and Hardy go on further
music hall tours in Great Britain.

1037
01:17:37,490 --> 01:17:40,770
That is where these previously
unreleased clips

1038
01:17:40,890 --> 01:17:42,090
of Stan and Ollie were made,

1039
01:17:42,210 --> 01:17:43,850
filmed by a fan.

1040
01:17:51,850 --> 01:17:55,490
In early 1954,
Ollie suffers a heart attack.

1041
01:17:57,170 --> 01:17:59,770
All of their shows
have to be cancelled.

1042
01:17:59,930 --> 01:18:05,450
Laurel and Hardy close their
theatrical wardrobe trunks forever.

1043
01:18:09,090 --> 01:18:11,530
After Ollie has gradually recovered,

1044
01:18:11,690 --> 01:18:15,450
they travel back to the USA
onboard the MS Manchuria.

1045
01:18:18,050 --> 01:18:20,210
Hey, Ollie? What?

1046
01:18:20,330 --> 01:18:21,770
Where are you going?

1047
01:18:21,890 --> 01:18:23,970
Back to American for me!

1048
01:18:24,090 --> 01:18:25,290
DOOR SLAMS

1049
01:18:25,410 --> 01:18:26,530
Hey, Ollie!

1050
01:18:26,650 --> 01:18:28,090
Ollie!

1051
01:18:28,250 --> 01:18:31,050
SOBBING: Aren't you going
to take me with you?

1052
01:18:31,170 --> 01:18:33,690
TV is the latest rage in the USA.

1053
01:18:35,010 --> 01:18:37,210
Stan and Ollie make
a few appearances,

1054
01:18:37,370 --> 01:18:41,570
like here in 1954,
on the cult show This Is Your Life.

1055
01:18:43,490 --> 01:18:46,210
They're given an offer to make TV
comedies in colour...

1056
01:18:46,330 --> 01:18:48,970
INADUDIBLE CHATTER ON TV

1057
01:18:50,210 --> 01:18:54,410
..but on the 25th of April,
Stan suffers a stroke.

1058
01:18:54,570 --> 01:18:56,690
Ten days before shooting
was to begin,

1059
01:18:56,810 --> 01:18:58,810
the project has to be cancelled.

1060
01:19:01,490 --> 01:19:06,090
Stan shows signs of paralysis in one
of his legs. He can hardly walk.

1061
01:19:07,210 --> 01:19:10,330
It takes over a year
for him to basically recover.

1062
01:19:15,130 --> 01:19:17,730
Babe also depends on his doctors.

1063
01:19:17,850 --> 01:19:20,210
They put him on a diet,

1064
01:19:20,330 --> 01:19:22,850
and he loses a lot of weight,

1065
01:19:22,970 --> 01:19:25,690
up to 150lb, as much as Stan weighs.

1066
01:19:26,890 --> 01:19:29,530
The two friends meet
as often as possible.

1067
01:19:29,690 --> 01:19:33,450
Here are the last film clips
of Stan and Babe together.

1068
01:19:38,410 --> 01:19:41,010
The last official photograph
of the two.

1069
01:19:41,170 --> 01:19:45,610
Shortly afterwards, Oliver Hardy
suffers a severe stroke.

1070
01:19:45,730 --> 01:19:47,970
Babe is almost completely paralysed.

1071
01:19:48,130 --> 01:19:51,490
He can hardly eat,
and is unable to speak.

1072
01:19:51,610 --> 01:19:53,930
Stan came to see him several times.

1073
01:19:54,090 --> 01:19:58,090
Sometimes, Babe would recognise him,
sometimes he wouldn't,

1074
01:19:58,250 --> 01:20:02,490
because at times he would be lucid.
Other times, he wouldn't.

1075
01:20:02,650 --> 01:20:05,930
Oliver Hardy suffers
two further strokes.

1076
01:20:06,090 --> 01:20:11,530
On the seventh of August 1957,
his heart stops beating.

1077
01:20:11,690 --> 01:20:14,170
Obituaries are published
all over the world.

1078
01:20:15,690 --> 01:20:17,810
Stan is shocked.

1079
01:20:17,970 --> 01:20:21,370
Although he knew that his friend
and partner was incurably ill,

1080
01:20:21,490 --> 01:20:23,170
his death hits him hard.

1081
01:20:24,490 --> 01:20:27,730
Stan's doctor advises him
not to attend Babe's funeral.

1082
01:20:29,050 --> 01:20:33,570
Oliver Norvell Hardy is
buried at Valhalla Memorial Cemetery

1083
01:20:33,690 --> 01:20:35,170
in Los Angeles.

1084
01:20:37,170 --> 01:20:42,930
The inscription on his gravestone
reads...

1085
01:21:11,530 --> 01:21:15,050
Stan Laurel retires
from show business, forever.

1086
01:21:16,530 --> 01:21:19,050
He never wants to perform again
without his friend

1087
01:21:19,170 --> 01:21:20,570
and comedy partner.

1088
01:21:20,690 --> 01:21:22,450
LOUD WHISTLE

1089
01:21:22,570 --> 01:21:23,850
Hey, Stan!

1090
01:21:24,970 --> 01:21:27,530
Look! I'm over here!

1091
01:21:30,410 --> 01:21:33,810
Well, here's another nice mess
you've gotten me into.

1092
01:21:38,530 --> 01:21:41,530
Ollie, is that really you?

1093
01:21:41,690 --> 01:21:44,250
Of course it's me.
Gee, I'm glad to see you.

1094
01:21:48,050 --> 01:21:51,330
Stan lives
in the Oceania Apartment Hotel

1095
01:21:51,490 --> 01:21:53,770
in Santa Monica,
with his wife Ida.

1096
01:21:53,890 --> 01:21:55,650
He liked the hotel living.

1097
01:21:57,370 --> 01:22:00,210
The maid service everyday, you know,
it just... It was convenient.

1098
01:22:00,370 --> 01:22:02,090
You didn't have to put out
the garbage.

1099
01:22:02,210 --> 01:22:03,530
You didn't have to do this.

1100
01:22:05,810 --> 01:22:08,530
Stan doesn't get a cent
for the Laurel and Hardy movies,

1101
01:22:08,650 --> 01:22:10,610
which were a great success on TV.

1102
01:22:12,530 --> 01:22:15,570
There's not much left
of the money he's earned.

1103
01:22:15,730 --> 01:22:19,170
A large part of it has gone to
pay for this three ex-wives,

1104
01:22:19,330 --> 01:22:22,490
but, despite rumours
that claim the opposite,

1105
01:22:22,610 --> 01:22:24,730
he's financially well-settled.

1106
01:22:24,890 --> 01:22:28,810
I can't say "wealthy",
but he certainly wasn't in need.

1107
01:22:28,930 --> 01:22:31,850
He had some money invested.

1108
01:22:31,970 --> 01:22:33,930
He said he had an income,

1109
01:22:34,090 --> 01:22:39,250
but it was modest compared to what
some people today would have.

1110
01:22:39,370 --> 01:22:41,610
I mean, it wouldn't compare at all.

1111
01:22:41,770 --> 01:22:47,130
That was a lucky break. What are you
going to do with your $1,000?

1112
01:22:47,290 --> 01:22:50,650
I'm going to buy $1,000 worth
of chocolate ice cream.

1113
01:22:53,210 --> 01:22:56,890
Stan primarily spends his days
personally answering fan mail

1114
01:22:57,010 --> 01:22:58,450
from all over the world.

1115
01:23:07,850 --> 01:23:10,170
Laurel and Hardy have gained
many new fans

1116
01:23:10,290 --> 01:23:11,930
through the TV broadcasts...

1117
01:23:13,250 --> 01:23:15,490
..and Stan takes time for them.

1118
01:23:15,650 --> 01:23:19,050
He welcomes fans, allowing them
to take pictures and make films.

1119
01:23:20,650 --> 01:23:24,570
Previously unreleased
clips from his 74th birthday.

1120
01:23:31,730 --> 01:23:35,010
Stan is also visited
by film students.

1121
01:23:35,130 --> 01:23:37,130
The Englishman Jordan Reynolds

1122
01:23:37,290 --> 01:23:39,490
studied in California
in the early '60s,

1123
01:23:39,610 --> 01:23:41,690
and met Laurel.

1124
01:23:41,810 --> 01:23:43,330
I think he was very happy.

1125
01:23:43,490 --> 01:23:46,210
He enjoyed the company of young
people very much,

1126
01:23:46,370 --> 01:23:52,010
and he regularly
had tea with students,

1127
01:23:52,170 --> 01:23:56,610
and he took an interest in me
because I was from London.

1128
01:23:56,770 --> 01:23:59,810
Lots of celebrities
also go to see Stan.

1129
01:23:59,970 --> 01:24:03,650
They ask him for advice,
or they simply want to meet him.

1130
01:24:03,810 --> 01:24:08,410
Among them were Dick Van Dyke,
Jerry Lewis, Danny Kaye,

1131
01:24:08,530 --> 01:24:10,210
Peter Sellers, Alec Guinness...

1132
01:24:10,370 --> 01:24:12,770
He was absolutely
shocked that Alec Guinness,

1133
01:24:12,930 --> 01:24:15,930
one of Britain's greatest stars,
wanted to meet him.

1134
01:24:16,050 --> 01:24:17,250
He was always fasci...

1135
01:24:17,410 --> 01:24:19,130
He didn't see himself
on that same level,

1136
01:24:19,290 --> 01:24:21,290
and so when these people would
come to his home -

1137
01:24:21,450 --> 01:24:24,050
Peter Ustinov, Jerry Lewis,
people like that -

1138
01:24:24,210 --> 01:24:27,850
he was just absolutely
amazed that they wanted to see him.

1139
01:24:30,010 --> 01:24:33,810
In 1961, Stan is given
a late honour.

1140
01:24:33,970 --> 01:24:37,410
He receives
a Lifetime Achievement Oscar.

1141
01:24:37,570 --> 01:24:41,490
To him, it's a recognition
of the work of Laurel and Hardy,

1142
01:24:41,650 --> 01:24:44,610
an award he would gladly
have shared with Babe.

1143
01:24:48,890 --> 01:24:51,610
Stan calls the Oscar Mr Clean.

1144
01:24:51,770 --> 01:24:55,330
He thinks the statue looks
like the logo for the cleaning fluid

1145
01:24:55,450 --> 01:24:56,930
known as Mr Clean.

1146
01:25:03,010 --> 01:25:08,450
In 1964, fans and friends of Stan
found The Sons Of The Desert,

1147
01:25:08,610 --> 01:25:12,410
a club named after the Laurel
and Hardy movie of the same title.

1148
01:25:14,490 --> 01:25:17,290
# We are the sons of the desert

1149
01:25:17,410 --> 01:25:20,330
# Having the time of our lives

1150
01:25:20,450 --> 01:25:22,130
# Marching along

1151
01:25:22,250 --> 01:25:23,730
# Two thousand strong

1152
01:25:23,850 --> 01:25:26,010
# Far from our sweethearts and wives

1153
01:25:26,130 --> 01:25:27,370
# God bless them

1154
01:25:27,530 --> 01:25:30,770
# Tramp, tramp, tramp,
the boys are marching

1155
01:25:30,890 --> 01:25:34,250
# And dancing to this melody

1156
01:25:34,370 --> 01:25:36,650
# La la la la la,

1157
01:25:36,770 --> 01:25:39,530
# La la la-la la-la la

1158
01:25:39,650 --> 01:25:42,890
# Sons of the desert are we. #

1159
01:25:44,730 --> 01:25:49,050
Worldwide, there are now more than
200 Sons Of The Desert chapters,

1160
01:25:49,210 --> 01:25:52,610
called tents, with several
tens of thousands of members.

1161
01:25:52,770 --> 01:25:55,770
Like here, in Holland,
they hold national

1162
01:25:55,890 --> 01:25:57,290
and international conventions.

1163
01:25:57,450 --> 01:26:01,130
The Sons Of The Desert go on outings
together, they watch Laurel

1164
01:26:01,290 --> 01:26:04,210
and Hardy movies, and they celebrate
the two comedians.

1165
01:26:04,330 --> 01:26:06,330
Because they are so very funny.

1166
01:26:06,490 --> 01:26:09,770
You always see that
when they have trouble,

1167
01:26:09,930 --> 01:26:11,850
and they always get
out of the trouble.

1168
01:26:11,970 --> 01:26:13,290
That's so nice of it.

1169
01:26:13,410 --> 01:26:14,890
It's a good thing.

1170
01:26:15,050 --> 01:26:17,650
Live the life of Laurel and Hardy,
and you have a good life.

1171
01:26:17,770 --> 01:26:19,490
At the convention in Holland,

1172
01:26:19,650 --> 01:26:22,450
we meet Stan's great-granddaughter
Cassidy Cook.

1173
01:26:22,610 --> 01:26:25,970
It's amazing that still today,
people come and appreciate

1174
01:26:26,130 --> 01:26:28,170
and laugh,
and the can watch these movies,

1175
01:26:28,290 --> 01:26:29,970
and they're timeless and classic.

1176
01:26:31,330 --> 01:26:32,330
It's just...

1177
01:26:32,490 --> 01:26:35,490
It's beautiful to know that that's
part of my family history.

1178
01:26:35,650 --> 01:26:38,850
At conventions like this one,
everybody is a real Laurel

1179
01:26:38,970 --> 01:26:40,290
and Hardy fan,

1180
01:26:40,450 --> 01:26:43,410
including, of course,
the lookalikes.

1181
01:26:43,530 --> 01:26:45,330
INAUDIBLE SPEECH

1182
01:26:45,490 --> 01:26:48,570
It just grabs you. It just pulls
you in, and it really...

1183
01:26:48,730 --> 01:26:52,410
It's amazing how it makes
you feel good,

1184
01:26:52,530 --> 01:26:54,650
and the comedy is just magical.

1185
01:26:54,770 --> 01:26:56,210
It's just absolutely magical.

1186
01:26:56,370 --> 01:26:59,130
Isn't that swell?
Can you imagine that?

1187
01:26:59,250 --> 01:27:01,450
Our very own twin brothers.

1188
01:27:03,170 --> 01:27:07,610
The last film clips of Stan,
made by a couple he knew well.

1189
01:27:07,770 --> 01:27:10,330
The film was quite recently
discovered.

1190
01:27:10,490 --> 01:27:14,090
Stan's daughter Lois sees
the footage for the first time.

1191
01:27:14,210 --> 01:27:16,050
It has never been shown before.

1192
01:27:16,170 --> 01:27:17,130
For the last time,

1193
01:27:17,290 --> 01:27:20,770
Stan slips into his film character
in front of a camera.

1194
01:27:20,890 --> 01:27:22,730
It's so familiar, that pose.

1195
01:27:22,890 --> 01:27:27,490
That's really what he looked like,
you know, off-screen, you know?

1196
01:27:31,770 --> 01:27:35,890
INAUDIBLE SPEECH

1197
01:28:26,810 --> 01:28:32,090
Shortly after this footage
was taken, Stan's health worsens.

1198
01:28:32,210 --> 01:28:35,210
In February, he caught a cold, or...

1199
01:28:35,370 --> 01:28:40,890
We thought he had the flu,
and it was very, very quick.

1200
01:28:41,050 --> 01:28:44,570
In his final days,
Stan is confined to his bed,

1201
01:28:44,690 --> 01:28:47,450
and cared for by Ida and a nurse.

1202
01:28:47,610 --> 01:28:53,730
While preparing an injection,
Stan said to the nurse,

1203
01:28:53,850 --> 01:28:55,850
"I wish I was skiing now,"

1204
01:28:56,010 --> 01:28:59,170
and the nurse said, "Oh, Mr Laurel,
I didn't know that you skied."

1205
01:28:59,290 --> 01:29:01,010
He said, "I don't ski,

1206
01:29:01,170 --> 01:29:03,810
"but I'd rather be skiing
than having an injection."

1207
01:29:05,210 --> 01:29:09,130
A few days later,
Stan Laurel dies of a heart attack,

1208
01:29:09,250 --> 01:29:12,610
on the 23rd of February 1965.

1209
01:29:22,690 --> 01:29:28,690
He lived for comedy,
and believed so much in laughter.

1210
01:29:28,810 --> 01:29:32,210
I would say, an introspective man...

1211
01:29:34,450 --> 01:29:38,450
..who could see humour
in almost anything.

1212
01:29:38,610 --> 01:29:41,370
I really miss him,
and I miss what I've learned,

1213
01:29:41,490 --> 01:29:45,130
and very selfishly I feel deprived.

1214
01:29:45,290 --> 01:29:47,410
I would have liked for him
to be here...

1215
01:29:48,610 --> 01:29:50,970
..a longer time.

1216
01:29:51,130 --> 01:29:53,890
He was one that I think
they should have arranged

1217
01:29:54,010 --> 01:29:55,490
to have live forever.

1218
01:29:55,650 --> 01:29:57,410
They should have worked
that out somehow.

1219
01:29:59,210 --> 01:30:04,330
Stan Laurel is buried at Forest Lawn
Memorial Cemetery in Hollywood.

1220
01:30:04,450 --> 01:30:07,250
Previously unreleased film footage.

1221
01:30:07,410 --> 01:30:10,410
In addition to his family,
there are many celebrities,

1222
01:30:10,530 --> 01:30:11,970
friends and companions.

1223
01:30:14,690 --> 01:30:19,130
Stan once said, "If anyone
at my funeral has a long face,

1224
01:30:19,250 --> 01:30:21,370
"I'll never speak to him again."

1225
01:30:38,050 --> 01:30:41,210
Stan' grave at the
Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery.

1226
01:30:45,210 --> 01:30:48,890
The inscription reads...

1227
01:30:59,130 --> 01:31:01,450
And that's how it always will be,

1228
01:31:01,570 --> 01:31:03,530
because Laurel and Hardy

1229
01:31:03,690 --> 01:31:09,050
will live on in the hearts
of their fans forever.

