David James, Manchester Metropolitan University



Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy (or “the boys” as they were often known) can, arguably, be regarded as the greatest double act that comedy has produced. If their star has waned somewhat in the past couple of decades, it is surely because of a lack of exposure rather than their humour going out of style. We can hope that this new film, which has harnessed the considerable comedic talents of Steve Coogan as Laurel and John C Reilly as Hardy will do its bit to bring their timeless brilliance back to the fore. It’s a heartwarming yet bittersweet tale. By 1953, the year of their final tour (the tour that the forthcoming film Stan and Ollie is based around), their film career was over. It had been on a downward trend ever since they left the Hal Roach Lot (or the “Lot of Fun” as it was dubbed) to work for 20th Century Fox in 1941. The move curtailed Laurel’s freedom as the writer and de facto director of the films and, as a result, the quality d…