>>> THE NEW FILM "STAN AND OLLIE" IS THE STORY OF TWO
ICONS, THE LATE GREAT COMEDY
DUO, LAUREL AND HARDY.
STEVE COOGAN PLAYS LAUREL, AND
JOHN C. REILLY PLAYS HARDY.
>> THE FILM FOLLOWS THEM IN
THEIR LATER YEARS EMBARKING ON A
TOUR IN GREAT BRITAIN IN THE
1950s.
1950s. ♪ OUR HEARTS ENTWINE
WHERE SHE CARVED HER NAME ♪
♪ AND I CARVED MINE
OH, JUNE ♪
♪ JUST LIKE THE MOUNTAINS ARE
BLUE ♪
BLUE ♪ ♪ LIKE THE PINE
I AM LONESOME FOR YOU ♪
♪ ON THE TRAIL OF THE LONESOME
PINE ♪
PINE ♪ >> STEVE AND JOHN, GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> GREAT TO SEE YOU GUYS.
THIS IS SUCH A TERRIFIC FILM.
WE’VE GOTTEN A CHANCE TO SEE IT.
WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT IT,
FIRST OF ALL, IT’S THIS
WONDERFUL LOVE STORY BETWEEN
THESE TWO GUYS.
BUT IT TAKES PLACE IN A SPECIFIC
TIME, ALMOST IN THE TWILIGHT OF
THEIR CAREERS.
THEIR CAREERS. WHY THEN?
WHY THEN? >> WELL, TOWARDS THE LATTER PART
OF THEIR CAREERS, THEY COULDN’T
REALLY GET MOVIE WORK ANYMORE.
THEY WENT BACK TO WHAT THEY
KNEW, WHICH WAS VAUDEVILLE AND
MUSIC HALL.
MUSIC HALL. AND THEY DID TOURS IN ENGLAND
AND SCOTLAND TO MAKE MONEY.
OUR FILM FOCUSES ON THE LAST
TOUR THEY TOOK IN 1953.
IT’S A PERFECT SETTING TO LOOK
BACK ON THEIR LIVES, YOU KNOW?
IT’S A GREAT WAY FOR US TO
EXPLORE A PART OF THE
RELATIONSHIP THAT YOU MIGHT NOT
KNOW FROM THEIR FILMS.
>> THE THING I FOUND FASCINATING
WHEN I WAS WATCHING THIS MOVIE,
I DIDN’T REALIZE, LIKE, MY BRAIN
TURNED OFF THAT YOU TWO WERE
ACTING IN THIS MOVIE.
AND I FELT LIKE I WAS WATCHING
LAUREL AND HARDY.
WHEN YOU WEREN’T DOING
PERFORMANCES, IT WAS LIKE YOU
WERE PERFORMING.
WERE PERFORMING. YOU EMBRACED THESE CHARACTERS.
>> WHEN JOHN AND I CAME
TOGETHER, WE HAD THREE WEEKS
REHEARSAL, WHERE WE LEARNED THE
DANCE ROUTINES AND THE SKETCHES.
THAT’S SIMILAR TO WHAT LAUREL
AND HARDY WOULD HAVE DONE.
THEY WOULD HAVE HAD TO REHEARSE
THEIR ROUTINES.
THEIR ROUTINES. IT GAVE US A CHANCE TO BOND.
THE CLOSER FRIENDS WE BECAME,
THE MORE AUTHENTIC THE
RELATIONSHIP OF LAUREL AND HARDY
APPEARED ON SCREEN.
>> YOU DIDN’T KNOW EACH OTHER
BEFORE THIS.
BEFORE THIS. YOU HAVE BECOME GOOD FRIENDS.
>> SO FAR.
>> PROSTHETICS.
>> PROSTHETICS. YOU WORE A FAT SUIT, WHICH IS
THE PROPER WAY TO SAY IT, THAT
YOU WERE HOT IN, I HEARD.
>> YOU HAD A SURGEON ON HERE
BEFORE WE CAME OUT.
THEY DEVELOP THESE THINGS FOR
SURGEONS, THE SHIRTS THAT HAVE
TUBES THAT GO ALL OVER THEM,
THAT PUMP COLD WATER AROUND YOUR
BODY.
BODY. >> OH, GOODNESS.
WE USED ONE OF THE SURGEON
COOLING SUITS UNDERNEATH MY FAT
SUIT OTHERWISE, YOU WOULD GET
HEAT STROKE AND DIE.
>> WE WOULD DO A DANCE ROUTINE
AND JOHN WOULD SIT DOWN AND THEY
WOULD PLUG HIM IN.
>> I HAVE NEVER DONE HARD DRUGS,
BUT I HAVE A FEELING IT FELT
LIKE THE COOLING SUIT COMING ON.
>> DID YOU KEEP THE COOLING
SUIT?
SUIT? >> NO.
>> NO. IT’S NOT NECESSARY UNLESS YOU’RE
WEARING SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
>> THE PHYSICALITY OF THESE
ROLES.
ROLES. >> WE HAVE A VIDEO,
SIDE-BY-SIDE, FROM THE MOVIE,
WAY OUT WEST WHEN THEY
ORIGINALLY DID THIS.
WHAT WAS THAT LIKE TO INHABIT
THESE GUYS?
THESE GUYS? >> IT WAS A BIG RESPONSIBILITY,
ACTUALLY.
ACTUALLY. FOR STEVE AND I, THESE WERE
IMPORTANT ACTORS COMING UP.
THEY FIGURE EDD OUT SECRETS TO
COMEDY.
COMEDY. THAT’S THE COOL THING ABOUT
AUDIENCES THAT MIGHT NOT BE
AWARE OF LAUREL AND HARDY, YOU
CAN WATCH THEIR FILMS NOW AND
LAUGH OUT LOUD.
THEY’RE STILL THAT GOOD.
IT WAS A BIG RESPONSIBILITY FOR
STEVE AND I TO INHABIT THESE
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. WE HAD AN AMAZING VISUAL RECORD
OF THEIR WORK TO WORK OFF OF.
>> SURE.
>> SURE. THE CURSE OF MAKING REALLY GREAT
COMEDY, AND WE LEARNED THIS FROM
MAKING THE MOVIE, IS THE EASIER
SOMETHING LOOKS OR THE MORE
RANDOM OR JUST CRAZY SOMETHING
IT LOOKS --
>> NONCHALANT.
>> NONCHALANT. >> THE NATURE OF THE COMEDY,
THAT BAD STUFF HAPPENS TO THEM,
THAT MORE HARD WORK HAS GONE
INTO PREPARATION AND THE CRAFT
BEHIND IT.
BEHIND IT. >> THAT’S WHAT I LOVED ABOUT THE
FIRST DANCE SCENE IN THE
BEGINNING OF THE MOVIE.
I’M SITTING THERE, AND I’M NOT
THAT FAMILIAR WITH LAUREL AND
HARDY FROM BACK IN THE DAY.
AND WATCHING YOU, AND SITTING
THERE WITH A SMILE ON MY FACE,
AS YOU’RE DOING THIS, JUST WACKY
LITTLE DANCE.
LITTLE DANCE. I SAID, I CAN SEE WHY THIS WAS
SO ENJOYABLE TO PEOPLE WATCHING
THEM BACK IN THE DAY.
YOU GUYS REALLY JUST CAPTURED
THAT.
THAT. >> IT’S FUNNY, WHEN WE LEARNED
THE ROUTINE, WE HAD TO LEARN --
THEY HAD MISTAKES WHEN THEY DID
THAT DANCE ROUTINE.
WE HAD TO LEARN THE MISTAKES.
>> I’M GLAD YOU LIKED THE MOVIE.
THAT’S SOMETHING THAT AUDIENCES
HAVE BEEN SAYING TO US ABOUT IT.
IT’S NOT JUST AN INTERESTING
MOVIE ABOUT TWO PERFORMERS.
THE FILM ITSELF IS ABOUT ETCHMPA
AND FRIENDS WORKING THROUGH
THEIR FRIENDSHIP.
THEIR FRIENDSHIP. YOU FEEL A LOT OF LOVE IN THE
FILM, TOO.
FILM, TOO. AT THIS TIME WITH CRAZY NEWS IN
THE WORLD, IT FEELS GOOD TO
WATCH THIS MOVIE.
>> SOMETHING THAT BRINGS
EVERYBODY JOY.
EVERYBODY JOY. >> LAUREL AND HARDY WERE FAMOUS
IN THE 1930s, IN THE GREAT
DEPRESSION.
DEPRESSION. IT SHOWS PEOPLE IN BAD TIMES
THEY NEED A SOLACE AND ESCAPE
FROM SOMETHING WITH A FEW
LAUGHS.
LAUGHS. >> THAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN LAUREL AND HARDY AND
ABBOTT AND COSTELLO.
>> "STAN & OLLIE" HITS SELECT