To help raise funds for Airdrie Trust's worthy causes, I've called in the help of some celebrity friends and have asked them to sign and pose with Airdrie FC shirts for us so we can auction them. Airdrie FC are the first football club in Scotland to install a sensory room at their stadium (Penny Cars Stadium in Airdrie) for home games, which will allow children with sensory process disorders - such as autism - to attend matches in comfort. Monies raised from these signed shirts have already helped furnish the Sensory room. Top names who've already signed Airdrie jerseys in aid of Airdrie Trust include Ricky Gervais, Mark Hamill, Eric Idle,Vinnie Jones, William Shatner, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christopher Guest, Olly Murs, Kevin Pollak, Tom Hanks and Ben Stiller. Sir Elton John also signed a shirt for the Trust after his recent concert at the stadium.
TOTAL RAISED FROM OUR SIGNED AIRDRIEONIANS FC JERSEYS CAMPAIGN SO FAR... £14,641
RICKY GERVAIS' autograph raised £620 in auction Daily Record Article WILLIAM SHATNER's autographraised £740 in auction
I've been a fan of Laurel and Hardy for as long as I can remember. I celebrated my 50th birthday this year and still love them as much now as I did when I first discovered them. Throughout the 70's and 80's, Laurel and Hardy's classic short films were regularly shown on television in the UK. I have great memories of growing up watching them with my parents and my sisters. That's one of the things that appeals to me about Laurel and Hardy films. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US in the family loved them and we would all laugh out loud together when they were on. When I think of my late father, I can still see him laughing hysterically at Laurel and Hardy on TV. Watching him laugh so hard made us laugh harder too. It was the same all over the world. Families everywhere loved Laurel and Hardy. As soon as that famous theme tune (the cuckoo song) started, you would immediately stop what you were doing and go watch Laurel and Hardy. It pleases me greatly that my own kids and my nieces and nephews are all fans of Laurel and Hardy too. This is what makes them great. Very few comedy stars get passed through the generations like Laurel and Hardy do.
Back in 2005 when I first discovered the internet, I searched for Laurel and Hardy websites in an effort to find out more about them. There wasn't a lot online at that time so with the help of a couple of friends I founded The Laurel and Hardy Forum which subsequently went on to become the online meeting place for Laurel and Hardy fans, authors and luminaries from around the world. More recently we have been focusing on our social media presence with our twitter account @Stan_And_Ollie currently attracting over 64,000 followers and our facebook page LaurelAndHardyForum has over a quarter of a million fans worldwide. We share clips from their classic movies, rare audio and video clips of the boys on tour and at special events etc. We also share all the latest news and gossip about Laurel and Hardy from around the world. In 2017 we launched the Laurel and Hardy Podcast.
NEW MOVIE STAN AND OLLIE
One of my most exciting projects of late was working as a consultant on the forthcoming movie Stan and Olliealong with Rob Lewis editor of the Laurel and Hardy Magazineandnotable author A.J. Marriot. The movie stars Steve Coogan and John C Reilly as Laurel and Hardy... and I have to say... they've nailed it. In my opinion this is potentially an award winning film. Beautiful acting, authentic costumes, mind blowing make-up, highly authentic recreations of the sets in flashback scenes and much more. Laurel and Hardy's real life wives are played by Shirley Henderson and Nina Arianda. Both actresses capture the wives accents and personalities perfectly.
Coogan and Reilly bear more than just a resemblance to Laurel and Hardy.
Rob Lewis, Jeff Pope, AJ Marriot and myself on the last day of shooting.
The crew gave me a little cameo role in the film playing a holidaymaker.
NOT A BIOPIC
Inspired by A.J. Marriots' fantastic book Laurel and Hardy: The British Tours, the movie focuses on Laurel and Hardy's final UK tour in 1953. Jeff Pope who wrote the screenplay insists Stan and Ollie is not a biopic. When I chatted to him this week he stressed,“This is a love story rather than a biopic. The film is based on many years of research and everything you see is either a direct event or has been inspired by something that happened. I accept that I have used some dramatic licence, but always with the intention of celebrating and capturing the essence of the boys and their lives. I wanted to try and discover what made them tick individually and as the greatest comedy double act the world has seen.”
Ross Owen with Steve Coogan (Stan Laurel) and John C Reilly (Oliver Hardy)
Ross Owen with Shirley Henderson (Lucille Hardy) and Nina Arianda (Ida Laurel)
Rufus Jones who plays theatrical impresario Lord Bernard Delfont said on twitter "So many people have been talking about their childhoods, of discovering Laurel and Hardy on the BBC as kids, or being introduced to them by their folks. And how they’re going to take their parents to see this film. And I can’t think of a lovelier thing."
The Laurel family have previewed the movie and have given it the thumbs up. Stan Laurel's great, granddaughter and family spokesperson Cassidy Cook was a special guest at the world premiere in London in October. Cassidy said "I loved the film! It shows how in love my great granddad was with his work... his passion for life and his gift he shared with the world.. he was a true class act.. Ollie was his best friend and they spent many years being the best of friends ... this movie is a fantastic display of the love , magic and life lessons we all can relate to and go through.. it’s a love story and makes me proud to know The Boys are finally back on the big screen for all the world to see and hopefully will encourage them to go watch and research their original films that my great granddad not only starred in but helped write and direct."
I believe Stan and Ollie will appeal not only to lifelong fans, but also to new fans who are about to discover Laurel and Hardy for the first time thanks to this movie. If you portray an icon and you don't get it right, the fans will come down on you like a ton of bricks, but I truly believe Jeff Pope, producer Faye Ward, director Jon S Baird and all involved in the making of this movie have done a wonderful job in capturing the essence of the relationship between the real Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy and the result is a beautiful tip of the hat to the finest comedy duo the world has ever seen.
Our mission at the Laurel and Hardy Forum is to keep the memory and the works of Laurel and Hardy alive for future generations. If the reaction to the Official Traileris anything to go by, this movie is set to do just that.
Ross Owen
VERDICT: A must see.
See Stan and Ollie in UK cinemas from January 11th 2019.
Exclusive audio interviews with the cast of the forthcoming movie Stan and Ollie. My guests include Steve Coogan (Stan Laurel), John C Reilly (Oliver Hardy), Shirley Henderson (Lucille Hardy), Nina Arianda (Ida Laurel), director Jon S Baird and Stan Laurel's great granddaughter Cassidy Cook.
Steve Coogan and John C Reilly are Laurel and Hardy.
Entertainment One have released the first trailer for Stan and Ollie starring Steve Coogan and John C Reilly as Laurel and Hardy and the fans love it. Watch the trailer below.
Steve Coogan and John C Reilly give delightfully bang-on-target performances as comedy’s most famous double act as they enter their twilight years. In 1953, several years after their last film and with their immense celebrity on the wane, Stan ‘Laurel’ and Oliver ‘Hardy’ embark on a gig tour of British seaside towns and music halls.
Laurel and Hardy in 1953
Surprised by the modesty of the bookings and cramped little guesthouses, the tour starts off subdued. They struggle for audiences and their booking agent seems disinterested. But a series of TV guest spots and celebrity appearances soon rekindle the country’s interest in their genius and the buzz grows as they head towards a big London finale. As the attention builds, so too do old resentments, coming to a head as they’re joined by ‘the wives’, Lucille and Ida (Shirley Henderson and Nina Arianda, a hilarious double act in their own right). Coogan and Reilly fans know their brilliance as physical comedians, but to watch them here is a revelation; they nail body language, mannerisms and also routines the duo would have known in their sleep after decades performing together. Craft is sublime throughout, crystallised in an audacious opening with each department dazzling in a six-minute tracking sequence captured by Laurie Rose’s camera team.
Coogan and Reilly in a flashback scene from Way Out West
Director Jon S Baird (Filth), screenwriter Jeff Pope (Philomena) and producer Faye Ward (who also screens Festival Gala Wild Rose in the LFF) offer a poignant study of lifelong male friendship and a fitting tribute to two of cinema’s comedy giants.
Sony Pictures Classics Confirms Details Of Steve Coogan-John C. Reilly Laurel and Hardy Drama ‘Stan And Ollie’ – Toronto
Sony Pictures Classic has confirmed Deadline’s previous scoop on the multiple territories deal for Stan and Ollie, the Laurel and Hardy drama.
Sony confirmed the following details on the deal:
Entertainment One’s (eOne) Stan and Ollie has been acquired for distribution by Sony Pictures Classics for multiple territories including the U.S., Latin America, Eastern Europe, China and South Africa. eOne will distribute the film directly across its footprint. eOne’s Sierra/Affinity handled international sales on the film with CAA Media Finance representing domestic rights.
The film is directed by Jon S. Baird from a script by Jeff Pope and stars Academy Award® nominees Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly. It is produced by eOne, BBC Films and Faye Ward via her Fable Pictures banner. eOne and BBC Films financed the feature.
The film has been designated as the closing night film of the 62nd BFI London Film Festival on October 21; with SPC planning a theatrical release qualifying the film for 2018 Awards consideration bolstered by the performances of Coogan and Reilly. The film will be released in the U.K. on January 11, 2019.
Stan and Ollie follows Laurel and Hardy, the world’s favorite comedy double act, who set out on a variety hall tour of Britain in 1953. Diminished by age and with their golden era as the kings of Hollywood comedy now behind them, they face an uncertain future. As they set out, crisscrossing the country, attendances are disappointingly low. But they’ve always been able to make each other laugh and as the charm and beauty of their performances shines through their audiences laugh too, and they re-connect with legions of adoring fans, old and new.
The transaction comes as eOne is bolstering its in-house production activities with the recent acquisitions of The Mark Gordon Company and Sierra/Affinity. eOne is involved with 14 films playing at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival including A Million Little Pieces, Wild Rose, The Death and Life of John F. Donovan, and Vox Lux.
EXCLUSIVE SEPT. 7, 8:28 AM: In what looks to be the first deal on the ground here at the Toronto Film Festival, a sale is near for Sony Pictures Classics to acquire multiple territories including domestic on Stan and Ollie, the John S. Baird-directed drama that follows the legendary comedy duo Laurel and Hardy, during their 1953 variety hall tour of Britain which began with low attendance and eventually became a hit with old and new fans. The film stars Steve Coogan as Stan Laurel, and John C. Reilly as Oliver Hardy, the iconic comedians. Stephanie Hyam, and Danny Huston also star. Jeff Pope wrote the script.
This is one of many films eOne is involved with at Toronto, as the company ramps up its output in tastemaker fare.
Sources said SPC is mulling a plan to launch in this Oscar season, to take advantage of the strong performances by Coogan and Reilly. Buyers sparked to a screening of the film yesterday morning at the Yong-Dundas Cineplex #10. Producing is eOne, BBC Films, and Fable Pictures. Faye Ward produced and Xavier Marchand exec produced.
CAA and eOne-owned Sierra/Affinity are repping the film but haven’t commented, nor has SPC. Stay tuned.
John C. Reilly (left) and Steve Coogan in 'Stan & Ollie'
The film, which will close the London Film Festival on Oct. 21, is set to screen for buyers in Toronto on Thursday morning following a successful sneak screening for Academy members in Los Angeles.
Stan and Ollie, Jon S. Baird's tone poem about the late career of the comedy team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, which stars Steve Coogan and Oscar nominee John C. Reilly, respectively, won't be publicly unveiled until Oct. 21, when it has its world premiere as the closing night film of the 62nd London Film Festival. And the movie, produced by eOne, BBC Films and Fable Pictures, doesn't yet have an American distributor. But that could change after it screens for buyers in Toronto on Thursday morning as the industry converges on the 43rd Toronto International Film Festival. And if it is acquired by a distributor who guarantees a 2018 release, it could factor into this year's Oscar race.
Stan and Ollie chronicles the aging comic duo's trying tour of English variety halls after World War II, and the tender but tenuous relationship that kept them together through many ups and downs. The film screened for a select group of Academy members in West Hollywood on Aug. 27, with The Hollywood Reporter the only media outlet in attendance, and it — and particularly the performances of Coogan and Reilly, and the makeup and hairstyling that make them look like spitting images of Laurel and Hardy — couldn't have gone over better, based on conversations at the post-screening reception.
"The film is terrific," public relations branch member Bruce Feldman told me. "Beautifully made and very funny. I've talked to a lot of other members and they also seemed to like and appreciate it very much, especially those two great performances. Those performances are as good as any Oscar-nominated performance could be." He added, "It would be a shame if more people don't get to see it."
Arnold Schwartzman of the documentary branch was born and raised in Margate, England, and still remembers seeing, when he was age 11, Laurel and Hardy come to town as part of the very tour chronicled in the film. "It brought back some very happy memories," he said. "It didn't have the same pizzazz as seeing them in the movies, but I did enjoy it very much. I thought it was excellent. They [the actors] both looked the part and had all the mannerisms of the originals."
Many Academy members could probably also relate to the film's depiction of what it's like for an artist after the roar of the crowd has faded but one's desire to create art has not — when one does what one must in order to keep doing what one loves. (This idea feels timely in a week in which former Cosby Show actor Geoffrey Owens was shamed for having to bag groceries in order to earn enough money to continue acting.)
Should Stan and Ollie be picked up in Toronto and slated for release before the end of the year, it would be entering the race later than the rest of the field — but that isn't necessarily a handicap. Last season, Neon's acquisition of I, Tonya during TIFF, and the film's subsequent commercial and Oscar success, offered a reminder that a savvy distributor can take a good movie far into awards season even if it only acquires it in the fall.
Moreover, the best picture recognition garnered last season by Darkest Hour, which also rolled out in September, shows that, for all the demographic changes to the Academy in recent years, there remains a sizable constituency in the group that responds to traditional period-piece dramas and what might be called 'good old-fashioned filmmaking.' (Coogan knows them well, having starred five years ago in Philomena, which wound up with a best picture Oscar nom.)
And since the best actor race itself is still relatively open, there could be room for Reilly and/or Coogan. Reilly is already set to make the rounds in the coming months on behalf of The Sisters Brothers, Holmes and Watson and the Wreck-It Ralph sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet, and could plug Stan and Ollie, too.
Consulting with eOne on the rollout of Stan and Ollie are a host of former Paramount marketing, publicity and awards specialists — Megan Colligan and Perception PR's Lea Yardum, Gena Wilder and Julie Tustin — whose association with the film also bolsters its credibility as a potential contender. It was only seven years ago that they helped to propel another film about a show-business figure who was largely forgotten late in life — Hugo, which tells the story of the silent film director Georges Melies — all the way to the Dolby. Hollywood Reporter
I worked as a consultant on this movie and am delighted to announce on behalf of the 62nd BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express® that STAN and OLLIE will be this year’s Closing Night gala. The World Premiere of STAN and OLLIE will take place on 21st October at the Cineworld, Leicester Square, attended by Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly, who star as the legendary movie comedy duo. Director Jon S. Baird, BAFTA Award-winning writer Jeff Pope, producer Faye Ward and cast members will also be in attendance. Entertainment One (eOne) and the BFI London Film Festival are also pleased to announce that there will be simultaneous preview screenings of STAN and OLLIE taking place at cinemas across the UK.
STAN and OLLIE is the true story of Hollywood’s greatest comedy double act, Laurel and Hardy. Brought to the big screen for the first time and starring Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly as the legendary movie icons, STAN and OLLIE is the heart-warming story of their journey around the UK and Ireland in what would become the pair’s triumphant farewell tour. Despite the pressure of a hectic schedule, with the support of their wives Lucille (Shirley Henderson) and Ida (Nina Arianda) – a formidable double act in their own right – the pair’s love of performing, as well as love for each other, endures as they secure their place in the hearts of their adoring public.
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy
BFI London Film Festival Artistic Director, Tricia Tuttle says, “We’re delighted to be closing the BFI London Film Festival with this beautiful tribute to cinema’s early comedy odd couple, Laurel and Hardy. A truly funny and touching film about a tender life-long friendship, Jon Baird’s film is also a must for movie fans, exploring the twilight years of two mega-watt performers who had a meteoric rise to fame. These two prove that true comic timing is eternal, and it’s a perfect end to the Festival as the BFI looks ahead to our major UK-wide Comedy Genius season this Autumn, as well as a month-long Laurel and Hardy season at BFI Southbank in January.”
STAN and OLLIE Director, Jon S. Baird comments, “I’m really proud to be able to give the film its World Premiere in London; a city that’s so dear to myself and I know was to Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. STAN and OLLIE, at its heart, is a love story between old friends, who just happen to be two of the most iconic comedic characters in Hollywood’s history. I’m really excited to have the Closing Night film and to bring the movie to a Festival audience.
STAN and OLLIE will be released in the UK and Ireland by Entertainment One on January 11th 2019.
The 62nd BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express® takes place from Wednesday 10 October-Sunday 21 October 2018. The full Festival programme will be announced on Thursday 30 August 2018.
