Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy have inspired generations of comedians including Matt Lucas (“I always thought of them as friends”), John Cleese (“they’re wonderfully, wonderfully funny”), Steve Martin (“they are hard to top”), Steve Coogan (“they were geniuses of comedy”) and Stephen Fry (“a constant joy”).
Laurel and Hardy returned to the big screen in 2015 to mark the 125th anniversary of Stan Laurel’s birth when cinemas across the UK showed a double bill of their classic 1933 feature length film Sons of the Desert and the short movie County Hospital. In autumn 2015, they were shown on the big screen in high definition for the first time. According to reports in January 2016 Steve Coogan will team up with John C Reilly to play the much-loved double act on screen.
Laurel died on February 23 1965 aged 74 and Hardy died on August 7 1957 aged 65. Martin Chilton celebrates this wonderful comic duo with a pick of 40 of their finest moments.
Laurel and Hardy: It’s still comedy genius
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