When it comes to comedy masters, perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is Zhou Xingchi, Bean, Zhao Benshan, and Guo Degang;
To say "the originator of the master of comedy", everyone's first reaction may be Chaplin, Buster Keaton.
However, at Chaplin's contemporaries, there were two other people, which must be known.
They are
Stan and Ollie
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right">Stan & Ollie</h1>
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy debuted in the first half of the last century.
Their combined name is rather "solemn":
"Laurel and Hardy" combination.
The 1920s and 1940s were the most popular period for "Laurel and Hardy".
At their peak, the group could have been the "king of Hollywood comedy."
They perform stage plays, write scripts, and act in movies, which are all the rage.
But their colleague Ben Shanzi famously said:
What is the most painful thing in life? People die, money is not spent;
What is more painful in life is that people are alive and the money is gone...
Unfortunately, poor "Laurel and Hardy" face the latter.
As they grew older and the times changed, their golden age as the king of Hollywood comedy came to an end.
(Former fans thought they had been retired for a long time, which could be said to be embarrassing...) ）
(The younger daughter of an old movie fan also thinks they are retired, and embarrassment has crossed the generation gap...) ）
They face an uncertain future.
Their lives were challenged.
At this time, they made a surprising decision -
In the year of the flower armor began to tour in the United Kingdom, and once again to pursue the dream of cinema.
And that's where our story begins.
Their first stop was Newcastle, England.
The idol group of that year was not so much a tour as it was a cross-cutting scene.
The agent, with a fake smile on his face, perfunctorily placed them in a small inn.
How small is it?
About a point more compact than the current express hotel...
And the theater where they are scheduled to perform is only a small theater.
This is indeed very shabby for the two big names.
The real reason is that the oily agent thinks that these two old drama bones have been exhausted, the traffic belt can not move, with a low rental price to rent a small theater with few seats, it is easier to protect the capital.
The narrow inn and the low-grade small theater, although the two are not satisfied, are also expected.
After all, it is mixed with the "noble circle", and it is easy to see the cold and warm things of human feelings, and it is light.
But some things, no matter how detached, will still form a critical blow and strike the heart.
What is this for two people who are passionate about acting and have devoted their lives?
It's a sparse audience.
The small theater is already cramped, but the seats are half empty...
Stan is suffering from diabetes, and Ollie is far more than the standard weight, which is hidden in various osteoarthropathy and heart disease.
The tour was meant to be a big gamble.
But look at this opening, the bet is lost.
Agents ask them to increase their workload free of charge and go to various small shops and small events to do "publicity performances".
If they say yes, the "caving tour" really becomes a cavage.
(Slippery brokers play a small trick)
If the two old people in the flower armor take the opportunity of the hidden age and directly retire, then when some fans recall them, they will always stay in the most brilliant moment.
However, if at this advanced age of inability, pulling down the value of the body and walking down the high platform, walking through the cave and stringing the field, it seems that it will inevitably make the past glory dusty.
The coffee position and human setting are undoubtedly one of the most important capitals of an actor.
But they didn't refuse.
After all, it's so that "the tour can go on".
They also want to continue acting on stage! I still want to go to the movie!
For Stan and Ollie, nothing is more important than acting!
One after another, the workload had multiplied, and the two did not even have an assistant who could help them carry their luggage.
Even so exhausting and difficult, they, with love for their wives, described their experiences in England on the phone as glamorous, pompous and pompous work.
You have to work overloaded, you have to take care of your own life, you have to laugh without your family, and you have to endure the blow of "passing"...
And even if you pay so much, it is still an uncertain future, not to mention the big stars of the past, I am afraid that an ordinary person will doubt himself, and even collapse and want to give up.
But they not only persevered with an elegant posture, but also insisted on constantly thinking about paragraphs, polishing the plot, and honing their acting skills.
While waiting in the waiting room:
At the front desk check-in:
When he got out of the car after receiving two ladies who had not seen each other for a long time and missed so much:
Inspiration everywhere, opportunities everywhere.
From their youth fame to their gray hair, they know what they love and what bowl of rice they serve.
The agent clearly underestimated the charm of "Laurel and Hardy".
The so-called "remember, there will be echoes."
Their efforts were finally taken care of by the audience.
They put down the shelf of big stars, and with hard work, they picked up the old fans of that year little by little, and attracted a large number of new fans!
"Laurel and Hardy" received applause again and won back on stage.
Stan and Ollie are old, but "Laurel and Hardy" are still those two funny people!
"Laurel and Hardy" gave the two old friends a new lease of life.
For example, to make an inappropriate analogy:
Stan is like Sun Wukong, talented, but has a tough personality and is a little frizzy;
Ollie is like a mixture of the Eight Precepts of the Pig and the Sand Monk, thick, weak and happy, some small and shrewd, and somewhat affectionate.
(Of course, Ollie's physique is less like a sand monk~)
These two people, as long as they stand together, are laughing stock.
But they have such a big contrast, in reality, to say that the smooth sailing is completely uneventful, I am afraid that no one will believe it.
And that's exactly what happened.
Under the pressure and exhaustion, the two emotionally exploded, and the accusations that had accumulated in their hearts for many years were thrown out.
But the scenes in which they debunk each other and attack each other are self-restrained, convergent, and permeated with a self-repressed feeling.
The tension shown by the emotions of disbelief, disappointment, sadness and so on revealed in this self-control also highlights the intimate feelings and attachment to each other from the side.
(This scene is really worth savoring, a sense of conflict under the color of fatalistic sadness of "mixed feelings")
Yeah, he has a bad body I don't like, but he's my brother!
Ollie, who had left Stan behind, fell ill and took turns like fate.
This time, the opportunity to choose came to Stan.
He's back on top, and his old partner is so sick with a heart attack that it's impossible to get back on stage.
This is force majeure, has nothing to do with betrayal, and is morally blameless!
As long as he swapped his partner for another fat man, he could still have it all.
He slowly became quiet, hesitated, and although the new fat man who was now sitting on the stage in Ollie's original position revered him as an idol, he still refused!
Ollie had no gratitude, no blame, no emotion for what Stan had done.
He just put on his costume and dragged his heavy sick body and knocked on Stan's door.
Two lifelong confidants, looking at each other silently, needless to say, embarked on their journey to their last stage play.
This time, not for anything else.
Just to pay tribute to the performance they loved all their lives;
A tribute to the audience who loves them;
A tribute to the lifelong friendship between two men!
As a heart patient, Ollie endured the whole high-intensity stage performance, and people were shocked to see it, only afraid that a certain action would become a trick.
When the last curtain action of the last dance was completed, it was really touching people to tears.
This is the precipitate of the lives of two great actors!
(Ollie, who had a serious heart attack, sweated profusely during the performance.)
After this performance, Ollie bid farewell to the stage.
Stan also retires with Ollie and no longer performs on stage.
Although the final chapter of their acting career is not within their expectations, the pair of dedicated "idol strength" stars have finally proved themselves and have no regrets.