Stan & Ollie

Stan and Ollie arrive in England to start their live tour. The caption would have you believe they are in Newcastle upon Tyne but in reality this is the Black Country Museum at Dudley in the West Midlands and the Bridge is part of the optical special effects that appear throughout the production.

Viewed from the Canal Street bridge. The Black Country Museum is used for the TV drama 'Peaky Blinders', in which CGI backgrounds were also created. (SD)

The Bottle & Glass Inn is not a real public house but is in fact part of the one of the old style streets at the Black Country Museum in Dudley.

The Bottle & Glass Inn stood originally on Brierley Hill, Buckpool and was presented to the museum in 1979. It continues to function as a pub, its interior set in 1915, and even has sawdust on the floor. (SD)

Stan Laurel (Steve Coogan) finishes a phone-call home to his partner Ida and crosses the road to the stage door of Queen's Hall in Newcastle. In reality this is the stage door of the Hippodrome Theatre on St Augustine's Parade, Bristol.

Normally cars are parked all along this street, but an early morning visit found the road clear. You can see the how part of the right hand side of the shot from the film was removed and digitally altered.

Oliver Hardy (John C. Reilly) and his partner prepare to play the Empire Theatre, Glasgow. This is actually the Fortune Theatre on Russell Street, Covent Garden, London WC2.

Currently showing 'The Woman in Black'. SJ

As part of a marketing plan, Laurel & Hardy took part in a UK publicity push. This is part of a montage within the film, hence this shot being in black and white. Not actually a real street but part of one of the rebuilt streets at the Black Country Museum in the West Midlands.

The children on the fake zebra crossing are heading for St. James's School on the left. The blue 1955 Walsall Corporation Trolley Bus was not running today. (SD)

More publicity stunts filmed on location at the Black Country Museum in Dudley, West Midlands.

The rebuilt shops on the Old Birmingham Road. The 1959 Wolverhampton Trolley Bus was in the Bus Shed today. (SD)

Stan still seeks a meeting with Mr Miffin and so leaves the The Savoy Hotel on Strand in London WC2 . . . . .

The same location captured by Peter.

. . . . . and walks down Adam Street, London WC2. The background including the statue and Big Ben are all CGI replacements.

And here's the original without CGI. SJ

Continuing on his way, Stan crosses the road and heads along Adam Street to the HQ of 'Associated Pictures' London.

Not surprisingly the same minus signs. SJ

Meanwhile Ollie is making some horse-racing bets from a phone box. This is in reality located on Frog Lane, Bristol and the telephone box is not real, just a prop for the film.

A bit dimmer in the January weather and no prop phone box! Note how the buildings on the top left were a digital addition.

Feeling dejected from the disappointment at 'Associated Pictures', Stan walks by the Adelphi Building and goes round the corner of John Adam Street and Strand in WC2.

Clever alteration of the background. SJ

Ollie emerges from Strand underground station and buys a paper to check on his sports bets. This is actually the closed Aldwych Underground station located on Surrey Street. Because it is a self-contained disused section of the London Underground network, Aldwych station and the branch line from Holborn often double as other stations. It even has a permanent train that can run on the fully maintained tracks for filming. Several productions that have used the location include 'Fast & Furious 6', 'Death Line', 'Battle of Britain', 'The Krays', 'Black Windmill', 'Their Finest' and 'Patriot Games'.

Jonathan G acknowledges that this is the wrong angle but says it is much better than the shot he took of the correct angle. (RL)

Feeling frustrated at his lack of betting luck, Ollie walks up Surrey Street from Strand tube station. As with the previous shot, this is actually the disused Aldwych Underground station. At the far right of this frame is part of the computer generated red London bus that was digitally placed in the shot.

A lot barer now but the bus is real. SJ

The boys are about to play The Lyceum Theatre, Wellington Street, Covent Garden. This really is the Lyceum Theatre in London, so for once the film is actually using the location that it is claiming it is!

And Peter proves the location.

Following a personal dispute, the pair go to The Lido in Worthing, Sussex to judge a beauty contest, which can also be seen in 'Ashes and Sand' and 'Seamonsters'.

For filming, the children's rides were removed to be replaced by deck chairs, and a new mural was painted on the back wall of the bandstand which has remained in place. (SD)

Their relationship restored, Laurel & Hardy arrive in Ireland. But movie magic is at play here because this location is in fact outside the M-Shed at Princes Wharf in Bristol.

Although the boat they arrive on is really moored at the waterside, getting on board to exactly match the shot wasn't possible on that day. But it still gives a good example of how much digital trickery was used to complete the shot. The buildings and cathedral in the background are very convincing in the final film.