BioGraph
Connecting John Goodman and Stan Laurel
John Goodman
American actor
In theater, Goodman played the Ghost of Christmas Present in the 2008 Kodak Theatre production of ''A Christmas Carol'', starring Christopher Lloyd as Ebenezer Scrooge.
Neil Brand
It documents Stan Laurel's touching last moments with best friend and comedy partner Oliver Hardy, who lies bedridden after a stroke.
John Goodman
American actor
With little to no experience in TV comedy, Goodman auditioned to be a cast member for Jean Doumanian's tumultuous 1980–1981 ''SNL'' season and was rejected, along with up-and-coming comedians Jim Carrey, Paul Reubens, and Robert Townsend.
Jean Doumanian
American film producer
She moved to New York at the request of up-and-coming comedian Dick Cavett as a pre-interviewer and writer for ABC's ''The Dick Cavett Show;'' and then as an associate producer for '' Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell''.
Dick Cavett
While at ''Time'', Cavett wrote a letter to film comedian Arthur Jefferson, better known as Stan Laurel of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy.
John Goodman
American actor
He worked with Steven Spielberg on '' Always'' (1989), '' Arachnophobia'' (1990) and ''The Flintstones'' (1994).
Steven Spielberg
American film director and screenwriter
Spielberg has cited Frank Capra's ''It's A Wonderful Life'' (1946) as an influence on "family, community and suburbia".{{Sfn|Baxter|1996|p=20}} He enjoyed the work of Alfred Hitchcock,{{Sfn|McBride|1997|p=81}}{{Sfn|Hook|2010|p=6}} David Lean,{{Sfn|Freer|2001|p=148}} John Ford, Stanley Kubrick and John Frankenheimer.{{Sfn|McBride|1997|p=263}}{{Sfn|Jackson|2007|p=xvii}} In college, he was inspired by foreign films directed by Ingmar Bergman, Jacques Tati and François Truffaut.
Jacques Tati
To their surprise, Tati simply requested the opportunity to visit Stan Laurel, Mack Sennett, and Buster Keaton.
John Goodman
American actor
With little to no experience in TV comedy, Goodman auditioned to be a cast member for Jean Doumanian's tumultuous 1980–1981 ''SNL'' season and was rejected, along with up-and-coming comedians Jim Carrey, Paul Reubens, and Robert Townsend.
Jim Carrey
Decades later, recalling young Carrey's stand-up debut, Yuk Yuk's owner Mark Breslin described it as "bad Rich Little".
Rich Little
Canadian-American impressionist and voice actor
During the 1970s, Little made many television appearances portraying Nixon, and once performed his impersonation in front of Nixon himself, whom Little says did not realize he was imitating him at all and "wondered why I was talking to him in such a funny voice." In 1972, he portrayed Richard Nixon with the voice and mannerisms of Oliver Hardy in '' Another Nice Mess''.
Oliver Hardy
In 1921, he appeared in the movie '' The Lucky Dog'', produced by Broncho Billy Anderson and starring Stan Laurel.
Also that year he was in the film '' Yes, Yes, Nanette!'', starring Jimmy Finlayson and directed by Stan Laurel.
