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Laurel & Hardy join the French Foreign Legion for fun
"The Flying Deuces" gets its name from the final sequence where Laurel & Hardy escape from a firing squad in an airplane. The boys get in this predicament because Ollie is jilted by his girl friend (Jean Parker) and wants to commit suicide. Despite Stan's more than willing help the attempt fails and the boys end up joining the French Foreign Legion instead. Needless to say, Stan and Ollie are not very good soldiers, hence the appointment with the firing squad. The comedy routines in the film are okay, but there is nothing special. The best moments are the more musical ones, especially a nice soft-shoe routine and Stan playing a prison bedspring like a harp. This 1939 seven-reeler was directed by Edward Sutehrland for RKO and co-stars Charles Middleton, james Finlayson, Reginald Gardiner, Jean Del Val and Clem Wilenchick. One of the writers receiving screenplay credit for "The Flying Deuces" was Harry Langdon, the great silent comic who was just a notch below the celebrated triumvirate of Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd.
Good mixture of pathos and humor
This is one of those films that you will enjoy seeing as a child, but will understand better as an adult.
The airplane and soldier gags are quite hilarious. But there are interesting moments of pathos. For some reason, I was always touched by the scene where Hardy tells Laurel that without him, "People will wonder what you are" and Laurel begins to cry. The finale with Ollie as a reincarnated horse also strikes a note of whimsy, as well as Stan's dancing to Ollie's cheerful rendition to "Shine On Harvest Moon."
The Three Stooges give us belly laughs, but Laurel and Hardy have a more human quality that makes us smile.
Vintage Laurel and Hardy
"The Flying Deuces" (1939) was the only non-Hal Roach production in which Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy maintained a fair amount of creative control -- a quality largely absent from most of their 1941-45 output. After leaving Roach in 1940, the team's brilliance was tarnished by Fox and MGM's assembly-line approach to visual comedy. It's a shame that independent producer Boris Morros and RKO didn't retain Stan and Ollie's services after the success of "The Flying Deuces," which is a minor classic in their filmography. Though lacking the high production values of the best Roach features, this Foreign Legion escapade remains a fast-paced romp with plenty of memorable routines and some charming musical interludes. Because of its public-domain status, "The Flying Deuces" is the most accessible Laurel and Hardy feature. As a result, there are numerous video releases that utilize re-edited, badly duped prints. The recent Alpha Video DVD is far from pristine, yet it offers the complete 69-minute feature. For once, the print quality is better than average while the soundtrack is fully synchronized. When you consider the plethora of budget DVDs on the market, the Alpha disc is among the better offerings. Hopefully, a first-generation 35mm print of "The Flying Deuces" will emerge on DVD in this lifetime.
For one-stop convenience, you can't beat this handy compilation of Laurel & Hardy classics. Although it's modestly priced and packaged, this DVD packs plenty of extras along with Stan & Ollie's finest feature and several of the comedy duo's best-loved "talkie" shorts. Sons of the Desert (1933) is the crown jewel in any L&H collection, and with Charley Chase as their stellar comedy costar, the boys reached the pinnacle of their unique partnership, playing a pair of Fez-wearing "Sons of the Desert" sneaking off to a convention in Chicago, but their wives discover the ruse with hilarious results. For L&H fans, it simply doesn't get any better than this, although 1932's "The Music Box" shares equal status--and a 1932 Oscar® for Best Comedy Short--in the L&H pantheon. The... More Info about this DVD Director(s): William A. Seiter - James Parrott DVD Release Date: Released the 19 August 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The most lavish feature built around Laurel and Hardy, 1934's March of the Wooden Soldiers is also the most bizarre. Opening unpromisingly with one of several mawkish numbers derived from Victor Herbert's musical Babes in Toyland, the antics of toyshop laborers Stannie Dum and Ollie Dee are worked into a scenario midway between Lewis Carroll and the Brothers Grimm. Nursery-rhyme characters come and go in a surreal fantasy, with the evil Mr. Barnaby threatening to evict Widow Peep from her shoe unless he receives her daughter Bo in marriage. The movie culminates in a full-scale invasion of Toyland by the yeti-ish Bogeymen and their defeat by the 100 six-foot wooden soldiers which Stan and Ollie have built by mistake. Henry Brandon gives a characterful performance, while 1930s... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Oliver Hardy - Stan Laurel Director(s): Charley Rogers - Gus Meins DVD Release Date: Released the 15 May 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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At their best, Laurel & Hardy were sublime; they caricatured so much about the human condition - the pomposity and snobbishness of Hardy, made acutely funny by the constant revelation of how stupid and inferior he really was. And the simplicity and apparent naivety of humble, fearful Laurel, who nevertheless rarely fared as badly as his partner. When they appear on screen, you already know and love them - their characters are so well-drawn that, given the right material, they are a timeless joy to watch. Utopia/Atoll K does not fall into that category. In fact, it is one of the saddest films anyone could wish to see. The material is desperately thin and Laurel, who had just recovered from a serious illness, looks drawn and strained. It lacks any of the spark and vitality of the... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Leo Joannon / Gill Pratt DVD Release Date: Released the 18 July 2003 THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE. If you would like to purchase this title, we recommend that you occasionally check this page to see if it has become available.
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This very last movie Laurel & Hardy made was a disaster. They expected to film for about a month but it took a year to complete. Stan fell ill and had to undergo surgery. After having been released from hospital he should have taken a rest but being a professional he felt obligated to make the movie. He was in a lot of pain and it certainly shows in this film. Stan also lost a lot of weight and both looked old and tired, which was partially due to the fact that the director had them waiting for days before calling them for some scenes. Don't ever start a collection with this one. It might put you off for the rest of your life! More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Stan Laurel - Oliver Hardy Director(s): Alfred J. Goulding - John Berry - Léo Joannon - Tim Whelan DVD Release Date: Released the 04 September 2002 Special Order
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The title to the disc is misleading, there is only one Laurel & Hardy short on it. It should be called The Little Rascals and Friends as there are three Little Rascals (aka Our Gang) shorts. Laurel & Hardy do make a brief cameo on the last short. This disc features the only sound Laurel & Hardy short to date to come out on DVD: "Be Big" has fallen into the public domain.
This disc was released without a volume number while the silent shorts were being issued. When Volume 9 of the silent DVD set came out there was an announcement inside it that called this disc Volume 10. More Info about this DVD Director(s): Gordon Douglas DVD Release Date: Released the 23 March 1999 THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE. If you would like to purchase this title, we recommend that you occasionally check this page to see if it has become available.
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