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Now I'll Tell One (1927) Directed by James Parrott

Posted by: Frank Veenstra Posted date: 11:52 AM / comment : 0 , , , , , , , , ,





(Review originally written at 12 May 2008)

This film was presumed lost for a long time, until the second reel of this movie showed up again in the '90's. So halve of the movie can be seen now days and its highly unlikely that the first reel of the movie will also ever be found. So we'll have to do with the 9+ minutes of this movie that have survived, which is also in poor quality though unfortunately.

A shame since this seemed like a real fun early Laurel & Hardy movie, from the period the weren't a comical duo yet. Stan Laurel plays a clumsy stupid lawyer, while Oliver Hardy plays the tough cop, a role he played more than once, mostly in the early days of his career.

Especially Stan Laurel is in good comedy form and he has a couple of great fun moments in this movie.

It's a fast paced slapstick comedy with also a good comical story about a man (Charley Chase) who is being prosecuted for shooting his wife (Edna Marion). The comedy is well timed and often unexpectedly funny. It makes it all the more a shame that we'll probably be never able again to see this movie in its full glory.

What's still left of it is really good and fun!

8/10

On the Wrong Trek (1936) Directed by Harold Law

Posted by: Frank Veenstra Posted date: 3:54 AM / comment : 0 , , , , , ,





(Review originally written at 30 November 2006)

For a '30's comedy this movie surely lacks laughs. The movie features very little comical moments and mostly relies on the comical situations instead. Problem is that the movie doesn't exactly feature many comical situations either.

 The story is pretty weirdly connected and it mixes too many elements. The musical number feels out of place and the characters are not used to their full potential, such as Mrs. Chase and Mother-in-law, who should had been given something more interesting- and funny to do in the movie.

The movie is still sort of fun, due to its charming and gentle approach. It provides the movie with some amusing moments that are just not good or funny enough to leave a real lasting impression.

It's a comedy that still amuses, so I just really can't rate it lower than a 6 out of 10 because of that but I also can't exactly rate it any higher either.

6/10

Sons of the Desert (1933) Directed by William A. Seiter

Posted by: Frank Veenstra Posted date: 1:25 PM / comment : 0 , , , , , , , , ,





(Review originally written at 20 October 2006)

This movie combines everything that made other Laurel & Hardy pictures so great and such a delight to watch; slapstick humor, crazy situations, well written dialog and a good comedy story. This movie has it all and therefor this movie can truly be regarded as perhaps the most definite Laurel & Hardy picture around.

The movie has a classic comedy story. It's very simple and it has been used in many different other variations before and after this movie but it's extremely effective. It's another fine mess the boys get themselves into after they secretly go to a convention of the 'sons of the desert' in Chicago after fooling their wives, by telling them that they are going to Honolulu to 'cure' Oliver's faked illness. However when the steam-liner the boys were supposed to be on sinks, the boys can't go home without letting their wives know were they truly had been. In between they also get themselves into some silly humorous trouble, which this time also involves fellow comedian Charley Chase, who was the brother of regular Laurel & Hardy picture director James Parrott.

This is not necessarily the movie with the best or most Laurel & Hardy jokes or slapstick moments in it but it's the whole package of the movie that makes this one such a great and enjoyable one that deserves a position among the greatest comedies of all time. It combines all of the best elements out of Laurel & Hardy movies and the end result is an hilarious, easy and pleasant to watch movie, from start till finish, that never loses any of its power.

The trouble the boys get themselves into is of course silly and therefor also extremely fun at the same time. It's the sort of simple light hearted comedy we unfortunately see so little anymore in movies these days. All of the silly moments are very well build up and executed in the movie and timed. It also is of course thanks to the talent of Oliver Hardy and Stanley Laurel that all the moments work out so well and effective in a comical way. They make the simple story work out way more effective than you could ever anticipate. The movie is also helped by some well written comical dialog. This movie perhaps has the most dialog gags out of all the Laurel & Hardy pictures that are still around.

Even the slower moments of the movie never get boring, thanks to the energetic comedy acting from Stanley Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Laurel & Hardy regular Mae Busch also shows up again as Mrs. Hardy. Busch is always a pleasure to watch in any Laurel & Hardy movie and was a real great comedy talent.

All in all, this might very well be the best and most definitive Laurel & Hardy picture ever made, that deserved to be ranked among other comedy classics.

10/10
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