ANOTHER FINE MESS !!! (Laurel And Hardy - The World Of Laurel And Hardy - The Funniest Moments (VHS))

Member Name: Maximus-Qualitus

Product:	Laurel And Hardy - The World Of Laurel And Hardy - The Funniest Moments (VHS)
Date:	22/08/09 (78 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: TIMELESS.

Disadvantages: N.O.T.H.I.N.G.

Laurel and Hardy and some of their funniest moments.
===================================

The Boys:
========
Stan Laurel (June 16 1890 - February 23 1965).
Real name Arthur Stanley Jefferson.
Stan was born in Lancashire but toured with Charlie Chaplin and hence on one tour ended up in America. He had 'Arrived'
Oliver Hardy (January 18 1892 - August 7 1957).
Real name Norvell Hardy.

Ollie was born in Harlem, Georgia and his mother was apparently responsible for him going into theatre. Right from early childhood Ollie had a beautiful singing voice.
Soon the two would meet.
They first appeared together in a silent movie called 'Slipping Wives' in 1927.
The rest is history.

The Greatest comedy double acts EVER, FULL STOP.
The magnificent Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy star in this wonderfully funny collection of clips taken from the following films;
* 'Way Out West',
* 'The Fixed Uppers',
* 'Come Clean',
* 'Towed In A Hole',
* 'Blockheads',
* 'Hog Wild',
* 'Country Hospital',
* 'The Live Ghost',
* 'The Music Box',
* 'Swiss Miss'.

A brief synopsis and a short opinion of each and then a summary at the end will follow.

'Way Out West'
============
Stan and Ollie must deliver a deed for the ownership of a gold mine to Mary. Mary lives in Brushwood Gulch but the boys have already upset the sheriffs wife and are told to leave on the next stage coach out of town.
They end up giving the deed to the wrong person but discover their mishap before leaving town and along with Mary set out to get the valuable deed back.

What ensues is the boys at their very best with every gag a cracker and the slapstick topnotch.
This is Laurel and Hardy's most remembered Movies in the main due to THE song, 'The Lonesome Pine'.
Also contains Ollie's superb 'soft shoe shuffle' scene.
For me, the most memorable Laurel and Hardy movie.
Made in 1937.
Run Time 65 Minutes.


'The Fixed Uppers'
===============
Down on their lucks, again, and doing a door to door job selling their own made up Christmas cards, Stan and Ollie take pity on an upset woman whoclaims her husdane doesn't love her.
Ollie agrees to pose as her lover to get her husband jealous!
However her husband is the insanely jealous Pierre Gustav, the best shot in all Paris!
And the boys are soon running for their lives.

One of Stan's verses:
A Merry Christmas husband,
Happy New Year's nigh,
I wish you Easter greetings
Hooray for the Fourth of July!!

A very funny, 'A' typical Laurel & Hardy farce, lots of jokes and slapstick all over the place.
Made in1935
Runtime: 21 minutes

'Come Clean'
===========
Stan & Ollie save the life of a bizarre woman attempting to drown herself.

Stan and his wife turn up unexpectedly at the Hardys house. The Hardys pretend to be out but get spotted and give in and allow the Laurels in.
To improve the atmosphere the boys go out for ice cream.

Along the way they end up rescuing a woman from drowning but far from being greatful she turns out to be barmy and the boys can't get rid of her, their wives will not be happy!
Will they 'Come Clean'?....Doubtful.

A hilariously short film. A typical Stan and Ollie predicament with nothing new but still a wonderfully funny film.
Runtime: 20 Minutes
Made in 1931

'Towed In A Hole'
===========
This is the one with Stan blowing that horn and trying to sell fish.
They buy a boat and well you must have seen this one!
Stan gets his head stuck behind the mast and ends up using a saw to cut his way free whilst Ollie is atop the mast painting, classic.

One of their more memorable and hilarious short films.
Made in 1932
Run Time 21 Minutes.

'Blockheads'
=========
The war is over but no ones told Stan!
He accidentally shoots down a passing French plane and it makes the papers where Ollie spots his old friend. Ollies mistakenly thinks that Stan has lost his leg and so takes him home to meet the wife.
Yes you can guess the rest.
Stan destroys the house and wrecks Ollies marriage.

A very funny comedy, really enjoyable to watch.
Made in 1938
Runtime: 57 Minutes

'Hog Wild'
========
Mrs Hardy wants an aerial mounted on the roof and so Ollie enlists the help of Stan!
He was mad.
They end up falling off the roof several times, smash the chimney to bits and finally Stan driving Ollie's car around the streets whilst Ollies is still atop the very ladder he was using to climb on the roof with.

This is another simply brilliant short film with little speaking but plenty of comedic action.
Made in 1930.
Run Time 19 Minutes

'Country Hospital'
=============
Stan arrives at the hospital to visit Oliver who is trying to relax with his leg up in plaster. A disaster waiting to happen!
He brings him some hard boiled eggs and nuts instead of grapes!
He picks up the weight holding Oliver's leg in the air to crack a nut, Ollie's leg hits the doctor sending him out of the window with the weight.

Oliver is suspended in the air until the doctor climbs back in through the window and Ollie crashes into the bed, destroying it in the process. They are both asked to leave the hospital.
A nurse enters carrying a syringe, puts it down on a chair so she can help with the chaos. Stan sits on the needle bending it! It contained a huge sedative.
Stan then attempts to drive Ollie home whilst the drug takes effect.
They end up smashed between 2 tram cars.

We find out in this episode that Oliver's middle name is Norvell.
Stan looks very youthful in this one with Ollie having no large belly he would be known for in the later films.

The plot is a typical Laurel and Hardy farce with them at their best.
Their brand of slapstick comedy will never fade.
A real snap shot of the late twenties and thirties.
Made in 1932.
Run Time 18 Minutes.


'The Live Ghost'
=============
A simple plot this short.
The captain of a ship can't get any crew because of a rumour that his ship is haunted, something that really winds the captain up. He enlists Stan and Ollie to press gang some sailors onto his ship but warns them if they ever mention the word ghost he will twist their heads 180 degrees the wrong way.

You can guess which two say the word.
This short really is a laugh a second, all of their trade marks are here and when a drunken sailor falls into the white paint, the word ghost comes straight to their lips with dire consequences.
Made in 1934.
Run Time 21 Minutes.


'The Music Box'
=============
WELL THIS IS THE ONE EVRYONE MUST REMEMBER.
MOVING THE PIANO UP THOSE HUNDREDS OF STAIRS!
The boys have been contracted as moves, more like destruction specialists.

The scene of them taking great pains with that piano is iconic and after all their efforts they still deliver it to the wrong house!
This won the Oscar as "Best Short Subject" of 1932

This is the best Laurel and Hardy short of them all; the DVD is worth it just for his one movie.
Made in 1932.
Run Time 29 Minutes.

'Swiss Miss'
=======
A composer is trying to 'compose', of course, but his beautiful wife is distracting him. So he keeps avoiding her. Stan and Ollie come to sell mouse traps and Ollie ends up falling in love with her but with the usual hilarious and farcical results.
This has the MEMORABLE scene where Stan tries to outwit a St Bernard and get a drink of its brandy from around its neck.

In another scene the pair are trying to carry a piano over a rickety rope bridge while being harassed by a gorilla! A Gorilla in the Alps?!?
It ends with them getting the gorilla.
Made in 1938.
Run Time 77 Minutes.


Because of there being clips taken from each of the above movies the total time is actually 60 mins.
Sound quality at times is a bit scratchy but to me that adds to the enjoyment.
Picture quality is along the same lines, not really a problem and none the less highly watchable.
Extras, non to speak.

Greg.

Summary: HILARIOUS COLLECTION OF CLIPS.