Topic: The Laurel and Hardy shorts Tournament Finals!

[metaldams]

OK, here's another nice mess you all got me into.  Two rounds is not enough to settle the winner between THEM THAR HILLS and BLOTTO, which is really crazy.  Mathematically, it's now possible to stretch this out another round and have a final three, but since that would pit THEM THAR HILLS vs. BLOTTO again, I decided we'll just have a final six instead of five.  Hopefully this will determine not only a winner between these two shorts, but an overall winner.  Simply pick the order in which you like the six finalists.  First place votes get six points, second place five points, etc.  If a tie still exists, we'll have fun with tie breakers.


THE MUSIC BOX
HELPMATES
HOG WILD
TOWED IN A HOLE
BLOTTO
THEM THAR HILLS

[metaldams]

I love them all, but.......

1. HELPMATES
2. THEM THAR HILLS
3. THE MUSIC BOX
4. HOG WILD
5. TOWED IN A HOLE
6. BLOTTO

That was tough.

[falsealarms]

HOG WILD
HELPMATES
BLOTTO
THE MUSIC BOX
THEM THAR HILLS
TOWED IN A HOLE

[BeAStooge]

THE MUSIC BOX
TOWED IN A HOLE
HELPMATES
HOG WILD
BLOTTO
THEM THAR HILLS

[FineBari3]

THE MUSIC BOX
HOG WILD
HELPMATES
BLOTTO
TOWED IN A HOLE
THEM THAR HILLS

[ThumpTheShoes]

1  THEM THAR HILLS
2  THE MUSIC BOX
3  HELPMATES
4  HOG WILD
5  TOWED IN A HOLE
6  BLOTTO

[stooge1029]

HELPMATES
THE MUSIC BOX
TOWED IN A HOLE
HOG WILD
THEM THAR HILLS
BLOTTO

[Liz]

THEM THAR HILLS
HELPMATES
THE MUSIC BOX
BLOTTO
TOWED IN A HOLE
HOG WILD

[Rich Finegan]

HOG WILD
HELPMATES
BLOTTO
THE MUSIC BOX
THEM THAR HILLS
TOWED IN A HOLE

[Bruckman]

Final six baby, here we go!

1st  - HOG WILD
2nd - TOWED IN A HOLE
3rd - HELPMATES
4th - BLOTTO
5th - THE MUSIC BOX
6th - THEM THAR HILLS (which I watched Sunday night)

[metaldams]

While I'm busy still trying to wipe the tomato off my face, I may as well announce the results of the Laurel and Hardy tournament.  The winner is HELPMATES, probably my favorite Laurel and Hardy short!  Since my favorite Stooge short, A PLUMBING WE WILL GO, always does well but has never won a tourney, it's nice to see my favorite win.  Thanks to everybody who participated, and if anyone has suggestions for future tournaments, please let me know.

HELPMATES - 43
THE MUSIC BOX - 38
HOG WILD - 36
THEM THAR HILLS - 26
TOWED IN A HOLE - 24
BLOTTO - 22

[falsealarms]

What about an sound era comedian tournament? Focus on people active in the years 1930-1960.

Possible entrants, off the top of my head -

Moe, Larry, Curly, Shemp, Besser, Harpo, Groucho, Chico, Zeppo, Bud, Lou, Laurel, Hardy, Keaton, Hope, Fields, Lucy, Gleason, Carney, Burns, Allen, Benny, Martin, Lewis, A.Clyde, Wheeler, Woolsey.

That probably includes most of the major ones. Probably don't want to go too obscure.

[metaldams]

What about an sound era comedian tournament? Focus on people active in the years 1930-1960.

Possible entrants, off the top of my head -

Moe, Larry, Curly, Shemp, Besser, Harpo, Groucho, Chico, Zeppo, Bud, Lou, Laurel, Hardy, Keaton, Hope, Fields, Lucy, Gleason, Carney, Burns, Allen, Benny, Martin, Lewis, A.Clyde, Wheeler, Woolsey.

That probably includes most of the major ones. Probably don't want to go too obscure.

I was thinking something similar, but not exactly all the names mentioned above.  When i figure something out, i'll let you all know.

[falsealarms]

The first I'd cut would be Zeppo, Clyde, Wheeler, and Woolsey.

[falsealarms]

Another idea could be a Preston Sturges vs Frank Capra tournament... a lot of their stuff is classic, their careers peaked not far apart from each other, and readily accessible for years now.

Capra -

PLATINUM BLONDE
AMERICAN MADNESS
LADY FOR A DAY
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT
MR DEEDS GOES TO TOWN
YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU
MR SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

Sturges -

GREAT MCGINTY
CHRISTMAS IN JULY
LADY EVE
SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS
PALM BEACH STORY
HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO
MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK
EASY LIVING (screenplay credit)

[Bruckman]

What about an sound era comedian tournament? Focus on people active in the years 1930-1960.

Possible entrants, off the top of my head -

Moe, Larry, Curly, Shemp, Besser, Harpo, Groucho, Chico, Zeppo, Bud, Lou, Laurel, Hardy, Keaton, Hope, Fields, Lucy, Gleason, Carney, Burns, Allen, Benny, Martin, Lewis, A.Clyde, Wheeler, Woolsey.

That probably includes most of the major ones. Probably don't want to go too obscure.

No Clark & McCullough? And sorry but I have to put in a request that Edgar Kennedy be included. I'll opt out of Leon Errol but I'd put Kennedy's short subjects up there in contention ahead of anything by Andy Clyde.

[metaldams]

Another idea could be a Preston Sturges vs Frank Capra tournament... a lot of their stuff is classic, their careers peaked not far apart from each other, and readily accessible for years now.

Capra -

PLATINUM BLONDE
AMERICAN MADNESS
LADY FOR A DAY
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT
MR DEEDS GOES TO TOWN
YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU
MR SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

Sturges -

GREAT MCGINTY
CHRISTMAS IN JULY
LADY EVE
SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS
PALM BEACH STORY
HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO
MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK
EASY LIVING (screenplay credit)

It's not that they're bad movies (actually quite good), but the way I see it, I don't think enough people on this board are deep into Capra and Sturges to have a tournament.  I mean, Laurel and friggin' Hardy got barely just enough votes to make it interesting, and I don't even think Chaplin would get enough votes on this board.

I think The Marx Brothers have a chance, but we're only talking 13 films and the dip in quality on some of them varies greatly.  Laurel and Hardy features are a good possibility, though, maybe Abbott and Costello too, but the problem with the latter is they did so many films so quickly that certain eras become interchangeable, at least to me. 

[falsealarms]

Yeah, my first idea was probably better. A dream tournament laden with those stars.

I think it hurt somewhat that this specific board is buried so far down on the page. I posted links to the tournament on a few LH facebook pages, but it doesn't seem like anyone new got involved. Maybe next time, something could be posted on the general board linking to this one.

[falsealarms]

No Clark & McCullough? And sorry but I have to put in a request that Edgar Kennedy be included. I'll opt out of Leon Errol but I'd put Kennedy's short subjects up there in contention ahead of anything by Andy Clyde.

C&C, while popular back in the day, are too obscure now to include, IMO... and their stuff isn't very readily available. Clyde suffers from the same problem. Same with Errol and arguably Kennedy.

Wheeler and Woolsey have seen several titles released lately, but they're also likely too obscure.

[Bruckman]

Another idea could be a Preston Sturges vs Frank Capra tournament... a lot of their stuff is classic, their careers peaked not far apart from each other, and readily accessible for years now.

Capra -

PLATINUM BLONDE
AMERICAN MADNESS
LADY FOR A DAY
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT
MR DEEDS GOES TO TOWN
YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU
MR SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

Sturges -

GREAT MCGINTY
CHRISTMAS IN JULY
LADY EVE
SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS
PALM BEACH STORY
HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO
MIRACLE OF MORGAN'S CREEK
EASY LIVING (screenplay credit)

I'd add in UNFAITHFULLY YOURS on the Sturges list and take out EASY LIVING just because it isn't a directorial credit. For Capra I'd add in DIRIGIBLE which is one of those seldom seen Columbias of 31, THE MIRACLE WOMAN, and of course MEET JOHN DOE. Then you could add in a couple more Sturges such as THE SIN OF HAROLD DIDDLEBOCK or THE BEAUTIFUL BLONDE FROM BASHFUL BEND - neither being prime Sturges but isn't that what competition is about, scoring upsets?

On subject of the L&H Tourney before I make a third consecutive post on this topic: I'd have liked to see HOG WILD higher in the finish. On the other hand BLOTTO went farther than expected. It's not one commonly cited as a standout in the L&H sound era. I've always liked it but in most opinions it's good but not great. Nice to see it get recognition as it's been an underrated film for too long amd deserves contention with some of the team's better regarded work.

[falsealarms]

That club scene where they fool around with the bottle in BLOTTO is arguably the funniest scene in their sound-era cannon. At least for me.

[Bruckman]

Although the club scenes are good, for me it's the opening scenes between Stan and Oliver on the phone, and Stan and Anita Garvin, that make BLOTTO. Anita gives the camera almost as many "looks" as Hardy, and the timing of all 3 players is amazing - especially when you consider this is still a pretty early sound film and contemporary sound comedies by other studios look almost amateurish in comparison with awkward editing and erratic sound recording quality (actors too far from the mic etc.). It's too bad some nice scenes were trimmed out of the reissue print of BLOTTO (the one we know today) but you can catch some of these intact in the Spanish version, especially Stan and Ollie singing their own drunken version of "The Curse of an Aching Heart" (with Stan getting his ear twisted several more times) and placing a chair doused in seltzer right where Symona Boniface is ready to seat herself. Joseph Breen deemed these scenes a little too much in violation of Production Code policies by 1937 so they're gone. But he left in Anita Garvin and that's enough for me - love the look she gives right when Stan is going thru the whole charade of talking to the nonexistent telegram boy - only Anita could convey so much without a word of dialogue, just an expression of combined impatience and disbelief, as if to say "To what lengths is this palpable lie going to go?" A riot.

[falsealarms]

Another idea - what about a Classic 39 Honeymooners tournament?

[metaldams]

Another idea - what about a Classic 39 Honeymooners tournament?

You'd have to do that one, I haven't seen an episode of The Honeymooners since I was a kid.

[shemps#1]

What about an sound era comedian tournament? Focus on people active in the years 1930-1960.

Possible entrants, off the top of my head -

Moe, Larry, Curly, Shemp, Besser, Harpo, Groucho, Chico, Zeppo, Bud, Lou, Laurel, Hardy, Keaton, Hope, Fields, Lucy, Gleason, Carney, Burns, Allen, Benny, Martin, Lewis, A.Clyde, Wheeler, Woolsey.

That probably includes most of the major ones. Probably don't want to go too obscure.

If anything I would probably take the Stooges out of the mix because they are at an unfair advantage here.