Topic: Men O' War (1929) - Laurel and Hardy

[ChrisBungoStudios]

I'm a big A&C fan and a big L&H fan, but L&H rank higher in my "favorites" list of comedians. I still like A&C's version of the routine better.

A&C and L&H had totally different styles -- and that routine suits A&C much better. When Abbott coaxes Costello for the thousandth time, sometimes I'm actually convinced that he really does want Costello to order something! So even though I've seen the routine a thousand times, I let out a huge howl when Costello orders and Abbott freaks out again!

I generally don't like to compare my favorite comedians to each other, but in this case, a comparison is necessary because it is essentially the same routine.

When I was a kid, I had a cousin who told me that A&C were funnier than L&H, because with L&H, in his words, "You can predict what they're gonna do." He would demonstrate this to me as we watched a L&H movie. (I presume one he hadn't seen before.)  "Now he's gonna slip on the banana peel," he would tell me, seconds before Ollie, or whoever, slipped on a banana peel.

It never bothered me that you could predict what they were going to do, but years later I discovered that that was part of their formula! They didn't think they were surprising us by doing "unpredictable" things. Did they really think we wouldn't expect Ollie to fall off the roof when he and Stan were installing an antenna! Nope, they mastered the art of the "anticipated laugh", to coin a phrase. We know he will fall, his wife knows he will fall, and even Stan probably knows he will fall. The only one who doesn't know it is Ollie himself! That's the joke!

When we watch the Stooges, we're just waiting for the eye-poke, the head bashing, etc. It doesn't diminish the humour because we knew it was coming. Now sometimes they would surprise us with shorts like THEY STOOGE TO CONGA which one-ups every other short they made when it comes to violence!


A one-armed bandit, not a lottery. 

There are some who feel that none of their talkies reached the heights of their silent classics. I'm not one of those people, though. In fact, I feel they hit higher heights in the talkies. In the silents, their characters weren't yet fully developed. (Much like the native girls Captain Spaulding took pictures of during his safari.)
 

Great comments. Something that I would like to mention: Let's not forget Season 1 of the Abbott & Costello TV show. In my opinion, that was the best Abbott & Costello because it was condensed to fit a 30 minute (probably 24 minute) block and there wasn't a wasted moment on any subplots. Just pure Abbott & Costello.

[NoahYoung]

Great comments. Something that I would like to mention: Let's not forget Season 1 of the Abbott & Costello TV show. In my opinion, that was the best Abbott & Costello because it was condensed to fit a 30 minute (probably 24 minute) block and there wasn't a wasted moment on any subplots. Just pure Abbott & Costello.

Thanks.

Yes, I'm a big fan of the A&C Show. While Season 2 isn't as good as Season 1, it really isn't as bad as some think, at least to me. There are a few gems, and after all, they used up all of their burlesque routines in Season 1! I believe most episodes clock-in at around 26 minutes, which is 4 minutes longer than today's sitcoms.

The A&C Show is equivalent to what it would have been like if A&C had appeared in shorts instead of features. In shorts, like those of L&H and The Stooges, no continuity was expected, or followed. Sitcoms, however, are expected to have continuity from episode to episode. That being said, The A&C Show often threw continuity out the window! How many relatives of Mr. Fields appeared on the show, played by Sid Fields himself? And they went through 2 seasons of not paying Mr. Fields a dime for rent, and yet they were never evicted. Did Mr. Bacciagalupe ever have the same job in 2 different episodes?

BTW, there are a handful of Season 2 episodes that I'd place above a handful of Season 1 episodes.

[ChrisBungoStudios]

Thanks.

Yes, I'm a big fan of the A&C Show. While Season 2 isn't as good as Season 1, it really isn't as bad as some think, at least to me. There are a few gems, and after all, they used up all their burlesque routines in Season 1! I believe most episodes clock-in at around 26 minutes, which is 4 minutes longer than today's sitcoms.

The A&C Show is equivalent to what it would have been like if A&C had appeared in shorts instead of features. Although in shorts, like those of L&H and The Stooges, no continuity was expected, or followed, sitcoms are expected to have continuity from episode to episode. That being said, The A&C Show often threw continuity out the window! How many relatives of Mr. Fields appeared on the show, played by Sid Fields himself? And they went through 2 seasons of not paying Mr. Fields a dime for rent, and yet they were never evicted. Did Mr. Bacciagalupe ever have the same job in 2 different episodes?

You ARE a true Abbott and Costello fan! Do you subscribe to the newsletter? It's overseen by Lou's daughter, Chris Costello.

[NoahYoung]

You ARE a true Abbott and Costello fan! Do you subscribe to the newsletter? It's overseen by Lou's daughter, Chris Costello.

No, I don't.  Years ago, I used to subscribe to stuff like that (not for A&C though), but that was long before the Web took off.

[ChrisBungoStudios]

No, I don't.  Years ago, I used to subscribe to stuff like that (not for A&C though), but that was long before the Web took off.

If you want to subscribe (it's free), send an email to:

accollectibles@aol.com
and give your name, city and state that you live in

[NoahYoung]

If you want to subscribe (it's free), send an email to:

accollectibles@aol.com
and give your name, city and state that you live in

Thanks. Is it a printed newsletter or a file? I guess the latter. BTW, I'm pretty close to Paterson, but I never went to see the statue. Not the safest neighborhood in the world -- I'll leave it at that.

I didn't know that aol emails were still a thing.

[ChrisBungoStudios]

Thanks. Is it a printed newsletter or a file? I guess the latter. BTW, I'm pretty close to Paterson, but I never went to see the statue. Not the safest neighborhood in the world -- I'll leave it at that.

I didn't know that aol emails were still a thing.

Yeah, I've got a few friends still using AOL email. Too much of a hassle for them to get a gmail or yahoo email and then have to train everyone to send to the new address.

The A&C newsletter is delivered to your email.

I've been to the Lou Costello statue. There's a group of A&C fans that do a cleanup of the park a few times a year. As a (very young) kid, we lived in Paterson. But that's like 60 years ago!

[NoahYoung]

Yeah, I've got a few friends still using AOL email. Too much of a hassle for them to get a gmail or yahoo email and then have to train everyone to send to the new address.

The A&C newsletter is delivered to your email.

I've been to the Lou Costello statue. There's a group of A&C fans that do a cleanup of the park a few times a year. As a (very young) kid, we lived in Paterson. But that's like 60 years ago!

I getting nearer to being 60 years old!

[ChrisBungoStudios]

I getting nearer to being 60 years old!

60 ain't too bad - so far! :-)

[Big Chief Apumtagribonitz]

I'm guessing I might be the oldest one on the site.  Born in 1953, I'll be 71 next month.