Moronika
Film & Shorts Discussions => Laurel and Hardy => Topic started by: metaldams on May 08, 2019, 09:25:19 AM
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http://www.laurelandhardycentral.com/flydeuce.html
http://www.lordheath.com/menu1_2.html
THE FLYING DEUCES is one of the few public domain Laurel and Hardy films and therefore is easy to find in really lousy prints. My version isn't the greatest print, I hear the Kino version is better and perhaps I should invest in it.
This would make a great double feature with ROOM SERVICE from The Marx Brothers. Both films are the only RKO features of famous comedy teams known better for working at other studios. From RKO's perspective, their big comedy team was Wheeler and Woolsey. Robert Woolsey passed away in 1938 so I can imagine RKO hoping to use these two films to continue forward with comedy box office success. For some extreme irony, only one of the two films contains a harp solo - and it's not The Marx Brothers film! Yes, Stan Laurel gets a harp solo here, obviously dubbed and wouldn't you know, it's my favorite scene in the film. I just love the surreal quality of watching Stan mine Harpo territory and Ollie's facial reactions do add to the fun.
Other than that, nothing really stands out in THE FLYING DEUCES. Structurally, it is an OK film. It flows just fine, there are no moments that drag, it's a perfectly acceptable one hour plus of entertainment. It's mildly amusing throughout. The clothes scene is OK, digging underground from jail reminds me of a lesser version of THE SECOND HUNDRED YEARS, the suicide scene with the shark is dark but not too dark since you never can take their motive seriously. It's all perfectly fine, but none of it extremely funny. Like I said, structurally, this is an OK film, better than say, BONNIE SCOTLAND in that regard. That said, there are no scenes here as gut busting funny as the fish frying scene or Ollie sneezing underwater. A few scenes like that and I would rate this one much higher.
The romance angle isn't over obtrusive though Ollie again seems overly innocent and I do feel sorry for him. The airplane scene is one of those big studio talking comedy scenes that involves too many long shots and too many close up reaction shots and not much else. Makes me appreciate the Keaton and Lloyd finales more. The very end (spoiler) with Stan meeting the reincarnated Ollie is cute and possibly an influence on some dreadful Stooge films a couple of decades down the line. It is nice seeing Jimmy Finlayson towards the end, as underused as he is.
Not a great film but not really bad either. We just have two more Roach films after that and then off to Fox.
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I noticed that they are both very heavily made up and overlit , so as to disguise the signs of aging. It looks a little weird. Time marches on.
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I noticed that they are both very heavily made up and overlit , so as to disguise the signs of aging. It looks a little weird. Time marches on.
My print is watchable, but a bit dark, so I never noticed the lighting. I should check out the YouTube print above to get a better idea.
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http://www.laurelandhardycentral.com/flydeuce.html
http://www.lordheath.com/menu1_2.html
THE FLYING DEUCES is one of the few public domain Laurel and Hardy films and therefore is easy to find in really lousy prints. My version isn't the greatest print, I hear the Kino version is better and perhaps I should invest in it.
The Region Free UK Network Blu-ray release from 2015 is the current gold standard for THE FLYING DEUCES (1939). Here's my review of it on Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/R35LI3MJL8DNUI/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_btm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00T6LQHOM#wasThisHelpful
The Network Blu-ray is also available on U.S. Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/The-Flying-Deuces/dp/B00T6LQHOM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
CHEERS! :)
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My print is watchable, but a bit dark, so I never noticed the lighting. I should check out the YouTube print above to get a better idea.
The heavy makeup is quite evident on the Region Free UK Network Blu-ray, and probably to a lesser degree on the U.S. VCI Entertainment Blu-ray (I haven't really viewed that one in a while!) release.
CHEERS! :)
P.S. This YouTube version is actually from the Network Blu-ray: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hTRcQoMhLfU
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The heavy makeup is quite evident on the Region Free UK Network Blu-ray, and probably to a lesser degree on the U.S. VCI Entertainment Blu-ray (I haven't really viewed that one in a while!) release.
CHEERS! :)
P.S. This YouTube version is actually from the Network Blu-ray: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hTRcQoMhLfU
Thanks Tony, I will check that out.
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Tony, the link you provided I just made as the you tube link to watch on top of the page. Thanks.
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http://www.laurelandhardycentral.com/flydeuce.html
http://www.lordheath.com/menu1_2.html
THE FLYING DEUCES is one of the few public domain Laurel and Hardy films and therefore is easy to find in really lousy prints. My version isn't the greatest print, I hear the Kino version is better and perhaps I should invest in it.
This would make a great double feature with ROOM SERVICE from The Marx Brothers. Both films are the only RKO features of famous comedy teams known better for working at other studios. From RKO's perspective, their big comedy team was Wheeler and Woolsey. Robert Woolsey passed away in 1938 so I can imagine RKO hoping to use these two films to continue forward with comedy box office success. For some extreme irony, only one of the two films contains a harp solo - and it's not The Marx Brothers film! Yes, Stan Laurel gets a harp solo here, obviously dubbed and wouldn't you know, it's my favorite scene in the film. I just love the surreal quality of watching Stan mine Harpo territory and Ollie's facial reactions do add to the fun.
Other than that, nothing really stands out in THE FLYING DEUCES. Structurally, it is an OK film. It flows just fine, there are no moments that drag, it's a perfectly acceptable one hour plus of entertainment. It's mildly amusing throughout. The clothes scene is OK, digging underground from jail reminds me of a lesser version of THE SECOND HUNDRED YEARS, the suicide scene with the shark is dark but not too dark since you never can take their motive seriously. It's all perfectly fine, but none of it extremely funny. Like I said, structurally, this is an OK film, better than say, BONNIE SCOTLAND in that regard. That said, there are no scenes here as gut busting funny as the fish frying scene or Ollie sneezing underwater. A few scenes like that and I would rate this one much higher.
The romance angle isn't over obtrusive though Ollie again seems overly innocent and I do feel sorry for him. The airplane scene is one of those big studio talking comedy scenes that involves too many long shots and too many close up reaction shots and not much else. Makes me appreciate the Keaton and Lloyd finales more. The very end (spoiler) with Stan meeting the reincarnated Ollie is cute and possibly an influence on some dreadful Stooge films a couple of decades down the line. It is nice seeing Jimmy Finlayson towards the end, as underused as he is.
Not a great film but not really bad either. We just have two more Roach films after that and then off to Fox.
That's an interesting observation regarding RKO trying to fill their comedy gap that was created by the illness and eventual passing of Robert Woolsey. Interestingly, Wheeler and Woolsey were at one point, second in popularity to Laurel and Hardy among comedy duos. I believe that their COCKEYED CAVALIERS (1934) tour de force was made in response to THE DEVIL'S BROTHER (1933), and even featured some of the same cast from that film.
Regarding next week's review, what would be really cool is if both the 42 minute streamliner and 63 minute feature length cuts of A CHUMP AT OXFORD could be reviewed. Just a thought.
CHEERS! :)
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That's an interesting observation regarding RKO trying to fill their comedy gap that was created by the illness and eventual passing of Robert Woolsey. Interestingly, Wheeler and Woolsey were at one point, second in popularity to Laurel and Hardy among comedy duos. I believe that their COCKEYED CAVALIERS (1934) tour de force was made in response to THE DEVIL'S BROTHER (1933), and even featured some of the same cast from that film.
Regarding next week's review, what would be really cool is if both the 42 minute streamliner and 63 minute feature length cuts of A CHUMP AT OXFORD could be reviewed. Just a thought.
CHEERS! :)
Wheeler and Woolsey is one of those teams I always wanted to review but don't because of lack of interest. Abbott and Costello is next for that reason.
Concerning the streamlined version of A CHUMP AT OXFORD, I know the story behind it, have it on DVD - yet never watched it. I'm not going to do a complete separate review, but perhaps I should watch it just to throw in a comment or two.
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Wheeler and Woolsey is one of those teams I always wanted to review but don't because of lack of interest. Abbott and Costello is next for that reason.
Concerning the streamlined version of A CHUMP AT OXFORD, I know the story behind it, have it on DVD - yet never watched it. I'm not going to do a complete separate review, but perhaps I should watch it just to throw in a comment or two.
I had wanted to get all of the Wheeler and Woolsey films, but between the seemingly endless release delays for both volumes and eventual sheer lack of finances on my end, it just never happened.
Regarding A CHUMP AT OXFORD, Dave Lord Heath did a thorough scene by scene comparison between the two cuts, detailing the many differences apart even from the feature length version's opening reel and a half. As I recall, the print quality of the 42 minute cut appeared a bit more pristine than the 63 minute edit to my eyes, when I viewed it several years back.
Getting back to THE FLYING DEUCES (1939), the Network Blu-ray has really put to bed the many, many previous home video releases. One other fairly recent release that has had me slightly intrigued is a German released 3-D version that was issued not very long after. Unfortunately, I'm not, nor ever expect to be set up for 3-D Blu-ray viewing, and nobody seems to have reviewed or even commented about it online, despite its continued availability on Amazon Germany.
CHEERS! :)
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Watched this again and saw some things I didn't remember, to wit:
1.) Make-up isn't all that bad, but during the plane flight, it was applied with a trowel.
2.) This is beautifully scored and fully orchestrated, the most complex bit of music being when L & H get lost during the close-order drill. You not only see them getting scrambled up with the real soldiers, you also hear exactly that. The whole film features such clever music. I understand that producer Boris Morros was also a serious musician, he showed his stuff here.
3.) Oliver Hardy, six-foot-two, looking like 280, and 48 years old, is still taking some hard shots, climbing, dancing and hauling himself around like a 30-year-old. That takes the strength and endurance of an ox.
4.) The climactic plane ride is by-the-numbers slapsticky and corny. Myself, I think the problem is they're not battling an enemy, they're just going AWOL, though granted it's a miserable situation that we'd all want to go AWOL from. No heroism, even accidental heroism, at all. And they're terrorizing their own guys, accidentally, of course, but they are. No bravery involved. Not even accidentally ennobling themselves. And the big finish leads me to this:
5.) They killed off Ollie. I understand that this film was an underachiever if not a failure at the box office, and I know that many of their flicks ended with L & H getting maimed and twisted beyond recognition, and I know that it was Stan who thought these endings were funny and Hal Roach didn't, and they had personal, and professional, and contractual fights over this kind of stuff, but FOR CHRIST'S SAKE, THEY JUST KILLED OFF OLLIE ! Who in the world thought people would go to see a Laurel and Hardy movie where they killed off Ollie? The word of mouth had to be disastrous. And despite the careful buildup, the reincarnation punch-line was lame. This was pretty good Laurel and Hardy until the last five minutes.
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Maybe it’s just because I’ve seen it so many times, but I’ve always considered this among the better Laurel and Hardy features. Granted, there are some story problems (who’s the random person who gives them the tip to escape from prison, and how does Stan evade capture from the foreign legion at the end?), but overall it does still manage to maintain Laurel and Hardy’s style with some pretty funny gags.
Personally, I really like the whole confusion of Laurel and Hardy narrowly avoiding the search party while having no idea that they’re being searched or barely out of their sight. James Finlayson also gets some good bits, especially when it comes to Laurel, Hardy, and the drunk soldiers. There’s also some funny bits with Stan and the wall of the hotel they’re staying at. Like metaldams said, the suicide scene is somewhat dark but lightened by the fact that they’re not particularly serious about it.
Like Big Chief said, musically this film does stand out for having a more complete score than most Laurel and Hardy films. Like WAY OUT WEST, this film definitely benefits from musical highlights, both in the score and with the song sequences. Oliver gets a chance to sing with “Shine on Harvest Moon,” which also features a dance sequence with Stan, and I would have to agree that the highlight is the whole scene with Stan and the harp (even if it is so obviously dubbed).
Though the whole romantic angle with Hardy does have some similarities to SWISS MISS, it’s a lot more tolerable here since it’s made clear from the beginning that Georgette genuinely has no idea that her actions are having consequences on Hardy’s feelings. She’s not deliberately taking advantage of him, but instead seems to think it’s part of an American custom.
Regarding the ending, I can kind of see your points, though I still like it for what it is: a finale that tries to maintain excitement while at the same time remaining in a budget that won’t allow for a Keaton-style ending. I still like these kinds of climaxes, even if they’re not as extravagant as many of the silent era ones. The ending is admittedly dark, but unlike THE MIDNIGHT PATROL, in which it is also implied that Laurel and Hardy are killed, this one takes advantage of the plot point to show one of the sweeter Laurel and Hardy moments: Laurel’s happiness in being reunited with the partner that he thought was gone forever. It’s not dramatic at all, but instead played out the exact way that you’d expect with Laurel and Hardy: silly, but cute.
THE FLYING DEUCES isn’t perfect, but it did show that Laurel and Hardy could work well at a studio other than Roach when given the opportunity. Overall, I enjoy this film a lot.
9 out of 10
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One more thing, a geezer reference that may be only known by us elders, is everyone aware that the song Stan plays on the bedsprings is called The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise? They're going to be shot at sunrise, you see. It's a very slow joke. And BTW that song was an oldie even then, written by Gene Lockhart, actor and father of June Lockhart, the mother on Lassie and Lost In Space.
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Maybe it’s just because I’ve seen it so many times, but I’ve always considered this among the better Laurel and Hardy features. Granted, there are some story problems (who’s the random person who gives them the tip to escape from prison, and how does Stan evade capture from the foreign legion at the end?), but overall it does still manage to maintain Laurel and Hardy’s style with some pretty funny gags.
Personally, I really like the whole confusion of Laurel and Hardy narrowly avoiding the search party while having no idea that they’re being searched or barely out of their sight. James Finlayson also gets some good bits, especially when it comes to Laurel, Hardy, and the drunk soldiers. There’s also some funny bits with Stan and the wall of the hotel they’re staying at. Like metaldams said, the suicide scene is somewhat dark but lightened by the fact that they’re not particularly serious about it.
Like Big Chief said, musically this film does stand out for having a more complete score than most Laurel and Hardy films. Like WAY OUT WEST, this film definitely benefits from musical highlights, both in the score and with the song sequences. Oliver gets a chance to sing with “Shine on Harvest Moon,” which also features a dance sequence with Stan, and I would have to agree that the highlight is the whole scene with Stan and the harp (even if it is so obviously dubbed).
Though the whole romantic angle with Hardy does have some similarities to SWISS MISS, it’s a lot more tolerable here since it’s made clear from the beginning that Georgette genuinely has no idea that her actions are having consequences on Hardy’s feelings. She’s not deliberately taking advantage of him, but instead seems to think it’s part of an American custom.
Regarding the ending, I can kind of see your points, though I still like it for what it is: a finale that tries to maintain excitement while at the same time remaining in a budget that won’t allow for a Keaton-style ending. I still like these kinds of climaxes, even if they’re not as extravagant as many of the silent era ones. The ending is admittedly dark, but unlike THE MIDNIGHT PATROL, in which it is also implied that Laurel and Hardy are killed, this one takes advantage of the plot point to show one of the sweeter Laurel and Hardy moments: Laurel’s happiness in being reunited with the partner that he thought was gone forever. It’s not dramatic at all, but instead played out the exact way that you’d expect with Laurel and Hardy: silly, but cute.
THE FLYING DEUCES isn’t perfect, but it did show that Laurel and Hardy could work well at a studio other than Roach when given the opportunity. Overall, I enjoy this film a lot.
9 out of 10
I did fail to mention the "Shine On Harvest Moon" number, and indeed it is another fine Oliver Hardy musical moment.
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5.) They killed off Ollie. I understand that this film was an underachiever if not a failure at the box office, and I know that many of their flicks ended with L & H getting maimed and twisted beyond recognition, and I know that it was Stan who thought these endings were funny and Hal Roach didn't, and they had personal, and professional, and contractual fights over this kind of stuff, but FOR CHRIST'S SAKE, THEY JUST KILLED OFF OLLIE ! Who in the world thought people would go to see a Laurel and Hardy movie where they killed off Ollie? The word of mouth had to be disastrous. And despite the careful buildup, the reincarnation punch-line was lame. This was pretty good Laurel and Hardy until the last five minutes.
Actually, this film was a hit. So much so that it influenced the filming of A CHUMP AT OXFORD, which will be discussed tomorrow.
I think Umbrella Sam made good points about the death scene, but I also want to add Ollie is reincarnated, so he's alive in another form. Not quite as depressing as being really dead, even though he's still a bloody horse.
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O K, I'm misinformed, it was a hit. They still fucking killed off Ollie.
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I wholeheartedly agree with Tony.
Network's region-free Blu-ray of "The Flying Deuces" boasts the finest picture quality to date. Beautifully restored by Jonathan Wood and BBC Digital Media Services from an original 35mm print, with the RKO logo and titles fully intact. A must-own.
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Speaking of public domain Laurel and Hardy, reviewing Atoll K/Utopia this weekend and wrapping up this Laurel and Hardy thing. Another one I have a public domain copy of. Any of you guys know good DVDs or Blu-Rays of that one?
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I own the British Film Institute's 2K English-language restoration of "Atoll K" with the original 35mm nitrate film elements. It runs 98 minutes.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Atoll-DVD-Blu-ray-Stan-Laurel/dp/B07JJPCT13/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Atoll+K&qid=1568761218&s=gateway&sr=8-1
However, the 83-minute German version has better print quality.
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I own the British Film Institute's 2K English-language restoration of "Atoll K" with the original 35mm nitrate film elements. It runs 98 minutes.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Atoll-DVD-Blu-ray-Stan-Laurel/dp/B07JJPCT13/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Atoll+K&qid=1568761218&s=gateway&sr=8-1
However, the 83-minute German version has better print quality. Here's the link.
Thank you. Been thinking about getting a multi region blu ray player.
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"The Flying Deuces" is a minor classic in Stan and Ollie's filmography — the only non-Roach production in which the team maintained a fair amount of creative control. A partial remake of "Beau Hunks," this Foreign Legion escapade remains a fast-paced romp with plenty of memorable routines and some charming musical interludes. Superior to the mostly dispiriting Fox and MGM releases of the 1940s.
8/10
Here is a link to the scenes shot at the Iverson Movie Ranch.
http://iversonmovieranch.blogspot.com/2014/08/laurel-and-hardy-take-on-iverson-movie.html
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"The Flying Deuces" is a minor classic in Stan and Ollie's filmography — the only non-Roach production in which the team maintained a fair amount of creative control. A partial remake of "Beau Hunks," this Foreign Legion escapade remains a fast-paced romp with plenty of memorable routines and some charming musical interludes. Superior to the mostly dispiriting Fox and MGM releases of the 1940s.
8/10
Here is a link to the scenes shot at the Iverson Movie Ranch.
http://iversonmovieranch.blogspot.com/2014/08/laurel-and-hardy-take-on-iverson-movie.html
The article is a very nice revealing read in regards to the Laundry scene!
CHEERS! [pie]
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A serviceable comedy from Laurel and Hardy. I find it to be better than their Fox movies, but not as good as their Hal Roach ones. The suicide part when the want to jump into water I think was certainly written by Harry Langdon. The ending though was probably Stan Laurel's idea, it's funny that Stan doesn't seem to be that sad about Ollie dying and is glad to see him reincarnated.
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I find it to be better than their Fox movies, but not as good as their Hal Roach ones.
Apart from being an independent production, one of the reasons why "The Flying Deuces" is superior to the Fox movies lies in the fact that RKO did not have a rigid house style such as Fox and MGM.
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I loved this one as a kid -- but now, I don't like it that much.
A few of my issues:
1. As mentioned, the make-up is applied too heavily. From this point on, the boys don't look the same as they once did.
2. The romantic situation is too similar to "Swiss Miss", released the prior year. And oh yea, that wasn't a great movie, either.
3. It's a sorta-kinda remake of "Beau Hunks", which was just re-released by Hal Roach to theaters circa 1937.
4. Back to the romantic situation -- Babe was 47 during filming; Jean Parker turned 24 during filming. 'Nuff said.
As mentioned above, this was an independent production. So technically, this was not an RKO film -- they just released it. According to the Randy Skredvedt book, first edition, "L&H - The Magic Behind the Movies", this was filmed at the General Studios in Hollywood, and was a Boris Morros production. I do not know how much influence the releasing company had on the production of a film in 1939, let alone today. Apparently, again according to Skredvedt, Stan did not have as much control as he did at Roach. Most notably, it is pointed out that Stan did the editing on paper, whereas at Roach he physically edited the films. Makes one wonder why Stan was so unhappy at Roach. I've read a million different conflicting reasons over the years,
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I loved this one as a kid -- but now, I don't like it that much.
A few of my issues:
1. As mentioned, the make-up is applied too heavily. From this point on, the boys don't look the same as they once did.
2. The romantic situation is too similar to "Swiss Miss", released the prior year. And oh yea, that wasn't a great movie, either.
3. It's a sorta-kinda remake of "Beau Hunks", which was just re-released by Hal Roach to theaters circa 1937.
4. Back to the romantic situation -- Babe was 47 during filming; Jean Parker turned 24 during filming. 'Nuff said.
As mentioned above, this was an independent production. So technically, this was not an RKO film -- they just released it. According to the Randy Skredvedt book, first edition, "L&H - The Magic Behind the Movies", this was filmed at the General Studios in Hollywood, and was a Boris Morros production. I do not know how much influence the releasing company had on the production of a film in 1939, let alone today. Apparently, again according to Skredvedt, Stan did not have as much control as he did at Roach. Most notably, it is pointed out that Stan did the editing on paper, whereas at Roach he physically edited the films. Makes one wonder why Stan was so unhappy at Roach. I've read a million different conflicting reasons over the years,
Just how unhappy Stan was at Roach is probably a matter of debate in itself. Most accounts indicate some strain between Laurel & Roach began while shooting BABES IN TOYLAND (1934), but really took much greater hold during the shooting of SWISS MISS (1938).
At the core though, my take is that Stan Laurel simply didn't know how good he had it at the Hal Roach Studios (How could he?), in terms of creative input. It's no wonder Stan didn't have a lot of positive things to say about his and Babe's latter day experiences with "Those Fox people!" and also with MGM. If only we could have the gift of hindsight!
CHEERS! :)
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I loved this one as a kid -- but now, I don't like it that much.
4. Back to the romantic situation -- Babe was 47 during filming; Jean Parker turned 24 during filming. 'Nuff said.
It’s funny you say this because I can relate. I’m 43 and got into these old comedies in my early twenties. The big age difference between comedians and leading ladies was common. I didn’t notice it when I first started watching these films - but I definitely notice it now.
I also think for the most part, the best leading ladies for these middle aged comedians were the Mae Busch’s, the Christine McIntyre’s and the Hillary Brooke’s of the world. In their mid thirties to early forties. They have their looks but they have life experience as well. Something missing from a lot of these twenty year old actresses.
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Regarding Stan's unhappiness -- who knows? They didn't have Twitter back then. :)
The grass is always greener elsewhere -- people still feel that way today. Again, Stan was able to live comfortably financially for the rest of his life; health issues, as well as Babe's death, eventually prevented him from performing. He was, however, still performing until around his mid-60s -- that's a normal retirement age.
The problems with Stan and Roach during the making of BABES IN TOYLAND and SWISS MISS are legendary. :) Still, the fact that Roach let Stan produce OUR RELATIONS and WAY OUT WEST does say something, though --- although both were made before SWISS MISS, but after BABES. It is debatable, however, if "producing" was just a carrot via on-screen credit, and nothing about making the films were different.
I stopped buying every new book that came about about the boys a long time ago. Before the internet, that was the only source of information.
Regarding the age differences -- Babe could pull it off with Thelma Todd in CHICKENS COME HOME, but she sure could dish it out to him in that one. But that was 1931, not 1939. Babe still looked youthful.
And yes, they needed the Mae Busches and Alice Kramden's, not Jean Parker, who when I googled today was American not French! So the accent was phony. I have never seen her in another movie, but apparently she made many.
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http://www.laurelandhardycentral.com/flydeuce.html
http://www.lordheath.com/menu1_2.html
THE FLYING DEUCES is one of the few public domain Laurel and Hardy films and therefore is easy to find in really lousy prints. My version isn't the greatest print, I hear the Kino version is better and perhaps I should invest in it.
This would make a great double feature with ROOM SERVICE from The Marx Brothers. Both films are the only RKO features of famous comedy teams known better for working at other studios. From RKO's perspective, their big comedy team was Wheeler and Woolsey. Robert Woolsey passed away in 1938 so I can imagine RKO hoping to use these two films to continue forward with comedy box office success. For some extreme irony, only one of the two films contains a harp solo - and it's not The Marx Brothers film! Yes, Stan Laurel gets a harp solo here, obviously dubbed and wouldn't you know, it's my favorite scene in the film. I just love the surreal quality of watching Stan mine Harpo territory and Ollie's facial reactions do add to the fun.
Other than that, nothing really stands out in THE FLYING DEUCES. Structurally, it is an OK film. It flows just fine, there are no moments that drag, it's a perfectly acceptable one hour plus of entertainment. It's mildly amusing throughout. The clothes scene is OK, digging underground from jail reminds me of a lesser version of THE SECOND HUNDRED YEARS, the suicide scene with the shark is dark but not too dark since you never can take their motive seriously. It's all perfectly fine, but none of it extremely funny. Like I said, structurally, this is an OK film, better than say, BONNIE SCOTLAND in that regard. That said, there are no scenes here as gut busting funny as the fish frying scene or Ollie sneezing underwater. A few scenes like that and I would rate this one much higher.
The romance angle isn't over obtrusive though Ollie again seems overly innocent and I do feel sorry for him. The airplane scene is one of those big studio talking comedy scenes that involves too many long shots and too many close up reaction shots and not much else. Makes me appreciate the Keaton and Lloyd finales more. The very end (spoiler) with Stan meeting the reincarnated Ollie is cute and possibly an influence on some dreadful Stooge films a couple of decades down the line. It is nice seeing Jimmy Finlayson towards the end, as underused as he is.
Not a great film but not really bad either. We just have two more Roach films after that and then off to Fox.
Just in viewing the first few minutes of this over a late lunch, I noted that the sound fidelity is quite strong and crisp. Also, while Jean Parker was a young 23 - 24 during this film's shooting, her performance is fine for what she had to work with. To an extent, it is also knowing Jean played Oliver Hardy's character's daughter in their previous feature together that makes his romancing her in this subsequently produced comedy extra weird.
I'm really glad to have the Network Blu-ray of this sometimes underrated Laurel & Hardy gem, and the ending is quite fun, given the circumstances surrounding it. Too bad the ending for their 2 reel short THE MIDNIGHT PATROL (1933) lacked the same levity!
CHEERS! :)
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Yes, I found that on youtube over a year ago and was blown away by how good it looked. Looks HD even with my laptop connected to my HD TV.
I guess I have seen another Jean Parker film -- ZENOBIA. I think I have seen it twice, and I can't remember a darn thing about it other than it stunk. :)
Jean was definitely easy on the eyes, but couldn't they have gotten a French actress? Well, her accent is pretty good -- it fooled me and I took French in high school. Come to think of it, I can't remember a darn thing about French, either. There is nothing wrong with her performance.
Loving Stan and Babe so much, this is hard to say, but -- they really made Babe look pathetic in this one. When I was a kid, they always started it on TV with the suicide scene. Maybe that's why I used to like it, though as a kid I doubt I would have said to myself, "Gee, isn't Ollie a little old for her?"
That annoying husband of hers, Francois, is a bit old for her, too, btw. The actor's name and age at the time is a google away, but I haven't looked it up. I don't like how he goes from being so friendly to them, then only to treat them so badly at first site in the Legion. Hey Francois, don't you think 2 guys in their late 40s are a bit old for the Legion, anyway? You told them to enlist, btw.
I think that's my big problem with the boys starting around 1938 -- the writers gave them roles more suited to when they were younger.
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Yes, I found that on youtube over a year ago and was blown away by how good it looked. Looks HD even with my laptop connected to my HD TV.
I guess I have seen another Jean Parker film -- ZENOBIA. I think I have seen it twice, and I can't remember a darn thing about it other than it stunk. :)
Jean was definitely easy on the eyes, but couldn't they have gotten a French actress? Well, her accent is pretty good -- it fooled me and I took French in high school. Come to think of it, I can't remember a darn thing about French, either. There is nothing wrong with her performance.
Loving Stan and Babe so much, this is hard to say, but -- they really made Babe look pathetic in this one. When I was a kid, they always started it on TV with the suicide scene. Maybe that's why I used to like it, though as a kid I doubt I would have said to myself, "Gee, isn't Ollie a little old for her?"
That annoying husband of hers, Francois, is a bit old for her, too, btw. The actor's name and age at the time is a google away, but I haven't looked it up. I don't like how he goes from being so friendly to them, then only to treat them so badly at first site in the Legion. Hey Francois, don't you think 2 guys in their late 40s are a bit old for the Legion, anyway? You told them to enlist, btw.
I think that's my big problem with the boys starting around 1938 -- the writers gave them roles more suited to when they were younger.
Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton and Charley Chase all fall into the same category, playing roles that are sometimes age inappropriate. In Ollie’s case, there’s a couple of films where he’s too innocent, this being one of them. In THE BOHEMIAN GIRL, I’m not sure he understands how babies are created.
I’ve seen Jean Parker in a few b level horror related films in the mid forties.
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B Horror Movie + Jean Parker sounds --- interesting!
;D
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Yes, I found that on youtube over a year ago and was blown away by how good it looked. Looks HD even with my laptop connected to my HD TV.
I guess I have seen another Jean Parker film -- ZENOBIA. I think I have seen it twice, and I can't remember a darn thing about it other than it stunk. :)
Jean was definitely easy on the eyes, but couldn't they have gotten a French actress? Well, her accent is pretty good -- it fooled me and I took French in high school. Come to think of it, I can't remember a darn thing about French, either. There is nothing wrong with her performance.
Loving Stan and Babe so much, this is hard to say, but -- they really made Babe look pathetic in this one. When I was a kid, they always started it on TV with the suicide scene. Maybe that's why I used to like it, though as a kid I doubt I would have said to myself, "Gee, isn't Ollie a little old for her?"
That annoying husband of hers, Francois, is a bit old for her, too, btw. The actor's name and age at the time is a google away, but I haven't looked it up. I don't like how he goes from being so friendly to them, then only to treat them so badly at first site in the Legion. Hey Francois, don't you think 2 guys in their late 40s are a bit old for the Legion, anyway? You told them to enlist, btw.
I think that's my big problem with the boys starting around 1938 -- the writers gave them roles more suited to when they were younger.
Those are some great observations. Reginald Gardiner, the actor who played Francois, was 36 when THE FLYING DEUCES (1939) was shot, so was 11 years younger than Oliver Hardy. For me Francois and Georgette's lesser age gap was never glaring or even that obvious. On the other hand, I've always found Francois being so nasty to the boys at first sight in the French Foreign Legion rather jarring, but I took it as him being all business when doing his duty with no room for levity.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald_Gardiner
CHEERS! :)