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Topic: Films Of Laurel and Hardy

Graham Ritchie
Film God

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From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

posted January 05, 2007 11:36 PM

Would anyone like to make a guess as to the following titles

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Robert Wales
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 100
From: Toronto
Registered: Nov 2005

posted January 06, 2007 12:29 AM

A CHUMP AT OXFORD, SWISS MISS, HOG WILD, WRONG AGAIN,THE SECOND HUNDRED YEARS

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Graham Ritchie
Film God

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From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

posted January 06, 2007 12:24 PM

Spot on Robert
Here are a some more stills from the past

Liberty 1929

Leave Em Laughing 1928

Two Tars 1928

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Michael De Angelis
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1261
From: USA
Registered: Jul 2003

posted January 06, 2007 04:31 PM

Graham,

This is a neat thread.
Just the picts alone
tell a glimpse of the story,
and it made me chuckle.
[Smile]

Michael

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Peter Richards
Expert Film Handler

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From: United Kingdom
Registered: Dec 2006

posted January 06, 2007 04:38 PM

Whats the one called when they were delivering a piano and had to get it up a huge flight of steps and they kept messing up and it would go flying back down.

I have not seen that one in years and always made me chuckle

hmmm,i'd like to get that one on Super 8

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Michael De Angelis
Phenomenal Film Handler

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From: USA
Registered: Jul 2003

posted January 06, 2007 04:41 PM

Peter,

It is The Music Box.
Be sure you find the
3 reel version which
runs close to 30 minutes.

Michael

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Peter Richards
Expert Film Handler

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From: United Kingdom
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posted January 06, 2007 04:46 PM

Thanks Michael,i'll be lookin' out for this one [Cool]

Great thread,keep it going

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Andrew Wilson
Jedi Master Film Handler

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From: dundonald,belfast,co.antrim,northern ireland.
Registered: Jan 2006

posted January 06, 2007 05:19 PM

Great views there guys on perhaps the greatest comdey duo ever.Andy.

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Graham Ritchie
Film God

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From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

posted January 06, 2007 08:37 PM

Michael
here are a couple more

Liberty 1929

Bonnie Scotland 1935

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Michael De Angelis
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1261
From: USA
Registered: Jul 2003

posted January 07, 2007 12:08 AM

Graham,

Bonnie Scotland was programed
on Turner Classic Movies
Cable TV program recently.
I can't say if it was a mediocre
print or if the broadcast had
some intentional interference
because Turner has released a
double DVD set for sale of
Bonnie Scotland and The Devils Brother.

Anyway, as many times as I have seen
Bonnie Scotland, not to mention that
I have the Red Fox Print on 8mm,
(it has the complete MGM titles)
and a 16mm print too, which is
not as complete -
there I am watching it on TV.

It just delights me, and my wife
is yelling in the background
Can you clean-up around here?
You've got that, and seen it already!

Oh, honey it's almost over and it's
getting to the end soon.
I find the film Hilarious!

In that shot from Liberty,
I can just feel Stanley
holding onto dear life
by pulling Ollie's neck tie.
These two are always
going down, although they have
us soaring with laughter.

Incidentally, Blackhawk put
out two different sound versions
of Liberty in Super 8.

The first release has excellent
quality with Blackhawks own
wonderful sound track.

The latter release had the original
scored Vitaphone track with Sound
effects.

As good as they are, I remember
that the earlier print had improved
grading / timing with rich
theatrical quality, and the soundtrack
in some parts was improved over the
Vitaphone track.
The one aspect of the Vitaphone track
is that it has a montage in the beginning
with some patriotic music, and the chase
music,follows the mood in the film.

I wish that I held onto the earlier
sound version because it was worth
while.

Last but not least, it's always best
to watch the boys with a crowd and to
let loose and laugh out loud.

Michael

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Claus Harding
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posted January 07, 2007 12:28 PM

I have to agree with everything said about L & H. As much as I love and respect Chaplin, Keaton and the other greats, the very ordinariness of the situations in Laurel and Hardy's films always made for hilarious scenes out of next to nothing. I just got 'Blotto' in 16mm and the way Stan 'milks' the scene with the fake telegram delivery to himself is just genius.
I wish more younger folks would give such films a chance; they truly are timeless.

Best,
Claus Harding.

--------------------
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Steve Klare
Film Guy

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From: Long Island, NY, USA
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posted January 07, 2007 02:59 PM

Claus,

It's all how they are raised:

My little boy is 8 months from Kindergarten and one of his favorites is "The Pianyo Movie" ("The Music Box").

My wife showed him a toy Piano in a catalog and asked "would you like to have that?". He said "Yes! I can push it up the stairs and let it slide back down!".

(My goodness! Have I so warped my only son???)

He's one of few in his demographic that knows the difference between a "Movie" and a "Video" as well.

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Chris Quinn
Master Film Handler

Posts: 372
From: England, Bedfordshire.
Registered: Nov 2003

posted January 07, 2007 03:11 PM

My teenage son loves them too and that just shows how timeless they are. Gods of comedy that we will never see the like of again.

Chris.

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Michael De Angelis
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1261
From: USA
Registered: Jul 2003

posted January 07, 2007 07:49 PM

Claus,

Speaking of the Blotto,
I love the moment when
Stan picks up the news paper
and is stumped by the type font
on page one.
It is not malicious, but his
reaction is genuine and funny.

Agreed, Chaplin had his
moments, but Stan and Ollie
never revealed their acting
abilities.
It was always seamless and
perfectly timed.

Michael

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Peter Richards
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From: United Kingdom
Registered: Dec 2006

posted January 12, 2007 01:10 PM

I thought of another L&H that i would like to track down but the story is very vague but i remember it being winter and very cold outside,not sure if they were having trouble with there landlord but i remember Stan ended up hiding in a water barrel outside and drank the entire barrel.

I remember it being hilarious when he emerged,but i can't remeber the name of it.

Hopefully it will jog someones memory

It's a pity they don't show L&H on the T.V much these days [Frown]

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Mike Peckham
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1461
From: West Sussex, UK.
Registered: Jun 2003

posted January 12, 2007 01:20 PM

Peter

Was that the one where Stan and Olly were down and outs, perhaps during the depression, and they knocked at the kitchen door of a house and asked the lady for food. She said "do you like cold rice pudding?" and when they said "why, yes Mam"! she said "well it's still hot at that moment, so come back in a couple of hours"!

I remember seeing that as a child and thinking it hilarious!

Mike [Big Grin]

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Michael De Angelis
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1261
From: USA
Registered: Jul 2003

posted January 12, 2007 06:21 PM

Peter,

The title of the
L&H comedy short
when Stan drinks the
barrel of water is:Below Zero.

The Boys sing the song
In the Good Old Summertime.

[Smile]

The knocking on the door,
sounds as if it is from
One Good Turn.
But the rice pudding line
I don't remember. But it sure
sounds funny.
[Smile]

[ January 12, 2007, 11:31 PM: Message edited by: Michael De Angelis ]

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Peter Richards
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From: United Kingdom
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posted January 12, 2007 07:26 PM

Many Thanks for that [Smile]

I might go on a L&H rampage,any other must have shorts??

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Michael De Angelis
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1261
From: USA
Registered: Jul 2003

posted January 12, 2007 11:30 PM

Well Peter,

That is an interesting question.
The first L&H collectables
in my library were:
L&H Murder Case,
Brats,
Busy Bodies,
Hog Wild and
The Music Box

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Isn't it great that we can all communicate about this great
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Graham Ritchie
Film God

Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006

posted January 13, 2007 01:40 PM

Peter
One other worth getting is "Two Tars" I have it as a Blackhawk Super8 400ft release. The print isn't the greatest but the content certainly is, [Smile]

still well worth having not sure if Two Tars was released by any other distributor with better print quality. Another little gem from Walton is "No Flys On Us" 200ft.

Graham [Smile]

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Jan Bister
Darth 8mm

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From: Ohio, USA
Registered: Jan 2005

posted March 08, 2007 11:14 PM

Laughing Gravy. For heaven's sake, all of you should have Laughing Gravy in your collection. I love it to death. [Big Grin]

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Joerg Polzfusz
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From: Berlin, Germany, Europe, Earth, Solar System
Registered: Apr 2006

posted March 09, 2007 04:07 AM

Hi,

approx. 10-15 years ago several L&H-films got restored by the Kirch group and re-released in German cinemas. While watching those versions I noticed a lot of missing scenes in L&H Super8-/16mm-prints, e.g. "Big Business": All Super8-/16mm-prints that I've seen so far (UFA, Blackhawk, ...) start with L&H arriving at James Finlayson's house. But the restored version showed L&H unsuccessfully trying to sell their trees at at least one other house. Of course this longer version makes more sense since it's easier to understand why L&H are so frustated and already upset before meeting Mr. Finlayson.
The same applied to some other L&H short films (even though I forgot the other missing scenes): the Super8/16mm-prints always seemed to lack 1 to 2 minutes... .
And I haven't seen the extended version of "Pardon Us" on Super8/16mm as well.
Why is this? And are the missing scenes available as an "option" to be spliced into the shortened versions?

Jörg

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Chris Smith
Film Handler

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From: Aston, Pa. USA
Registered: Dec 2003

posted March 09, 2007 05:38 AM

Hi Joerg,
I was rereading Randy Skretvedt's excellent Laurel and Hardy book just last night, and he mentioned, coincidentally on "Big Business", that most studios shot at least two camera negatives for silent films. This provided an original for the domestic (US)market and an original for the European market, as there was no adequate "copying" film stock yet available. "Prints from Big Business have many noticable differences." This may account for some of the variations you note. Also, Roach showed his comedies to a "preview" audience at a theatre--based on their reactions, the films would be reedited--a clipped scene here, extra scenes added, etc. I often wondered if the European prints were shipped out before the reediting took place.

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted March 09, 2007 05:51 AM

My Blackhawk S8 "Big Business" (1x400') starts with the boys trying to sell their trees to a woman, and then to a door with a "no soliciting sign", which hides an arm and hand holding a hammer which hits Hardy on the head...twice!

-after that they move over to James Finlayson's.

I guess I'm at least closer to having the full deal!

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Joe Caruso
Film God

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From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted March 09, 2007 08:25 AM

I also have the BIG BUSINESS opening where they try selling trees elsewhere, it makes it all the more enjoyable with that delightful score Blackhawk added on and is timed beautifully - I fortunately have the LIBERTY Viataphone-scored version and it is a bit washed out though still very good - As a Son of the Desert member, I'm still after about a dozen of the sound shorts, yes Jan, I DO need LAUGHING GRAVY - They were my Mom's favorite, and were THE finest double-act to come out of film - Shorty

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