Men O'War (1929)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Lewis R. Foster

Writers:

Leo McCarey (writer)
H.M. Walker (writer)

Release Date:

29 June 1929 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Comedy | Family

Plot:

Two sailors on leave, Stanley and Oliver meet two girls at a park and invite them to have a soda. Unfortunately...

Plot Keywords:

Sailor | Slot Machine | Park | Boat Accident | Pillow Fight

Cast

Stan Laurel	...	Stan
Oliver Hardy	...	Ollie
James Finlayson	...	Soda jerk
Anne Cornwall	...	Girl
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Harry Bernard	...	Policeman
Baldwin Cooke	...	Boater
Gloria Greer	...	Girl
Charlie Hall	...	Boater

Runtime:

19 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric System)

Certification:

Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Hollenbeck Park - 415 S. St. Louis Street, Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Hal Roach Studios

Quotes:

Ollie: And why did you do it?
Stan: I had to. My half was on the bottom. I had to drink it all to get it.

Movie Connections:

References Should Married Men Go Home? (1928)

Fantastic example of their wit AND their physical work

Laurel and Hardy are sailors on shore leave walking through the park. A misunderstanding over a misplaced item of clothing leads them into the favours (and company) of a pair of delightful young ladies. The pair invite them for a soda despite the fact that they have very little money, and then onto a quite memorable boating trip.

I have tried to really get into Laurel and Hardy shorts and have started watching them whenever I may get the chance. Of the ones I have seen so far this has been one of my favourites. The reason for that is I always enjoy when they are given the opportunity to be more than physical clowns and are given witty dialogue driven scenes. Here the majority of the film (the lost gloves and the soda shop) are all driven by the dialogue and the good `to-camera' work the pair do. The climax on the river boat is not as good as their better physical work but I didn't care as the majority was sublime.

Laurel and Hardy excel in the film, especially in the first three quarters. The chemistry and timing between them always shines through in the verbal more than the slapstick. Their delivery is perfect – while Hardy was calmly pleading with Laurel in the soda shop `why did you do that, just tell me why' I was in stitches! The support cast is pretty good although the ladies are a little dull. This short is also the best example of James Finlayson at his best and a good chance for all Simpsons fans to catch the origin of the Homer Simpson `d'oh'.

Overall I was always going to love this film simply because it revolves more around the dialogue than the slapstick. The climax on the boating lake is funny but this should be watched as proof that Laurel and Hardy were more than successful fall guys – they were simply comedy genius's who were all round vaudeville entertainers.