Way Out West (1937)

Director:

James W. Horne

Writers:

Jack Jevne (story) &
Charley Rogers (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

16 April 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Western

Tagline:

A Rumble Of Roars That Ends In A Laff Riot !

Plot:

Stan and Ollie are charged with delivering the deed to a valuable gold mine to the daughter of a dead prospector...

Plot Keywords:

Gold Mine | Man's Hat | Buddy | Road | Trapdoor

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Stan Laurel	...	Stan
Oliver Hardy	...	Ollie
Sharon Lynn	...	Lola Marcel (as Sharon Lynne)
James Finlayson	...	Mickey Finn
Rosina Lawrence	...	Mary Roberts / Stan's falsetto (voice)
Stanley Fields	...	Sheriff
Vivien Oakland	...	Sheriff's Wife
Dinah	...	Herself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
The Avalon Boys	...	Themselves
Don Brookins	...	One of The Avalon Boys (as The Avalon Boys)
Art Green	...	One of The Avalon Boys (as The Avalon Boys)
Walter Trask	...	One of The Avalon Boys (as The Avalon Boys)
Chill Wills	...	One of the Avalon Boys / Stan's bass singing (as The Avalon Boys)
Victor Adamson	...	Audience at saloon (uncredited)
Hank Bell	...	Audience at Saloon (uncredited)
Harry Bernard	...	Man eating at bar (uncredited)
Eddie Borden	...	Audience at saloon (uncredited)
Ed Brandenburg	...	Audience at saloon (uncredited)
Sammy Brooks	...	Brushwood Gulch citizen (uncredited)
Fritzi Brunette	...	Audience at saloon (uncredited)
Fred Cady	...	Audience at saloon (uncredited)
Ben Corbett	...	Audience at saloon (uncredited)
Dudley Dickerson	...	Janitor (uncredited)
Lester Dorr	...	Cowboy (uncredited)
Tex Driscoll	...	Paw, Bearded miner at saloon (uncredited)
Bobby Dunn	...	Audience at saloon (uncredited)
Flora Finch	...	Maw (uncredited)
Mary Gordon	...	Cook (uncredited)
Jack Hill	...	Finn's Employee (uncredited)
Carol Holloway	...	Audience at saloon (uncredited)
Helen Holmes	...	Woman in audience at Saloon (uncredited)
James Horne Jr.	...	Bit part (uncredited)
John Ince	...	Audience at saloon (uncredited)
Cornelius Keefe	...	Worker at Mickey Finn's (uncredited)
Sam Lufkin	...	Stagecoach baggage handler (uncredited)
Jim Mason	...	Patron (uncredited)
George Miller	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Frank Mills	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Art Mix	...	Audience at saloon (uncredited)
Frank Montgomery	...	Audience at saloon (uncredited)
James C. Morton	...	Bartender (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien	...	Saloon Waiter (uncredited)
Harvey Parry	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Dave Pepper	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Art Rowlands	...	Card player (uncredited)
Cy Slocum	...	Audience at saloon (uncredited)
Fred 'Snowflake' Toones	...	Janitor (uncredited)
May Wallace	...	Cook (uncredited)
Blackie Whiteford	...	Audience at Saloon (uncredited)
Jay Wilsey	...	Audience at saloon (uncredited)
Bill Wolfe	...	Audience at saloon (uncredited)

Directed by
James W. Horne

Writing credits
Jack Jevne		(story) &
Charley Rogers		(story) (as Charles Rogers)
Charley Rogers		(screenplay) (as Charles Rogers) &
Felix Adler		(screenplay) &
James Parrott		(screenplay)
James W. Horne		uncredited
Arthur V. Jones		uncredited

Produced by
Stan Laurel	....	producer
Hal Roach	....	producer

Original Music by
Marvin Hatley		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Art Lloyd
Walter Lundin

Film Editing by
Bert Jordan

Art Direction by
Arthur I. Royce

Set Decoration by
William Stevens		(settings) (as W.L. Stevens)

Makeup Department
Jack Dawn	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
William H. Terhune	....	unit manager (uncredited)
Sidney S. Van Keuren	....	production supervisor (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Chet Brandenburg	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
William Randall	....	sound
Elmer Raguse	....	sound recording supervisor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Roy Seawright	....	photographic effects

Stunts
Ham Kinsey	....	stunt double: Stan Laurel (uncredited)
Harvey Parry	....	stunts (uncredited)
Cy Slocum	....	stunt double: Oliver Hardy (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Stax Graves	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Harry Black	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)

Music Department
Marvin Hatley	....	musical director
Leroy Shield	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Nathaniel Shilkret	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
Charles Morton	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Stan Laurel Productions
• Hal Roach Studios

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1937) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1938) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Film Classics (1947) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1961) (Finland) (TV) (1971) (1975) (1986) (1993) (2001)
• Nostalgia Merchant, The (1981) (USA) (VHS)
• Tralag (1986) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Media Home Entertainment (1986) (USA) (VHS) (as The Nostalgia Merchant)
• Castle Communications (1996) (Finland) (VHS)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1937) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures Finland Oy (????) (Finland) (DVD)

Runtime:

65 min | 63 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | Germany:6 (nf)

Filming Locations:

Rancho Maria - 25933 Sand Canyon Road, Canyon Country, California, USA

Company:

Stan Laurel Productions

Trivia:

In a tribute to Claudette Colbert in It Happened One Night (1934) Stan Laurel flags down a coach by baring his leg.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Stan, Ollie, and Mary are running away from Mickey and Lola, and they shut the security gate on them, from the inside POV shot, you see Mickey just run up to the gate and stop, but from the outside POV, Mickey's head is through the gate.

Quotes:

Oliver: A lot of weather we've been having lately!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Sliders: Way Out West (#4.18)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Cheyenne

A lot of weather we've been having lately!

This western spoof is almost as good as "Sons of the Desert" and that's saying a mouthful. Both films are two of the funniest ever made by Hollywood. The debate amongst film buffs as to which one is better will undoubtedly go on till the demise of movies so just lean back and enjoy both of them.

While "Sons of the Desert" has the bonus of Charlie Chase adding even more mirth to the picture, "Way Out West" has two bonuses: Chill Wills and his Avalon boys who aid Stan and Ollie in two of their finest song and dance routines, and the king of the double take James Finlayson as Mickey Finn (a moniker that would have made W.C. Fields proud), who appeared in many Laurel and Hardy shorts. The talented Rosina Lawrence as Mary Roberts is also an added attraction.

Stan, Ollie, and their mule, who almost steals the show toward the end when being accidentally hoisted upstairs by a rope and pulley, are to deliver a deed for a gold mine to an orphan whose guardians are determined to steal the mine from her once they are informed unintentionally by Stanley. The slapstick and funny lines fly fast and furious throughout the 65 minutes. Even the song and dance numbers are hilarious. To read some of the best lines, note IMDb's quotes from the movie.

A friendly word of advice: Be sure and don't try using any of Ollie's pick-up lines. They don't work. For some reason cooing to a woman "a lot of weather we've been having lately" won't get you anywhere.