Block-Heads (1938)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

John G. Blystone

Writers:

Felix Adler (screenplay)
Felix Adler (story)

Release Date:

19 August 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | War

Tagline:

90 minutes of happiness and hi-jinks

Plot:

It's 1938, but Stan doesn't know the war is over; he's still patrolling the trenches in France, and shoots down a French aviator...

Plot Keywords:

Elephant Gun | Explosion | Laurel And Hardy | Beautiful Woman | Newspaper

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Stan Laurel	...	Stan
Oliver Hardy	...	Ollie
Patricia Ellis	...	Mrs. 'Toots' Gilbert
Minna Gombell	...	Mrs. Hardy
Billy Gilbert	...	Mr. Gilbert
James Finlayson	...	Fin - Man on stairs
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Zeffie Tilbury	...	Dowager seated near stairs (scenes deleted)

Also Known As:

Just a Jiffy (USA) (working title)
Meet the Missus (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

57 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Stan Laurel Productions

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: When Mr. Gilbert is talking to the reporters about his hunting trip, you can see the shadow of the boom mic on the wall behind him.

Quotes:

Stan: Do you think your wife would mind if I smoked my pipe?
Oliver: Of course not. What's all right with me is okay with her.
Stan: I know, but a lot of dames are particular.
Oliver: Well yes, but... What do you mean calling my wife a dame?

Movie Connections:

Remake of Soldier Man (1926)

Laurel & Hardy in an amusing series of mishaps...

The first half of BLOCK-HEADS contains the most amusing skits in the feature that runs just a little short of one hour and seems like a series of farcical sketches that become a little too hectic toward the last twenty minutes. But fans of LAUREL & HARDY probably won't really mind since it's good slapstick fun.

The most amusing idea has STAN LAUREL still keeping watch in the trenches during World War I and shooting at a German plane until the pilot (who lands safely nearby) explains to him that the war has been over since 1918. When Stan is reunited with his friend OLIVER HARDY at a veteran's home, he's sitting in an unoccupied wheelchair and Oliver thinks he's a vet with a missing leg. It's one of the funniest sections of the film, that has Oliver carrying him, getting dumped on by a dumpster, and taking all sorts of pratfalls as the routine winds on.

Later, at Hardy's home, the slapstick gets even wilder but not necessarily funnier. Too many staged arguments with his wife (MINNA GOMBELL) lead to the sort of shouting matches that can become tiresome after awhile. But through it all, STAN LAUREL has some good comic moments as friend Oliver gets in trouble with the lady next door and her jealous husband (BILLY GILBERT).

The gags are fast and furious in typical slapstick tradition and it's a fast-moving comedy that should satisfy fans of the duo. Gilbert is a joy to watch as the jealous hubby, easily stealing scenes with his caricature of the man across the hall from Hardy.

Summing up: Delightful mixture of gags and slapstick situations in the Hal Roach tradition.