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IMDb > Block-Heads (1938)

Block-Heads (1938) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   982 votes
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Director:
John G. Blystone
Writers:
Felix Adler (screenplay)
Felix Adler (story)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Block-Heads on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
19 August 1938 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | War more
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... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. more
User Comments:
Laurel & Hardy in an amusing series of mishaps... more

Cast

  (Complete credited 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)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Just a Jiffy (USA) (working title)
Meet the Missus (USA) (working title)
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Runtime:
57 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:
Finland:S | UK:U

Fun Stuff

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. more
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?
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Movie Connections:
Remake of Soldier Man (1926) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful:-
Laurel & Hardy in an amusing series of mishaps..., 24 June 2007
6/10
Author: Neil Doyle from U.S.A.

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.

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Wasn't there a different ending in the original? xoxmagoosxox
DVD Release (3-15-05) nxduniverse
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