Saps at Sea (1940)

Oliver suffers a nervous breakdown as a result of working in a horn factory, but when he follows doctor's orders about sea air, he finds an ex-con is aboard.

Director:

Gordon Douglas

Writers:

Charley Rogers (original story), Felix Adler (original story),

Stars:

Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Ernie Alexander

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Stan Laurel	...	Stan
Oliver Hardy	...	Ollie

Storyline

After working in the noisy horn factory, just the sound of one drives Oliver into a violent fit. Dr. Finlayson prescribes a long, restful sea voyage, so Stan and Oliver rent a boat and set sail, unaware that escaped killer Nick Grainger has stowed away onboard. To disable the crook, the boys prepare him a meal using string for spaghetti, sponges for meatballs and soap for cheese. But Grainger discovers their plan and decides to make them eat the stuff themselves.

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Plot Keywords:

horn | spaghetti | doctor | boat | nervous breakdown | 

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Taglines:

If You're Sick (and tired of it all) Take The Laff Cure! Get well by Laughing Yourself Sick . . . at . . .

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 May 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

En croisière

Filming Locations:

Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

57 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Fans regard this as the last true Laurel and Hardy film. It was their last film done for Hal Roach. It would also be the last film in which they would have significant input.

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Goofs

In the scene with Dr. Finlayson's "lung-tester", just before the giant balloon is about to burst, the Klieg lights are visible reflecting in the stretched latex of the balloon.

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Quotes

Oliver Hardy: Who was it?
Stanley Laurel: It was the doctor.
Oliver Hardy: [Annoyed] Well, what did he say?
Stanley Laurel: He said he'd be up here in about a quarter of an hour or fifteen minutes, as quick as he can get here.

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Connections

Spoofs Souls at Sea (1937)

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Soundtracks

"The Sailor's Hornpipe"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Partially played in the score twice

User Reviews

"Hornophobia"?!?!

While the premise of the film is pretty lame (Ollie is diagnosed with "hornophobia"), the film is an amiable and enjoyable little flick. It's also a darn bit better than the films they went on to make after this one--probably since this was the last Hal Roach-produced Laurel and Hardy film. In fact, it wouldn't be a bad idea not to see ANY of their latter films, as the entire chemistry is lost in these films and the boys play their parts purely for pathos--something true Laurel and Hardy films NEVER would do. They had a bit of an edge that all the later films lack.

Stan and Ollie work at a horn factory. This sounds pretty funny, but it isn't. Not surprisingly with all the racket, Ollie is about to have a nervous breakdown and must take some time off work. The doctor (James Finlayson--in his last film with the team) recommends an ocean voyage. However, they don't like sailing and Stan has an idea of just renting a boat tied to the dock--then they can get all the sea air they want without all the bother! Once they are on the boat, a dangerous escaped criminal boards the boat and they all accidentally set out to sea. Fortunately, this portion of the film actually was well-paced and the very end worked out very well.

While not a great full-length Laurel and Hardy film, it was much better than many of them since it had no annoying and distracting musical numbers (like in THE DEVIL'S BROTHER or BABES IN TOYLAND). Additionally, there is still a decent amount of physical comedy--something you would see almost none of after this film. Part of this was due to the boys' declining health (and Ollie's increasing girth) and part of it was due to the overall insipidness of these later films.