Babes in Toyland (1934)

Opposing the evil Barnaby, Ollie Dee and Stanley Dum try and fail to pay-off Mother Peep's mortgage and mislead his attempts to marry Little Bo. Enraged, Barnaby's Bogeymen are set on Toyland.

Directors:

Gus Meins, Charley Rogers (as Charles Rogers)

Writers:

Frank Butler (screen play), Nick Grinde (screen play)

Stars:

Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Virginia Karns

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Virginia Karns	...	Mother Goose
Charlotte Henry	...	Bo-Peep
Felix Knight	...	Tom-Tom
Florence Roberts	...	Widow Peep
Henry Brandon	...	Barnaby Barnicle (as Henry Kleinbach)
Stan Laurel	...	Stannie Dum
Oliver Hardy	...	Ollie Dee

Storyline

Ollie Dee and Stanley Dum try to borrow money from their employer, the toymaker, to pay off the mortgage on Mother Peep's shoe and keep it and Little Bo Peep from the clutches of the evil Barnaby. When that fails, they trick Barnaby into marrying Stanley Dum instead of Bo Peep. Enraged, Barnaby unleashes the bogeymen from their caverns to destroy Toyland.

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Plot Keywords:

forced marriage | toy soldier | toy maker | sheep | fairy tale land | 

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Taglines:

Their BIGGEST Full-Length Comedy Success

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Henry Brandon (b. Jun. 1912), who played 'old man' Silas Barnaby, was nearly four years younger than Felix Knight (b. Nov. 1908), who played Tom-Tom Piper and was Little Bo-Peep's sweetheart.

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Goofs

When Stannie rings Barnaby's doorbell at night, a light appears in Barnaby's upstairs window. The light source comes from the right, but Barnaby appears from the left, carrying a candle.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Chief of Police: Come, come, children. On your way to school.

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Crazy Credits

The titles appear on a child's toy building block that falls into position onscreen.

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Alternate Versions

Some prints omit the opening verses of the song "Toyland" ("When you've grown up, my dears", etc.), and begin the song with the main chorus ("Toyland, Toyland," etc.). Other prints omit Mother Goose's vocal of the song entirely, and have only the chorus singing the song.

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Connections

Version of Babes in Toyland (1961)

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Soundtracks

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf
(1933) (uncredited)
Music by Frank Churchill
Played by the orchestra over Three Little Pigs scenes

User Reviews

It has a great physical presence and some pretty funny stuff in it.

When video was much less accessible, I waited every holiday season to see this movie. I always remembered the fun stuff, especially Laurel and Hardy, but forgot some of the bad music and rather draggy dialogue. Nevertheless, the set designers did a nice job creating this nursery rhyme world, with three little pigs (one of whom gets turned to sausages), and a raft of other characters. The scenes in the toy shop with the Boys are the best. I do remember as a small child being pretty terrified of that land of the bogy men. It was well done, as are all places where "you must never go" or "where you will be banished to." Stan and Ollie do their shtick with finger wiggles and some silly game called "peewees." They attempt to save the day for the old woman who lives in a shoe. They manage to bumble everything up royally. Still, as things play out, this doesn't have the tightly knit fabric of their best comedies--they need to be on camera more. But as a holiday event, this is worth a look for a new generation.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 December 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

March of the Wooden Soldiers

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min 73 min (re-release) (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White (Sepiatone)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1