Movies:
Block-Heads |
- Rating:
- Genre: Comedy
- Movie Type: Reunion Films, Buddy Film
- Themes: Nothing Goes Right
- Director: John G. Blystone
- Main Cast: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Patricia Ellis, Billy Gilbert
- Release Year: 1938
- Country: US
- Run Time: 75 minutes
- MPAA Rating: NR
Plot
Twenty years after the Armistice, doughboy Stan Laurel continues guarding a trench in France--simply because no one told him the war was over. His rescue coincides with the first wedding anniversary of his old pal Oliver Hardy. Heading to town to pick up a gift for his wife (Minna Gombell), Ollie discovers that Stan has been located and is now residing at the Veteran's Home. The two buddies share a warm reunion, whereupon Ollie invites Stan home to enjoy a "big thick juicy steak" prepared by Mrs. Hardy. As a result of Ollie's hospitality, Stan inadvertently wrecks Ollie's brand new car; the boys spend half the afternoon trudging up and down 13 flights of stairs; Ollie gets into a fight with belligerent Jimmy Finlayson; Mrs. Hardy angrily walks out on her husband; the boys manage to blow up the kitchen while preparing their own meal; and Hardy's beautiful next-door neighbor (Patricia Ellis) ends up minus her dress in Ollie's steamer trunk, with both Mrs. Hardy and the neighbor's husband, big-game hunter Billy Gilbert, converging upon our bethumped heroes. Essentially a remake of the 1929 Laurel and Hardy two-reeler Unnaccustomed as We Are, Block-Heads is a brilliant parade of virtuoso comedy turns. The best bits of business include the mountain of bean cans representing Stan's two decades in the trenches; the "white magic" gags involving Stan's pulling down the shadow of a window shade, producing a glass of water from his pocket and smoking his thumb like a pipe; and an uproarious "black" joke involving Ollie's mistaken belief than Stan has lost a leg in the war. The film sustains its high level of humor for 56 of its 57 minutes, faltering only in its disappointing closing gag (borrowed from the 1928 short We Faw Down). Among the writers of this chucklefest was former silent comedian Harry Langdon. Erroneously announced in 1938 as Laurel and Hardy's final feature, Block-Heads was indeed the last of the team's genuine classics. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie GuideReview
Block-Heads is a delightful Laurel & Hardy excursion, an expansion of their earlier short Unaccustomed As We Are that suffers nothing in being lengthened. As with most Laurel & Hardy outings, Block-Heads is essentially a string of gags assembled in some sort of a framework. In the case of Block-Heads, this is a very simple but sturdy framework, and that adds to the strength of the film; everything fits together, but the structure still allows the boys to wander a little outside the plot boundaries for a good gag. And there are plenty of good gags here, from the mountain of empty bean cans that mark the passage of time for Laurel to the surrealistically funny "shadow shade" pulling. The attempt to climb 13 flights of stairs, which could become monotonous in other hands, is a delight here, as is Laurel's handmade (literally) pipe. Perhaps the most surprising sequence comes early on, when the duo meet after a 20 year absence and Hardy mistakenly believes his pal has lost his leg due to the war. It's hysterically funny, yet the "darkness" of the situation makes it also a bit shocking -- and all the more memorable therefore. (The original ending of the film -- in which we see big game hunter Billy Gilbert, mad at the pair because he thinks they have been behaving improperly with his wife, at home with their heads mounted on his wall, prompting Hardy to give out with his traditional "another fine mess" line -- was apparently considered a little TOO dark and was cut before the film was released.) Block-Heads is a sheer delight, and an excellent introductory film for those who haven't been exposed to the hi-jinks of the legendary comedy duo. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie GuideCast
- Stan Laurel - Himself
- Oliver Hardy - Himself
- Patricia Ellis - Mrs. Gilbert
- Billy Gilbert - Himself
James Finlayson - Mr. Finn; Billy Bletcher - Midget; Tommy Bond - Neighbor's son; Jean del Val - French aviator; Harry Earles - Midget; Minna Gombell - Mrs. Hardy; Huntz Hall - Soldier's Home Superintendant; Max Hoffman, Jr. - Reporter; Sam Lufkin - Veteran; Patsy Moran - Lulu; James C. Morton - James; William Royle - Army Officer; Harry Strang - Clerk; Zeffie Tilbury - Old woman; Jack Hill - Soldier; Harry Woods - Beligerant Neighbor
