The Flying Deuces

It's pretty hard to sustain the Laurel and Hardy brand of humor for a full-length picture, but "Flying Deuces" does so pretty well. Not all of it maintains the pace or the level of their best short features, but there some good scenes and some fine moments that reflect the comic duo near the peak of their form.

The story tries to squeeze as much as possible from Stan and Ollie joining the Foreign Legion in order to help Ollie forget his troubles. Though there is plenty of action and a variety of settings, the best scenes are still the ones with the two of them by themselves, when their timing and teamwork can take over. The rest of the cast, and some of the settings, are mostly there only to nudge the plot along from time to time.

Aside from a handful of slow stretches, most of it is good entertainment. There's more than enough to make it worth seeing for fans of Laurel and Hardy.

Funny Laurel and Hardy picture has the boys as two Americans vacationing in France. Ollie develops a boy-like crush on a pretty café waitress and intends to marry her but has his heart broken when she must turn him down, for she is already happily married. Poor Ollie at first decides to end it all and take his good pal Stan with him, until he gets a better suggestion to just join the Foreign Legion to try and forget his troubles. This, or course, leads to even more troubles! A good solid comedy from Laurel and Hardy, nearing the very end of their best period in the Hal Roach movies. This film has long been available as a public domain release on various labels with rather weak quality, but the best print out there as of this date is the DVD from KINO. It really boosts the enjoyment of this one. *** out of ****

This was Laurel and Hardy's first feature film away from producer extraordinaire Hal Roach. While this is in no way Laurel and Hardy's best work, it still contains enough gags and silliness to entertain fans and the younger set. Stan Laurel is as sharp as always as is Babe Hardy but the story is somewhat lacking and drags in spots. The premise is good though: Trying to forget a woman who turned him down, Ollie wants to drown himself and convinces Stan that he must do the same. The boys meet an officer of the Foreign Legion who convinces them that they should join the Legion to help forget. Of course you know these two misfits are not going to do well in the Legion with its strict military code and constant marching. This leads to many good moments when, for example, the boys are forced to wash and press "a mountain" of laundry(literally). I especially liked the stunt flying and the surprise ending which, for me, wrapped everything up neatly. The part I really didn't like is having Ollie act like a simpering idiot when in love. It is just plain embarrassing. In their older films, they would get into bad situations but were never the objects of ridicule. Thankfully, this sequence passes by quickly enough and we go on to some great gags.

Sadly, the boys would end up making only one good film after this one (Saps at Sea)before moving to MGM and Fox where they were stuck in a bunch of bad or very average films.

I think most fans - myself included - of Laurel & Hardy consider their earlier work (at the beginning of the 1930s) to be their best. The films they made later, like this one, suffered from being a bit too long-winded, and were always bogged down with slightly wearisome romantic sub-plots. Nonetheless, THE FLYING DEUCES is one of their most accessible feature-length productions, and a film that it's difficult to dislike.

Much of the comedy here comes naturally and feels unforced. Watching the guys attempting to simply wash themselves in their room is a delight in itself. The plot makes sense, and when the pair are sent off to Africa to enlist with the Foreign Legion, the laughs don't stop coming. There's a fine song and dance routine, a lovely jail cell interlude (featuring James Finlayson, no less) and a classic chase-based climax. Little to dislike, really.

Olli is broken heart when aware which Georgett(Jean Parker), a beautiful girl, is already married to officer Francois(Reginald Gardner). Oliver is depressed and attempts to commit suicide in river Seine, taking Stan Laurel with him. But the newspapers publicize : ¡ famous men-eating shark escapes, ferocious fish battles keeper in Paris Aquarium, believed at large in Seine, boaters, swimmers, Beware! . Later they enlist the French Foreign Legion commanded by a stiff commandant(Charles Middleton). Of course, the comic pair cause wreak havoc wherever they go . Their botchers lead them charges of desertion and condemned to death penalty. They're imprisoned but receive a letter in the jail saying the following : ¨ Lift up floor board and you'll find a tunnel which leads to the outer wall use your own judgement, a pal ¨. Hilarity ensues when they try to escape and avoid a firing squad.

Zany comedy seeing the misfit couple in all kinds of troubles involving French Legion. This entertaining Laurel and Hardy recital provides too much amusement in detailing the duo's exploits in Foreign Legion . Lots of physical comedy and hilarious dialogue including some musical interlude . Furthermore sympathetic introduction of fantastic elements as when Oliver Hardy's reincarnation as a horse . Comical and spectacular final flying is one of the film's highlights. Based on screenplay and sketches written by the comic Harry Langdon, among others. ¨Flying deuces¨ is well directed by Edward Sutherland. He was producer, director , actor and one the original Keystone Kops. He began in films as an actor for Mack Sennett , turning filmmaker and usually worked for W. C. Fields.