Saps at Sea

Yes, as the other reviewers have already stated, this may not be vintage L&H but it's far from being their worst work as at 20th Century Stupid...I mean Fox. This film certainly has all of the basic ingredients for things to go wrong for the boys. But it's their serious approach and determination that makes them funny. They don't play it for laughs as other comedians might but they take their work and situation quite seriously and that is the essence of their eternal humor. In this film, they are faced with some basic issues that really might be encountered by any one of us today, namely job related stress. First, we would get checked out by a doctor and he would prescribe some much needed rest and perhaps staying by the sea. That's where the surrealness comes in to all of this. L&H always take a most plausible set of circumstances and exaggerate it but never to the point of being incredible, except maybe once in awhile. This makes us laugh because we can relate to their self caused predicaments and attempts at extrication. That's what makes Stan and Ollie universal in their appeal. In this film all those ingredients are presented in a delightfully artful and gracefully slapstick way. Not their best in comparison to their earlier work probably because this was the actual last film they did for Roach because he wanted to mirror the "big" studios and go into making features exclusively and also wanted to hurry up and finish their contractual obligation. BIG MISTAKE! They should have all stayed together and continued for maybe five more years. What the world may have missed in their not considering this as an option. Watch, laugh, and enjoy this as their last great performance.

Stanley and Oliver are working in a noisy horn factory, which drives Oliver crazy.He doesn't even want to hear the sound of a horn after that.Jimmy Finlayson plays the doctor, who says the boys should go on a sea trip to get Ollie well. So the boys get a boat and do what Dr. Finlayson tells them to do.But a dangerous killer comes to the boat with them. Saps at Sea offers you many funny scenes, as the Laurel and Hardy films always do.No matter what the boys are doing in their movies, they're always hilarious.This movie has many scenes to remember, like when the crook makes Stanley and Ollie to eat "the food" they made.Saps at Sea is totally worth watching, if you want to get a few good laughs.I guarantee you will get some laughs when you watch this movie.Laurel and Hardy won't disappoint you.

I've always enjoyed this film very much! The first time I saw it was on the Global Television Network in Canada when I was 12 years old back in 1976. They showed Laurel and Hardy features on Thursday nights that summer, and I got to see quite a few of their Hal Roach features, though sadly, I managed to miss "Sons Of The Desert" and would not get to see that wonderful film until about 1983.

Anyway, "Saps At Sea" is a Laurel & Hardy film that I have come to appreciate more as the years go by. I think that it really nicely sums up the friendship that the characters Stan & Ollie had with one another. They always stuck together through thick and thin (no pun intended!), and that dynamic is definitely evident here.

Sadly, this film was to be the swan song for both Ben Turpin (who appears briefly in a hilarious cameo as a cross-eyed plumber); and Harry Bernard, who does a memorable turn as a Harbor Patrolman. Harry would succumb to lung cancer in November, 1940 at age 62; and Ben Turpin would die on July 1st of that same year from heart disease at age 70.

Rychard Cramer as the antagonist Nick Grainger manages to be both menacing and hilarious at the same time! I was surprised to find out that five years earlier, he had appeared in a short titled "Dizzy & Daffy" (obviously about the famous Dean Brothers!). Kind of funny, considering he dubbed Stan & Ollie as Dizzy & Dopey!

I definitely agree with other reviewers who have stated that one's first Laurel and Hardy experience probably shouldn't be one of their latter day 20th Century Fox/MGM films, though some of those aren't all that bad for passing the time. Definitely avoid Utopia/Atoll K/Robinson Crusoeland (Yes, this movie has three titles!). Just the fact that Stan Laurel was so obviously appallingly ill, alone should be enough incentive to avoid this as your first Laurel and Hardy encounter. It will likely be your last!

Sorry I'm getting so off topic here. "Saps At Sea," in my opinion, is in many ways, the last true Laurel and Hardy film, and is certainly a worthy introduction for would be L&H fans!! (Mine was "Blockheads," another fine film).

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.

Saps at Sea is the last film produced by Hal Roach. It is three shorts rolled into one in effect.

Laurel & Hardy work in a horn manufacturing company where they test horns, the noise has a detrimental effect in the workers and pretty soon Hardy succumbs to the noise.

When Laurel takes him home Dr Finlayson diagnoses a severe case of hornophobia and prescribes a voyage to the sea. Laurel instead rents a boat for a few days but an escaped convict takes refuge and hold them hostage.

The noise induced beginning is bound to make the audience suffer with hornophobia, Laurel taking Hardy home in the car just shows his ineptness compounded further when the doctor calls around and the plumbing in their apartment is all wonky.

The best bit is when they cook a synthetic meal for the escaped convict who then makes them eat it meanwhile all the time on the boat Chekhov's trumpet is there to be seen.