The Flying Deuces (1939)

Have loved this movie since I was a kid. Many situational comedy bits as L&H were used to from the silent days. There is a lot of slapstick involved in this movie but when it was filmed sound was now involved which sometimes made it more fun. Have the movie both on DVD and 8mm film and is still funny on both formats. Was the first L&H film I ever watched and stands up as one of the best early comedies on B&W film. Not their finest but definitely worth watching and a great example of early comedy films.Am a film collector and have been wanting to watch this film from film since I was a kid, thankfully the film community provided me with an 8mm copy of the film with sound complete. Wonderful to watch on the big screen. It's worth watching and showing to the younger generations so they don't think Jim Carry is a comedy icon.

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 ****

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.

Of all the comedy teams in film to date, none have ever surpassed the popular duo of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Further, no one has ever explained how these two simple comedians from different parts of the world, can go unheralded for years amid all the disastrous maniacal mayhem of the Hal Roach studios, but then once paired, became the most famous team to span generation after generation of audiences. This feature "Flying Deuces" is but one of their many features which has a reoccurring message. Take a life's' event like Oliver being rejected by a woman and what follows is sure to be "another find Mess, you've gotten me into" movie. Halarity is sure to follow when the boys join the Foreign Legion, 'just for a couple of days' so Olie can forget his troubles. Seeing this film as a child, caused me to nearly split a gut. As an adult, I recall that youth and realize, I never got over their wondrous power to make me laugh. Look very carefully and you'll see James Finlayson as the Jailer. His facial expressions and the antics of the boys is what made this film, (like all the rest) an unforgettable Classic. ****