Way Out West (1937)

Charged with delivering a gold mine deed to an heiress who they have never seen or met, two bumbling friends haplessly try to correct their mistake after being tricked into given the deed to the wrong women in this feature length Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy comedy. Often cited as one of the pair's funniest full length features, 'Way Out West' has some terrific moments for sure as Hardy tries eating a hat after watching Laurel enjoy eating his, as Hardy accidentally knocks on a bald man's head, and as the pair hitch a ride 'It Happened One Night' style, and yet there is no escaping how paper thin the plot is. Indeed, even at less than 70 minutes, the movie feels on the long side with the story basically just consisting of repeated failed attempts to retrieve the deed. The fact that Stan and Ollie do not appear on screen for six and a half minutes does not help matters, nor does the heavy reliance on slapstick gags - particularly head banging incidents. The film actually has some really good dialogue -- "we hope he is - they buried him" comments Stan in a deadpan manner after the fake heiress asks whether her relative is really dead. And yet, while more verbal gags like this would have perhaps been beneficial, the comedy duo are admittedly slapstick experts and the film is often funny if a tad disjointed and episodic. The Old West sets and costumes are pretty good too.

I must be out of step on this one, as everyone seems to acclaim this as Laurel & Hardy's best film. OK it has it's amusing moments, but one is left with the feeling that it went on for too long and that if you squeeze an orange to excess, you are just left with the pips. The only memorable scene for me was the duo's performance in the saloon of 'The Trail of the Lonesome Pine'Wasn't it Stan Laurel that said he preferred the short films they made? I think he was right, ('The Music Box' was certainly proof of that). The only exception to this rule perhaps was 'Blockheads', which was a funnier film than this.So for Laurel & Hardy at their best I will be sticking to the shorts!

In childhood this was one of my favourite Laurel & Hardy films, and seen with the eyes of an adult it is still packed with an incredible amount of funny moments. L&H arrive in a wild western town to deliver the deeds of a gold mine to Mary Roberts (Rosina Lawrence) a young girl working as a scullery maid for wily saloon owner Mickey Finn (James Finlayson) and showgirl Lola (Sharon Lynn). Finn and Lola trick the boys into handing the deeds over to them and, once they discover the duplicity, the duo are determined to retrieve it.For a full-length feature, it is surprising how well-paced the film is - especially in the first forty minutes (things go downhill a little in the last 20 minutes, although there are still laughs to be had). There are any number of not only funny but classic scenes, such as the pair's impromptu dance to The Avalon Boys song and their duet on Trail of the Lonesome Pine (which would reach the top of the charts long after the boys had both died), Stan's hysterics as Lola tries to wrestle the deeds from him, Ollie's frustrated attempts to emulate Stan's thumb trick, and Stan finding he quite enjoys the taste of Ollie's hat, etc.This is arguably one of Laurel & Hardy's greatest films and is essential viewing for anyone interested in vintage Hollywood comedy.

Having just received the L&H complete collection, this is the first of the feature length films that I have watched, although I have seen it a few times in the past.The acid test of a comedy is if you laugh at it even when watching alone. I can confirm that I did, I'm surprised that I didn't wake up my wife and daughters during the scene where Stan is being tickled. The dance routine is pure gold (and Ollie is surprisingly nimble for a big man).For the musical scenes and also Stan's tickling scene, this probably cements Way Out West as the best feature length movie that the boys made. This is of course a matter for debate.