Cheap Lost Films Of Laurel And Hardy #9 (DVD) (Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy) (Edgar Kennedy) Price

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Customer Reviews of Lost Films Of Laurel And Hardy #9

Average Laurel & Hardy silent comedies but a great pie fight
This ninth volume of "The Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy" offers more of the silent comedies of the screen's greatest comedy team, with the twist that we have two versions of a couple of them on this DVD. Laurel & Hardy as bandstand musicians might seem a strange subject for a two-reel silent comedy, but that is what we get in "You're Darn Tootin'." The boys lose their jobs when they ruin the band's performance and end up turning on each other, a fracas that eventually spreads to everybody on the street. If you pay attention to the early parts of this film, you will notice that all sorts of sound and musical cues were clearly indicated, but, of course, are lost to us now. Directed by Edgar Kennedy, one of the great comic foils of the Golden Age of Comedy, this 1928 Hal Roach-MGM comedy was "supervised" by the great Leo McCarey. The 1927 two-reeler "Why Girls Love Sailors" directed by Fred Guiol was considered lost for years. English and French versions are offered here. When Laurel's girl friend is kidnapped by a sea captain he dresses up as a vamp to serve as a distraction while he and Hardy effect a rescue. While this film was "lost" it had the reputation as being the one in which the "tie twiddle" and the "long stare" are developed by Oliver Hardy. This is true for the first, but certainly the stare is seen in earlier comedies, albeit not to this length.

There are also two versions of "Battle of the Century," the 1927 two-reeler directed by Clyde Bruckman. Laurel is a prize fighter being managed by Hardy. Obviously, Stan will not be making a lot of money at this occupation, so Ollie takes out an insurance policy on his fighter. Of course, while accidents happen to Laurel all the time, Hardy becomes the victim of every deliberate attempt to hurt his friend. This comedy, which ends with one of the truly epic pie-fights in movie history, was "supervised" by Leo McCarey and based on a story by Hal Roach. This last sequence is pretty much better than everything else on the disc. Finishing up this DVD are Hardy's 1927 solo short "Wandering Papas," the 1926 Our Gang short "Thundering Fleas," and Charley Chase's "Mum's the Word" from 1926.

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This DVD series is a must for "The Boys" admirers
I just received my ninth (of the ten planned) installment of this MUST HAVE DVD series by the Hal Roach Studios "Lost Films of Laurel And Hardy". These meticulously restored movies are provided with original theatre poster art and film background information making this so enjoyable to watch. (Films as early as 1915. Can you imagine?)

Being re-introduced into the silent era was such a joy after only knowing them (known affectionately as the "The Boys") through the talkies and TV. This DVD collection brought to me a new level of enjoyment watching the golden age of comedy.

I have even joined a "Sons of the Desert" tent. (a world wide group (over 105 tents) of admirers to perpetuate the legacy of L & H. So named after their 1933 film of the same name.) They meet monthly to discuss and watch the 105 films made by "The Boys".

I just wanted to say that this is the best quality picture and sound. Reproduced and digitalized from the original master prints and audio disks.

Laughter through visual comedy is the devine genius of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. They are truely kindred spirits that we can now enjoy for a life time.

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Good but....
This volume includes: You're Darn Tootin' (1928, 22 min., Silent), Battle Of The Century (1928, 28 min.*, Silent), a Clyde Cook/Oliver Hardy short Wandering Papas (1927, 21 min., Silent), a Charley Chase/Vivian Oakland short Mighty Like A Moose (1926, 24 min., Silent), Why Girls Love Sailors (1927, 21 min., Silent), and a Charlie Chase/Martha Sleeper short Mum's The Word (1926, 22 min., Silent). All have Vitaphone Music & Effects or Vitaphone track. There are two "extras": 1) a second version of Battle Of The Century (the first version is *11 minutes with all the known surviving film played together) which is *17 minutes long including original script & still photos where there is missing film. The only problem is the second version of Battle Of The Century HAS NO SOUND despite the sound copyright notice in the opening title screen of the film. 2) a second version of Why Girls Love Sailors in FRENCH. While having no music background effects on the second version of Battle Of The Century is a disappointment and Mum's The Word had a cooper/gold look to it instead of the usual white we see in films, this DVD is 159 MINUTES LONG, making it by far the longest in the series! I've been waiting over 10 years to see the very rare Why Girls Love Sailors. Any DVD owner and L&H fan who hasn't seen Why Girls Love Sailors will be happy owning this DVD just for this one rare film.