The Crazy World of Laurel and Hardy (1967)

Hoping to cash in on the success of Robert Youngson's silent-film compilations, Jay Rocky and His Friends Ward put together this compendium of scenes from the comedy films of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Produced in association with Hal Roach (the team's longtime "boss"), Crazy World of Laurel and Hardy isn't quite as satisfying as the Youngson films, partly due to the uninspired handling of the material, partly because of the hokey narration by Garry Moore. Many Laurel and Hardy classics--Help-Mates, The Hoose Gow, Our Wife, Going Bye-Bye--are represented only in fleeting snippets. We are treated to more generous samplings of the L&H shorts Bacon Grabbers (1929), Beau Hunks (1931), Any Old Port (1932), The Music Box (their 1932 Oscar-winner), Towed in a Hole (1932), Busy Bodies (1933) and Dirty Work (1933). Also displayed to good advantage are selections from four of Stan and Ollie's feature films: The Bohemian Girl (1936), Way Out West (1937), Swiss Miss (1938) and Block-Heads (1938). Crazy World of Laurel and Hardy is not the best means of introducing Laurel and Hardy to non-buffs, though admittedly this compilation gets large, long and loud laughs when shown in a packed movie house. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi