H.M. Walker Movies

While this isn't one of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy's best shorts, its premise is very similar to one of their finest features, Sons of the Desert. In both films, the hapless duo is trying to sneak around their wives' backs to join a group of club mates. In Sons of the Desert, they're going to a convention; in Be Big, it's an evening in their honor. The boys have just agreed to go to Atlantic City with their spouses (Isabelle Keith and Anita Garvin), but one of the club men calls Ollie with such enticing details of the celebration that he just has to attend...with Stan in tow, of course. With the help of some talcum powder, Ollie looks pale enough to convince the wives to leave on the trip without him and Stan. Then they hurriedly get into their club outfits, but trouble ensues when Ollie puts on Stanley's much smaller boots and can't get them off. The pair's various attempts to get the boots off Ollie all but destroy Ollie's apartment -- and Ollie. The wives miss the train and return home to discover that they've been tricked. Their panicked husbands try to hide in the folding bed, but the wives pull out their shotguns (a common prop for Laurel and Hardy wives) and start blasting away. Originally filmed in black & white, a colorized version was released in the late 1990s. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This Laureland Hardy four-reeler is very loosely based on Beau Gest. It opens with Oliver Hardy singing a sweet love song. He's feeling sentimental because he's about to marry his girl, Jeanie-Weanie who, he tells his friend Stan Laurel, "has been all around the world and everyone loves her." Unfortunately, a "Dear John" letter arrives from the girl just then. In misery, Ollie decides that he -- and Stan, of course -- must join the Foreign Legion so they can "forget." Once they get to the camp, they discover that Ollie's not the only one forgetting Jeanie -- the other new recruits are all weeping over the same girl's picture. Ollie decides that perhaps the young lady wasn't worth all his trouble, but the irascible commandant (Charles Middleton) informs him and Stan that they're in the Legion for life. As Ollie and Stan leave his office, they see a photo of Jeanie-Weanie on his wall, too.

The boys, along with the other recruits, are sent to Fort Arid, which is under siege by Arabs. Even though Stan and Ollie get separated from the rest, they are the first to arrive and are promptly used as sentries. They handle this, and their other duties, in their usual inept way, and the Arabs sneak into the Fort. A knife-wielding Arab chases the boys into a storage room, where Ollie accidentally overturns a barrel of tacks and the Arab is rendered helpless when he steps on them with his bare feet. So Stan and Ollie take more tacks and spread them out at the Fort's entrance. This keeps the Arabs hopping (literally) until the rest of the recruits arrive. When they capture the Arab leader, there is one thing he has that he does not want to give up -- a photo of Jeanie-Weanie.

The photo of Jeanie-Weanie is actually a picture of Jean Harlow from her days at the Roach Studios; in fact, the outfit she's shown wearing is a costume from the 1929 Laurel and Hardy film Double Whoopie. The actor portraying the Arab leader is credited as Abdul Kasim K'Horne. This is an alias for director James Horne, who did the role as a cameo. Laurel and Hardy made one other Foreign Legion film, Flying Deuces, in 1939. Once again Charles Middleton plays the Commandant. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

The final entry in "Our Gang" 's unofficial "Miss Crabtree trilogy", "Love Business" more or less picks up where "School's Out" left off. Little Jackie Cooper has a schoolboy crush on his lovely teacher Miss Crabtree (June Marlowe), as does Jackie's classmate Norman "Chubby" Chaney. When Miss Crabtree rents a room from Jackie's mother (Lyle Tayo), our hero is both thrilled and dismayed: Now he'll have to take a bath every day, and wash his neck besides! Even so, Jackie is determined to propose to Miss Crabtree, but his efforts are thwarted by the sudden arrival of Chubby --- whose eloquent line of romantic patter strikes a strangely familiar chord with Jackie's mom. Eschewing the sentiment of its predecessors "Teacher's Pet" and "School's Out," "Love Business" plays strictly for laughs, and gets them. The film was originally released on February 14, 1931. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The "Our Gang" two-reeler "Bargain Day" gets off to a lively start as the kids help their pal Norman "Chubby" Chaney purchase a new hat. Meanwhile, Jackie Cooper's kid brother, played by Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins, steals the Gang's baseball equipment, intended to go into business as a door-to-door salesman with his best friend Matthew "Stymie" Beard. One of their first customers is poor little rich girl Jean Darling, who ends up inviting the entire Gang into her parents' luxurious mansion. A slapstick riot ensues, with perennial Hal Roach policeman Tiny Sandford making a futile effort to round up the rampaging kids. The best bit is an ancestor of Abbott and Costello's "Who's On First", with Jean, Wheezer and Stymie attempting to ascertain the location of Watt Street. Originally released on May 2, 1931, "Bargain Day" was Jackie Cooper's last "Our Gang" film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Another expert blend of genuine sentiment, moving pathos and belly laughs, the "Our Gang" comedy "Dogs is Dogs" was orginally released on November 21, 1931. This time, Gang members Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins and Dorothy DeBorba are cast as brother and sister, left in charge of their hateful stepmother (Blanche Payson) while their absentee father weathers a serious illness. In addition to being abused by their stepmom, the kids must suffer the taunts of their prissy stepbrother, played by Sherwood "Spud" Bailey. Fortunately, their old pal Matthew "Stymie" Beard is around to brighten their lives and to outfox the despicable Spud. Also figuring in the proceedings is the beloved Pete the Pup, who very nearly meets an unpleasant demise thanks to the combined machinations of the villains. A variety of plot complications both hilarious and heart-breaking occur before the inevitable happy ending. Incidentally, this is the film in which the crafty Stymie explains how "ham and eggs can talk" --- thereby obtaining a free meal in the process. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An angry divorce is the curious source of humor in the offbeat "Our Gang" comedy "Big Ears." Though little Bobby "Wheezer" Hutchins loves both his father and mother (Creighton Hale and Ann Christy), he wishes that they would stop quarrelling. Overhearing their plans to split up, Wheezer is at first delighted, assuming that a divorce is some sort of present. Learning the truth, he begs his pal Matthew "Stymie" Beard for advice. Stymie suggests that, if Wheezer were to get a bellyache, his folks would forget their differences. Acting upon this, Wheezer consumes vast quantities of lard and soap, then samples the entire contents of the family's medicine chest! Fortuately, he survives, whereupon his parents promise to stop fighting --- at least for now. Originally released on August 29, 1931, "Big Ears" is absent from the "Little Rascals" TV package, but is, however, available on home video. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are victims of the depression in this tworeeler. They do have an old car, a tent and some clothes, though, so things could be worse. With Stan's help, things do get worse -- their tent goes up in flames and their laundry shrinks down to minuscule size. They are forced to beg for food and a kindly old lady (Mary Carr) offers to fix them a meal. They chop some wood (always dangerous in Laurel and Hardy's world) until they're called to the kitchen. While eating they overhear an argument between the old lady and a cruel-sounding man (James Finlayson). Her mortgage money has been stolen and the man is threatening to throw her out on the street. The boys are horrified when they hear this; what they don't know is that it is merely a scene being rehearsed for a local playhouse. Stan and Ollie want to help the old lady, as she helped them, so they try to auction off their car to come up with the money. The car winds up in pieces and Stan somehow gets his hands on a bystander's wallet. Ollie, thinking that the wallet belongs to the old lady, angrily drags Stan back to her to fess up. But the old lady finally tells them the truth about the play. Stan has been bullied by Ollie long enough and he fights back, chasing Ollie to the woodshed and chopping at it until it collapses on him. This ending is one of the few times in Laurel and Hardy films that Stan exacts revenge for the abuse he has received from Ollie. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

This Laurel and Hardy two-reeler contains a similar premise to Chickens Come Home, and starts off the same way as Should Married Men Go Home? does -- Ollie and his wife (here, it's Gertrude Astor) are spending a quiet evening at home, away from "those Laurels." Just then, Stan and his wife (Linda Loredo) come by, and even though the Hardys pretend they're not home, they get caught in the lie. Stan and Ollie head for the local ice cream parlor. After they finish dealing with Stan's unrelenting wish for chocolate ice cream when there is none, they hear a woman (Mae Busch) saying good-bye to the world as she leaps into the river. With a little help from Stan, Ollie goes in after her. The woman, however, is not grateful at all; in fact she demands that the boys take care of her and follows them home. She tries to extort money from Ollie, who replies that he will "come clean" with the wives. His nerve fails him, though, and the boys try to hide the crazy woman from them instead. Because of Stan and Ollie's odd behavior, the wives conclude that their husbands must be nuts. Finally a detective (Eddie Baker) arrives and apprehends the woman, who by now is locked in the bathroom with Stan. The detective tells Stan he will get a thousand dollar reward. When Ollie asks Stan --who is sitting, totally clothed, in a full bath tub -- what he will do with the money, Stan says he plans to buy a thousands dollars worth of chocolate ice cream. Disgusted, Ollie pulls the tub's plug and Stan disappears down the drain. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are supported by a couple of Hal Roach's best stock players in this comic two-reeler. The film opens at the police station, where the chief (Anders Randolph), fed up at the high number of burglaries and no arrests, threatens Officer Kennedy (Edgar Kennedy): Any more unsolved burglaries and he's out of a job. That evening, when Kennedy finds Laurel and Hardy asleep on a park bench, he offers them a deal: If they pretend to rob the chief's house and allow Kennedy to arrest them, they will not be run in for vagrancy. When Ollie asks what will become of them, the cop assures them, "Kennedy will fix it." Of course, it winds up being Laurel and Hardy who fix Kennedy. They bungle the burglary, rousing the suspicions of the chief's butler (the always entertaining James Finlayson), and finally waking up the chief. The boys run afoul of a player piano, but manage to escape before the butler and police chief find them. Instead, the chief catches Kennedy holding the bag of purloined goods left behind by the boys, and he's blamed for the burglaries. Stan and Ollie get away, even though Ollie loses his pants in the bargain and Stan's rear end is stuck in a trashcan. Laurel took the plot to this picture and adapted it for the stage when he and Hardy toured the English music halls in 1952. Originally filmed in black & white, a colorized version was released in the late 1990s. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Officially an "Our Gang" comedy, "When the Wind Blows" is really a vehicle for adult comic Edgar Kennedy, here playing his usual role of a boastful, clumsy and cowardly cop. On a dark and windy night, Officer Kennedy tries to keep the peace in a small neighborhood, only to be frightened at every turn by loud noises, most of them emanating from the tarpaper shack where Allen "Farina" Hoskins and his brother live. Meanwhile, Jackie Cooper, accidentally locked out of his house, tries to regain entry without alerting his parents, or revealing that his pajama bottoms have been torn asunder. The plot thickens when a burglar shows up, affording both Jackie and Officer Kennedy the opportunity of becoming heroes (but guess who succeeds?) Originally released on April 5, 1930, "When the Wind Blows" was the first "Our Gang" comedy to feature a wall-to-wall musical score, though the familiar Hal Roach background tunes by LeRoy Shield and Marvin Hatley had not yet been composed. The film was also released in a Spanish-language version, which apparently has not survived. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An indisputable classic, the "Our Gang" comedy "Teacher's Pet" is introduced by a brace of pretty twin girls (Beverly and Bette Mae Crane), who recite the opening credit titles. The story proper begins with the Gang members facing the first day of school with fear and loathing. Their beloved teacher Miss McGillicuddy has gotten married, and her replacement is one Miss Crabtree, whom the kids fear will be as ugly and foreboding as her name. Meanwhile, Jackie Cooper hitches a ride from a beautiful and charming young lady. Immediately at ease with his travelling companion, Jackie tells her that he and his pals have conspired to humiliate their new teacher Miss Crabtree with a variety of practical jokes --- and then spend the rest of the day fishing, having been released from school via a series of contrived excuses. Imagine Jackie's surprise when, upon arriving at school, he discovers that Miss Crabtree and the gorgeous woman who gave him a ride are one in the same! At turns hilarious and poignant, "Teacher's Pet" is as entertaining today as it was upon its first release on October 11, 1930. As a bonus, the film represented two firsts: The first appearance of the lovely June Marlowe as Miss Crabtree, and the first utilization of the unforgettable "Our Gang" theme song "The Good Old Days", written and orchestrated by LeRoy Shield. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Oliver Hardy wants to go see his friend Stan Laurel; his wife (Fay Holderness) tells him, in no uncertain terms, that he must put up the radio antenna first. When Stan comes by and gives Ollie his helping hand, the inevitable mayhem ensues. He begins by setting Ollie's pants on fire with the exhaust from his car. A bucket of water meant to douse the smoke coming from Ollie's behind hits him in the face instead. Ollie throws the bucket through a window; Mrs. Hardy whacks him with a frying pan. The boys climb onto the roof to get the antenna set up but just can't seem to keep from falling into the pond, causing a disgusted Mrs. Hardy to command them to stop playing. The boys get around to the wiring and Stan electrocutes Ollie, sending him down the chimney. Ollie gets back on the ladder, which has been set in Stan's car for support, but Stan starts the engine and they end up on a wild ride through town. The ladder ends up on a bus and Ollie falls in its path. He manages to escape getting run over when his tearful wife appears. Ollie tells her reassuringly that he is okay, but she's not crying over him -- she's upset because the radio has been repossessed. They all head back to Stan's car, just in time for it to be crushed by a streetcar. In most Laurel and Hardy films, Ollie's the one who suffers the most damage; this time around he seems to get it even worse than usual! Originally filmed in black & white, a colorized version was released in the late 1990s for home video. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide