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In our writers' favourite film series, Jonathan Glancey is bewitched by the silver-screen sorcery of Laurel and Hardy's 1937 classic

Love this review or is it just another fine mess? Post your own take here or enjoy a little comedy tit-for-tat below

Mary Roberts's father has died, leaving the deed of a gold mine to the innocent young Southern belle (played by Rosina Lawrence), who is working as a skivvy in Mickey Finn's Palace, a raucous saloon bar in Brushwood Gulch. Stan and Ollie have been charged with delivering this precious document to her. They are readily gulled into giving it to Lola Marcel (Sharon Lynne), a hard, bottle-blonde vaudeville singer pretending to be Mary. Realising their mistake, they set about – calamitously, of course – getting it back.

Not much of a plot, I suppose, but enough to spin Way Out West into an hour-long feature film I have watched time and again.

The Cinematheque has lots of great stuff. This weekend is no exception.

A bit last minute on this announcement, but, since we love the American Cinematheque here in Los Angeles so much, it’s still worth noting for those of you without plans this weekend. They’re always screening movies — real, interesting movies — the way they were meant to be seen. And this weekend they’ve got several events worth considering.

Tonight, at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, they screen two Laurel and Hardy shorts alongside one of their features, Way Out West.

In what half of their fans consider their best feature, Stan and Ollie travel, well, out west to deliver the deed to a gold mine to the daughter of its late owner. Naturally, they don’t reckon with perennial nemesis Jimmy Finlayson trying to snatch it for himself. Endlessly entertaining, with Rosina Lawrence, Sharon Lynne, Stanley Fields,...

For the first time in its 40-year history, "Sesame Street" is holding a competition which allows amateur and professional animators to submit their work for the chance to have their animation featured on an upcoming episode of "Sesame Street." Among the judges for the contest are "How I Met Your Mother" star Neil Patrick Harris and "Grey's Anatomy" star Sandra Oh.

The competition, titled "Aniboom Awards 4 Sesame Street," recognizes leaders in preschool television and virtual animation. Joing Harris and Oh on the judging panel are Good Morning America's news anchor Juju Chang, Co-Executive Producer and Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash, Co-Director of the National Center for Children and Families at Teachers College for Columbia University, Dr. Sharon Lynn Kagan, and original Sesame Street "Pinball Number Count" animator, Jeffrey Hale.

Beginning March 1st through April 26th, animators can visit the Aniboom website to submit their animations in the following categories: School Readiness Skills,...