Men O'War

Laurel and Hardy are sailors on shore leave walking through the park. A misunderstanding over a misplaced item of clothing leads them into the favours (and company) of a pair of delightful young ladies. The pair invite them for a soda despite the fact that they have very little money, and then onto a quite memorable boating trip.

I have tried to really get into Laurel and Hardy shorts and have started watching them whenever I may get the chance. Of the ones I have seen so far this has been one of my favourites. The reason for that is I always enjoy when they are given the opportunity to be more than physical clowns and are given witty dialogue driven scenes. Here the majority of the film (the lost gloves and the soda shop) are all driven by the dialogue and the good `to-camera' work the pair do. The climax on the river boat is not as good as their better physical work but I didn't care as the majority was sublime.

Laurel and Hardy excel in the film, especially in the first three quarters. The chemistry and timing between them always shines through in the verbal more than the slapstick. Their delivery is perfect – while Hardy was calmly pleading with Laurel in the soda shop `why did you do that, just tell me why' I was in stitches! The support cast is pretty good although the ladies are a little dull. This short is also the best example of James Finlayson at his best and a good chance for all Simpsons fans to catch the origin of the Homer Simpson `d'oh'.

Overall I was always going to love this film simply because it revolves more around the dialogue than the slapstick. The climax on the boating lake is funny but this should be watched as proof that Laurel and Hardy were more than successful fall guys – they were simply comedy genius's who were all round vaudeville entertainers.

Two sailors meet two equally less-intelligent chicks and with a single tiny coin they manage to produce another quality catastrophe. This is how you take the most out of the situation! One hapless situation follows after another, and when you see what kind of sailors these two are you'll think what kind of Captain let them to ruin Navy's honor. When they manage to get the two chicks into the bar you'll know that something is going to happen when the old grim-face Finlayson is seen playing the bartender.

Everything works fine in this small flick, the total chaos that eventually happens doesn't start too early, though unfortunately it feels a bit prolonged one. But before the lousy bit, you have been given a sharp reminder on how good these masters of banal catastrophes were also verbally.

The duo are back again, this time as sailors wooing to equally dumb girls. It's got the usual slapstick and facial expressions that make the viewer laugh but in addition to that, it's got some witty dialogues too. The bar scene where Hardy selfishly tries to get out of paying is downright hilarious. The slapstick regarding the boat where the duo try to row out but end up rotating in one spot, drags a little but the sequence thereafter, that leads to a 'catastrophe' is hilarious. I kept wondering, OK now the boat's going to sink until it eventually does. The underwear confusion in the beginning was another laugh-out-loud sequence and I'm glad they didn't overdo it by using clichés. That sequence could have ended with Laurel or Hardy handing over the underwear to the girls followed by an embarrassing scream but thankfully that was avoided and the plot continued well. Overall, it is a well executed movie. A nice little funny film.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were comedic geniuses, individually and together, and their partnership was deservedly iconic and one of the best there was. They left behind a large body of work, a vast majority of it being entertaining to classic comedy, at their best they were hilarious and their best efforts were great examples of how to do comedy without being juvenile or distasteful.

Although a vast majority of Laurel and Hardy's previous efforts ranged from above average to very good ('45 Minutes from Hollywood' being the only misfire and mainly worth seeing as a curiosity piece and for historical interest, and even that wasn't a complete mess). 'Men O'War' is one of the best and funniest Laurel and Hardy short films up to this point of their output, one of their best from their overall early work and very nearly one of my personal favourites of theirs. Their filmography, apart from a few bumps along the way, was getting better and better and 'Men O'War' exemplifies this.

Not a lot to criticise here, though the story is a little all-over-the-shop at times and gets a bit confused.

Once again, 'Men O'War' is non-stop funniness all the way, its best part being the riotous ending. There is insane craziness that doesn't get too silly, a wackiness that never loses its energy, the lack of vulgarity that is a large part of 'Men O'War' memorability and the sly wit emerges here, some of the material may not be new but how it's executed actually feels fresh and it doesn't get repetitive.

Laurel and Hardy are on top form here, both are well used, both have material worthy of them and they're equal rather than one being funnier than the other (before Laurel tended to be funnier and more interesting than Hardy, who tended to be underused). Their chemistry feels like a partnership here too, before you were yearning for more scenes with them together but in 'Men O'War' we are far from robbed of that. Their comic timing is impeccable and love the spontaneity that seemed present here.

'Men O'War' looks good visually, is full of energy and the direction gets the best out of the stars, is at ease with the material and doesn't let it get too busy or static. The supporting players are solid, James Finlayson in particular.

Concluding, great. 9/10 Bethany Cox

A LAUREL & HARDY Comedy Short.

Sailors Stan & Ollie, two MEN O'WAR, are on shore leave. While strolling through the park, they meet & escort two silly young women. After a financial contretemps at the soda fountain, the Boys initiate a rowdy donnybrook on the boat pond.

A hilarious little film, with a delightful sense of spontaneity, as if the performers were extemporizing much of their dialogue. This short is also refreshing in that the plot takes place entirely out of doors. Highlight: bedlam in the boat. The knickers sequence shows that this film was produced pre-Production Code. That's James Finlayson as the soda fountain/boat rental manager; Anne Cornwall & Gloria Greer as the young women; and Charlie Hall as the man in the canoe.