Beau Hunks

After seeing ATOLL K and feeling that it's perhaps slightly better than its terrible reputation I decided to track down any Laurel and Hardy short just to remind myself if they were anywhere as good as I remembered them from childhood and the nearest one to hand was BEAU CHUMPS . After seeing it there was no doubt that ATOLL K was a weak film even though the comedy genius of Stan and Ollie shone through . Here they were on superlative form

The opening sequence is one of the funniest things I have ever seen and in the hands of anyone else it would have been either silly or embarrassing . Here however it had this slightly cynical viewer laughing out loud as Ollie tries to explain what levity means when the door knocks

Stan ( picking up phone ) Hello

Ollie: What are you doing ?

Stan: Someone's knocking on the phone

Ollie: See that's levity Stan: Hello - Mister Levity

Okay it might not sound laugh out loud funny on the printed page but you'll laugh your socks off as it plays out on screen

After this comedy escapade the duo depart to the French foreign legion in order to make Ollie forget a broken love affair . Why he needed to take Stan with him is never explained but we wouldn't have a story if he didn't and the laughs continue .Imagine if we had a present day film with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson where they joined the USMC and got sent to Afghanistan . It makes you appreciate Stan and Ollie the greatest comedy duo there has or ever will be

Spurned by his beautiful fiancée, Oliver decides to take Stanley and join the foreign legion. Once there he finds his fiancée has travelled more than him and decides to leave, but it is too late. The pair go off on training but then the siege of a nearby fort in the desert means they will see more action than expected.

One of the best things about Christmas is that the TV channels need to fill the schedules with films etc that feel different from the usual daytime stuff they cram on. One of the ways they do this is mini-seasons of work from various people or themes etc. One such this year has been Laurel and Hardy films and I'm very glad. This film was one I hadn't seen before but it was very funny.

The film has really good set pieces but also a running gag that I didn't see coming so I won't spoil it for anyone else. I'm a big fan so I may be a little biased but I be surprised is anyone sat through this without laughing at least a few times. Both the leads are on top form and both have their little things that get me every time – Oliver's looks to camera and Stan's double takes at innocent objects in the background.

Overall this is pure gold with hardly a slow moment, even the jokes that were signposted as coming (the spring in the chair) made me laugh out loud. Good for fans and non-fans alike.

Although "Beau Geste" had already been made

with Ronald Coleman in 1926, "Beau Hunks" is not just a funny play on words.

Unlike today, being called a hunk was not a compliment. In those days, "Hunk," "Hunky," or "Bohunk" was a pejorative term for an Eastern European --- (It's a conflation of "Bohemian" and "Hungarian.) The general connotation of the term was that of a stupid, not necessarily clean, undesirable immigrant. So to call someone a Bohunk was quite an insult.

It's a pity that the extremely stupid guidelines require ten lines of text, when I could have said everything in five. Are they perhaps taken from the IRS tech-writing standards for tax laws?

In 1980 I had the good fortune to be invited to the home of legendary motion picture producer HAL E. ROACH. I was there to show him a few films I made, hoping for some good advice. We talked about many things, including Laurel & Hardy.

I then asked Mr. Roach what his all-time favorite Laurel & Hardy film was. After a thoughtful pause, he replied: "BEAU HUNKS."

In 1939 BEAU HUNKS was remade as FLYING DEUCES (not by Roach) during a temporary lapse in the boys' contracts. The story must have been a favorite of theirs as well.

BEAU HUNKS is an odd length (37 minutes), not too long and not too short. A classic which stands alone as one of Laurel & Hardy's most inspired films. No spoilers in this review, but if you are an L&H fan, seek out Hal Roach's personal favorite and you'll be glad you did!

This is another one of Laurel and Hardy's films that are crammed with memorable moments, and it's a measure of their worth that, even though the routines are familiar after repeated viewings, they still manage to raise a chuckle (or at least a smile).

Stan and Ollie join the French foreign legion in this one after Ollie's heart is broken by his 'Jeanie-Weanie,' a true vamp if ever there was one who looks suspiciously like Jean Harlow. Naturally, the boys get on the wrong side of the camp commandant the moment they arrive at the fort, which is a cue for the usual chaos and gags. Only Laurel and Hardy can make the simple act of picking up a hat or soothing one's feet so funny and fraught with difficulty.

If you've had a hard day I can guarantee that there is no better solution to your woes than to sit back, relax, open a beer and watch one of Laurel & Hardy's timeless films...