The Flying Deuces

I think most fans - myself included - of Laurel & Hardy consider their earlier work (at the beginning of the 1930s) to be their best. The films they made later, like this one, suffered from being a bit too long-winded, and were always bogged down with slightly wearisome romantic sub-plots. Nonetheless, THE FLYING DEUCES is one of their most accessible feature-length productions, and a film that it's difficult to dislike.

Much of the comedy here comes naturally and feels unforced. Watching the guys attempting to simply wash themselves in their room is a delight in itself. The plot makes sense, and when the pair are sent off to Africa to enlist with the Foreign Legion, the laughs don't stop coming. There's a fine song and dance routine, a lovely jail cell interlude (featuring James Finlayson, no less) and a classic chase-based climax. Little to dislike, really.

An independently-produced effort while contractual disputes with Hal Roach were on-going,THE FLYING DEUCES is possibly the best non-Roach Laurel and Hardy vehicle,because at least Stan Laurel was allowed some say on the plot and script content.The original draft was apparently woefully unsuitable(as were virtually all their wartime Fox and MGM features),and the story itself is pretty thin(an obvious reworking of BEAU HUNKS)and the production rather cheap.What saves the picture from mediocrity are some familiar names in the supporting cast like Charles Middleton and (especially) James Finlayson from the Roach studios,with others like Richard Cramer,Arthur Housman,Eddie Borden and Sam Lufkin in much smaller parts.With such performers in support it does at least give it the feel of a Roach film,with the addition of their favourite cameraman Art Lloyd behind the scenes another plus factor.That said,the comic material itself is not of a particularly high standard,maybe because of the initial weakness of the original story and draft,and the amount of pancake makeup they both wear cannot disguise they were beginning to age somewhat after their Roach studios peak.

Despite funny gags and individual scenes,THE FLYING DEUCES is rather patchy,and one yearns for rather more of Middleton's stentorian tones(their simply isn't enough of him in the film)than Ollie's simpering over Jean Parker.Her on-screen husband Reginald Gardiner starts off in amiable conversation with the boys persuading them to join the Foreign Legion,but he turns decidedly unsympathetic and hostile once they've enlisted,especially when he finds out that Ollie is in love with his wife.Much comic potential is not explored because unlike BEAU HUNKS(which was not perfect but shorter and rather better),there are few jokes about their tribulations in the Legion itself;the best scenes are some charming,if slightly irrelevant, musical interludes,involving Ollie singing 'Shine On Harvest Moon' while Stan performs a nifty soft-shoe shuffle,Stan playing 'The World Is Waiting For Sunrise' on his prison cell bed mattress(Ollie taps his feet amusingly during this number!),and some funny business with their best ever foil James Finlayson.The rest frankly is something of a disappointment,but we can be thankful at least that Laurel and Hardy are still in character here,which was not the case in their films from 1941 onwards,because of big film studio interference and reluctance to give Stan Laurel artistic control.THE FLYING DEUCES is certainly no classic,but is still fairly enjoyable and a decent L & H film thanks to producer Boris Morros' decision to give Stan a degree of creative freedom.Now why didn't the producers at Fox or MGM do that?

It's pretty hard to sustain the Laurel and Hardy brand of humor for a full-length picture, but "Flying Deuces" does so pretty well. Not all of it maintains the pace or the level of their best short features, but there some good scenes and some fine moments that reflect the comic duo near the peak of their form.

The story tries to squeeze as much as possible from Stan and Ollie joining the Foreign Legion in order to help Ollie forget his troubles. Though there is plenty of action and a variety of settings, the best scenes are still the ones with the two of them by themselves, when their timing and teamwork can take over. The rest of the cast, and some of the settings, are mostly there only to nudge the plot along from time to time.

Aside from a handful of slow stretches, most of it is good entertainment. There's more than enough to make it worth seeing for fans of Laurel and Hardy.

I love this film! This was Laurel and Hardy's best film and the only one in Public Domain! If you can find a complete copy. Take a close look at Stan during his soft shoe number of "Shine On Harvest Moon" As you look at your TV, look over Stan's left shoulder in the close-up. You will notice ANOTHER Stan! Stan Laurel's (Arthur Stanley Jefferson)'s real-life (look-alike) brother who was in California for a final visit with Stan. Travel to and from England was difficult then. Now it's common.

Funny Laurel and Hardy picture has the boys as two Americans vacationing in France. Ollie develops a boy-like crush on a pretty café waitress and intends to marry her but has his heart broken when she must turn him down, for she is already happily married. Poor Ollie at first decides to end it all and take his good pal Stan with him, until he gets a better suggestion to just join the Foreign Legion to try and forget his troubles. This, or course, leads to even more troubles! A good solid comedy from Laurel and Hardy, nearing the very end of their best period in the Hal Roach movies. This film has long been available as a public domain release on various labels with rather weak quality, but the best print out there as of this date is the DVD from KINO. It really boosts the enjoyment of this one. *** out of ****