Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Jason goes to the Niles Film Museum for a Laurel and Hardy Sunday

And even Santa Claus was there! Although...he looked and felt a lot like me in a Santa Suit and white hair paint. But enough about that, on to the movies.

LAUGHING GRAVY (1931): Laurel and Hardy are tenants in a run down apartment, along with their beloved dog Laughing Gravy. Too bad the landlord doesn't allow dogs. Hilarity ensues.

MAMA'S LITTLE PIRATES (1934): Our Gang finds pirate treasure, guarded by a Giant! Pretty funny adventure, and includes a female Buckwheat (apparently this was from a time when Hal Roach was messing with the audience by changing Buckwheat's gender and generating headlines).

Then an intermission, and the feature:

BABES IN TOYLAND (1934): Laurel and Hardy's Christmastime classic, which I confess I'd never seen before (even though it included a cameo by me...er...I mean Santa Claus). Anyway, Stannie Dum and Ollie Dee live with their mother, the old lady who lives in the shoe, and their (I assume?) sister little Bo Peep. The three little pigs are their neighbors, etc. There's a glorious sense of silly, innocent fun in seeing all the nursery rhymes coming to life (including the cradle in the treetop, which always struck me as bizarre and a little sick). Little Bo Peep loves Tom-Tom the Piper's Son. Unfortunately, evil Silas Barnaby has his eye on Bo Peep, too, and he holds the mortgage to the Shoe. Evil hijinx ensue, and Stan and Ollie have to save the day multiple times. Lots of fun.

No comments: