mark.waltz Making Abbott and Costello in the foreign legion look like Cary Grant and Gary Cooper in "Gunga Din" and "Beau Geste", Laurel and Hardy get caught up in more sand than what fits in an hour glass in this lively spoof of a popular genre that still makes occasional appearances on big screens today. Oliver's recovering from a break up with none other than Jean Harlow (seen in a picture) so he goes off to the foreign legion where their antics threaten to turn on them, but like any comic who ends up in the military, they end up as heroes in a surprising and clever way. Adding another two reels onto this mini- feature/extended short, they get twice the laughs as they tried out their popularity to see if they could make it into full length films. The results? A definite yes, lasting for more than a decade and surviving a real world war. I couldn't see this any shorter, but possibly extended. Tii much meat minus the Grissel makes this prime rib.

classicsoncall Not quite a short and not quite a feature, still, whenever Laurel and Hardy get together it will be a fun time. The last time I saw this picture was probably over fifty years ago and it still seemed familiar. I guess the boys have that kind of effect on their fans from the old days.And to think, it was a picture of Jean Harlow that sent Stan and Ollie off to join the Foreign Legion. The forlorn Ollie will come to learn that she broke the hearts of nearly everyone else that wound up in the desert, while Stan remains clueless as ever through virtually every escapade.But you know, I couldn't help thinking that the picture probably couldn't even be made today considering how militant the PC police have gotten. Early on, when Ollie is happily explaining to Stan that he's getting married, Stan's question about who it might be gets twisted and tangled and Ollie responds - "Did you ever hear of anybody marrying a man?" Well....And then there's the entire business of the Foreign Legion fighting the Arab Riffraff (I know it was Riffians, but Riffraff sounds better); when the Arab leader invokes Mohammed one can only imagine modern day progressives decrying the racist element of the story line. I guess for all those folks, Ollie's sentiment that "This is no time for levity" would seem appropriate. For all the rest of us though, and I'll speak for all Laurel and Hardy fans here, this is exactly the time for levity.Oh yeah, can't forget - this is the picture that revealed Oliver Hardy's middle name - it was Nobel!

Robert J. Maxwell Hardy is in love but his inamorata, Jeannie Weeny, jilts him so he joins the Foreign Legion, taking Laurel along with him. It's rough duty. After the usual hi-jinx, Laurel and Hardy managed to save Fort Arid from a Riffian attack by sprinkling tacks all over the place. And Hardy discovers that everyone, from the other recruits to the Arab chieftain, are carrying the same autographed photo of Jeannie Weeny.It's amusing in a way that had become routine with Laurel and Hardy, and I found it most enjoyable when it was watched with my ten-year-old kid. It may be typical for Laurel and Hardy but it's still distracting. It might be that, if you're in the wrong mood, it won't clear the bar.

Michael_Elliott Beau Hunks (1931) *** (out of 4) Four reel comedy has Hardy's girlfriend break up with him so he drags Laurel to join the Foreign Legion. The look of the film is quite good but overall this is more charming than funny, although the ending has some good laughs. Jean Harlow is the girlfriend in all the pictures.Brats (1930) ** (out of 4) Laurel and Hardy play themselves as well of their kids in this attempt at humor. I really didn't laugh too much at this because the effects of them being kids just didn't work. The kids were a lot more annoying than anything else.