Search - Laurel & Hardy Collection - Alone & Together on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 1/10/2024...

Classic Black and White Laurel & Hardy. Great if you are a fan of them!

Fair presentation, but we already have most of them!

Paul J. Mular | San Carlos, CA USA | 07/31/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The only reason to buy this set is for the 8 minute presentation of THE BATTLE ROYAL, a cut down Castle Films Home Movie re-release. Everything else is out there in better copies.

The presentation of the shorts on this set is fairly good, no DVD mastering from multi-generation VHS tapes like the Alpha & Brentwood Laurel & Hardy solo sets. But 16mm copies were used.

Note: each DVD has only an hour or less of material on it. Most companies would get all of this on 2 DVDs!!!!! And there is still compression artifacting!!!!

Another problem is that if you have THE SLAPSTICK ENCYCLOPEDIA, THE LOST FILMS OF LAUREL & HARDY, and Kino's STAN LAUREL COLLECTION and OLIVER HARDY COLLECTION, as well as the previous solo DVD releases from other companies, there is little new here.


DISC 1:
"TREE IN A TEST TUBE" (Laurel & Hardy) = Only Stan & Ollie's segment. Superior to most presentations of this title, But the restored complete version is on 20th Century Fox's LAUREL & HARDY COLLECTION #2.
"OLIVER HARDY INTERVIEW" = same shipboard reporter interview on Brentwood DVD set.
"ONE TOO MANY" (Oliver Hardy & Billy Ruge) = presented here without any titles, it looks like a copy made from the superior "Slapstick Encyclopedia" DVD set with more compression artifacting.
"THE BATTLE ROYAL" (Oliver Hardy) = Again presented without any titles, this is from a videotape copy of a rare 16mm Castle Film home movie release. There is an annoying announcer telling you what you are seeing, as if you will not understand a silent film, typical of the way Castle Films handled re-releases of silent films.
"PAPERHANGER'S HELPER" (Oliver Hardy & Bobby Ray) = same cut-down 1 reel version of the two-reeler " Stick Around". For the full 25 minute version get the superior OLIVER HARDY COLLECTION from Kino on Video.

DISC 2:
"WIZARD OF OZ" (Oliver Hardy, Larry Semon) = same worn presentation as on the Brentwoon single release of this title, but with more artifacting. Get the Warner Brothers "WIZARD OF OZ" green box edition that includes this and other silent versions of the OZ stories.

DISC 3:
"ROUGHEST AFRICA" (Stan Laurel) = Better copies are on the Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy v2 and the Kino Stan Laurel Collection.
"PIE EYED" (Stan Laurel) = appears to be duplicated from the Slapstick Encyclopedia DVD release, but with more aritfacting here.
"SHORT KILTS" (Stan Laurel) = Better copies are on the Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy v5 and the Kino Stan Laurel Collection.

DISC 4:
"ORANGES & LEMONS" (Stan Laurel) = Better copies are on the Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy v2 and the Kino Stan Laurel Collection.
"HUSTLING FOR HEALTH" (Stan Laurel) = A better copy is on the Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy v1.
"YES YES NANETTE" (Oliver Hardy, directed by Stan Laurel) = A better copy is on the Kino Stan Laurel Collection.
"THE SHOW" (Oliver Hardy & Larry Semon) = A far superior copy is on the OLIVER HARDY COLLECTION from Kino on Video.

DISC 5:
"ALONG CAME AUNTIE" (Oliver Hardy, directed by Stan Laurel) = A better copy is on the Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy v3.
"HE'S IN AGAIN" (Oliver Hardy & Billy West) = appears to be copied from the Slapstick Encyclopedia DVD release with more compression artifacting.
"BROMO AND JULIET" (Oliver Hardy & Charley Chase) = A better copy is on the Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy v3."