Search - The Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy: The Complete Collection, Vol. 8 on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 10/15/2023...

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

Another Great DVD Filled With Classic Laurel and Hardy Films

s_hall | WV, United States | 06/22/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD includes several classic Laurel and Hardy silent shorts. The first is "Two Tars" which many consider to be one of theire greatest works. It has Laurel and Hardy as sailors on leave who pick up two girls and go for a drive....with disaterous results.The next is "The Second Hundred Years" which finds the boys as convicts who try to break out of prison. The third films is "Slipping Wives" which is one of the earliest appearances of Laurel and Hardy together at hal Roach studios. Ollie is a butler and Stan is a paint salesman who is hired by Pricilla Dean (Who co-stared with Lon Chaney in "Outside the Law") to act as a great writer of fairy tales and make her neglectful husband jealous. Film highlights include Stan's pantomine of the story of Samson and Delialah and the final frantic chase.This films basic storyline was used several years later in one of Laurel and Hardys' last short films, "The Fixer-Uppers" Also included on the DVD is "From Soup to Nuts" in which Laurel and Hardy are hired to act as butlers for a swanky dinner party given by Anita Garvin (Who fans will remember from her performances as Mrs. Laurel in the sound films "Blotto" and "Be Big!") Ms Garvin is a great actress and is a welcome addition to any Laurel and Hardy film. In addition to these Laurel and Hardy teamed films there are also two additional shorts, "Scorching Sands", and "Should Tall Men Marry?" This DVD is a showcase of some of the best works of Laurel and Hardy during their silent film days and is highly recommended for any Laurel and Hardy fan."

A Must with TWO TARS on this Disc!

Robert M. Fells | Centreville, VA USA | 11/15/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Volume 8 in this fine series starts off with one of the greatest silent comedies of all time, TWO TARS. I've loved this film ever since I was a teenager in the 1960s and owned an 8 mm. print. Fortunately, this film comes down to us in excellent condition. Another big hit, FROM SOUP TO NUTS, is on this DVD. A hilarious film, SOUP is more "Low Brow" humor of rather predictable gags at a dinner party. However, I've seen this film in theater audiences and almost had to call for paramedics because some people were laughing so hard. (Incidently, if you've never seen an L&H film with an audience, you haven't really seen it. An audience transforms these films).THE SECOND HUNDRED YEARS and SLIPPING WIVES show us the boys' early work as a team when producer Hal Roach was still trying to promote Jimmy Finlayson as a star. Fin would find his niche on the Roach lot, but as a supporting player in L&H films.Two of Stan's earlier solo films without Hardy, SHOULD TALL MEN MARRY? - his final solo work - and SCORCHING SANDS, a spoof of the adventure film, Under Two Flags (this spoof is also known as UNDER TWO JAGS) show Stan as a comedian badly in need of a character. He does funny things but without much logic. SANDS is interesting because it also stars his then-wife, Mae Laurel, who was so tempermental, nobody wanted to employ Stan as a result of his association with her. His career took off when she went back to Australia.Personally, I believe that L&H did their best work in their silent films so this series is a treasure trove. Highly recommended."

Some of the earliest silent shorts of Laurel & Hardy

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 06/01/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This might be the eighth volume of lost films from the great comedy team of Laurel & Hardy, but these silent shorts represent some of the earliest work by the boys. In "Two Tars," Laurel & Hardy are a couple of sailors on leave who rent a car and pick up a couple of girls for a pleasant ride in the country in one of the absolute best silent comedies by the delightful duo. The boys and girls head off for a relaxing day only to end up in a massive traffic jam because of roadwork. With tempers already frayed, Stan and Ollie precipitate a riot amongst the motorists in general and Edgar Kennedy in particular before being chased into a train tunnel. Originally three reels and called "Two Tough Tars," this 1928 comedy directed by James Parrott was pared down to two reels and became this comedy classic. "The Second Hundred Years" finds Laurel & Hardy as convicts who escape from prison disguised as painters only to end up right back where they started when they are mistaken for a pair of French prison officials making an inspection tour. This 1927 film directed by Fred Guiol from a story by Leo McCarey, has the distinction of being the first "official" Laurel & Hardy film. "Slipping Wives" stars Priscilla Dean who is trying to make husband Herbert Rawlinson jealous by flirting with handyman Stan Laurel. Hardy plays the family butler (without a moustache), who has a comic encounter with Laurel. This 1927 two-reeler directed by Guiol is one of the earliest film in which the boys appeared, however they are not a team at this point. "From Soup to Nuts" stars Laurel & Hardy as inexperienced waiters sent by an employment agency to help newly-rich Anita Garvin impress her new friends. This 1928 two-reeler, directed by foil E. Livingston Kennedy (better known as the famous comic foil Edgar Kennedy), is the first film in which the boys receive star billing. Also included in this volume are a couple of solo shorts starring Stan Laurel, 1923's "Scorching Sands" and a color tinted version of 1927's rather lame "Should Tall Men Marry?""