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Lately, I've been receiving numerous requests from fellow "Sons" asking if we would screen an L&H; feature. Well, not only are we going to do just that, but I've selected on of their best. Since Block-Heads will be celebrating its sixtieth anniversary in August, I thought it would be the logical choice for this month's presentation.
Brimming with excellent gags throughout, the boys are supported by blustery Billy Gilbert as a short-tempered big game hunter, the beautiful Patricia Ellis (borrowed from Warner Brothers) as Mrs. Gilbert, Minna Gombell as Mrs. Hardy (a part originally slated for Mae Busch), and squint-eyed Jimmy Finlayson engaging in a wonderfully funny sequence in which he picks a fight with our heroes in the stairwell of Ollie's apartment.
Definitely superior to their earlier effort, Block-Heads is much more elaborate in its execution of gags, aided by the glossy camerawork of Art Lloyd and a terrific musical score by Marvin Hatley, which was nominated for an Academy Award (not an easy feat for a low-budget movie and also considering this was Hatley's second consecutive nomination). Editor's Note: The title of this film is variously reported as "Blockheads," "Block Heads" and "Block-Heads." The spelling used here matches that found in the film title sequence. >>Top of Page | Return to Films Index
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Running only 58 minutes, Block-Heads is one of Stan and Babe's vintage films (according to the late William K. Everson), never having to relegate itself to needless musical interludes or unnecessary romantic subplots. The film opens in the year 1917, with both Stan and Ollie fighting in the trenches during the First World War. When their commanding officer orders his men "over the top," he instructs Stan to "guard this trench until relieved from duty," which Stan obligingly does. What follows is probably one of the funniest sequences in Laurel and Hardy history, a scene which would gave made even the great Charlie Chaplin envious.
Directed by John Blystone Block-Heads is quite original and innovative in its first half, relying on "black" (tasteless) humor, eventually falling into more traditional Laurel and Hardy fare (physical knock-about and mechanical gags). The ensuing latter half is a virtual remake (and improvement) of their first talkie, Unaccustomed As We Are (1929), in which Ollie, who hasn't seen his pal in twenty years, brings Stan home, promising him a sumptuous meal to be prepared by his wife. As in the earlier film, Mrs. Hardy disgustedly walks out, leaving the boys to fend for themselves, with Stan getting Ollie into numerous "messes."