Laurel and Hardy are one of the most famous comedy duos of all time.  They not only were able to make the jump from silent to sound pictures successfully, but they also were able to make the transition from shorts to features, something that was much more difficult.  This pretty impressive by itself, but it's even more amazing when you realize that they didn't start off as a team.  They didn't hone their act for years on a vaudeville stage like Abbot and Costello or in night clubs like Martin and Lewis,  Hal Roach just threw them together in a movie and the rest is history.

The reason for their enduring appeal is that they were very talented and versatile.  Pantomimists  who also excelled at verbal comedy, they created a pair of characters who are loved around the world even today, well over 50 after they made their last film.  Fans of 'the boys' as they were affectionately known, will be overjoyed that Warner Brothers, in association with Turner Classic Movies, in releasing another volume of TCM Archives, this one devoted to these talented comedians.  The Laurel and Hardy Collection has a pair of the duo's early, and funny, films (The Devil's Brother and Bonnie Scotland)  along with a documentary on move shorts and a nice collection of Stan and Ollie's guest appearances in other films making this a great addition to anyone's comedy library.

The Devil's Brother (1933):

Going from two reel comedy films (which run about 20 minutes) to a full length 80 or 90 minute feature is quite a leap.  Though it's not too difficult to come up with a plot to hang several gags on and stretch it out to a couple of reels (look at the number of shorts that were made in the golden age of Hollywood, or sitcoms that are cranked out today.)  An hour or more is something else though.  Laurel and Hardy's first feature, Pardon Us, was intended to be a short and just started to grow, and it shows.  Their second was Pack Up Your Troubles, and while that is a fine film, it was a bit disjointed, running off on too many tangents and with too many subplots.

After seeing the pair in a small role in The Rouge Song (a film that is sadly lost) supporting opera star Lawrence Tibbett, Hal Roach decided to that a comic opera was what the boys needed for their third feature.  It makes a lot of sense too.  There's a ready plot that will carry the weight of the film, and Stan and Laurel will be free to improvise too.  The 19th century operetta Fra Diavolo by Daniel Francois Auber was chosen and, after a name change for the US market to The Devil's Brother, the film became one of the pairs best.
 

Robbing the wrong man.

Set in 19th century Italy, a bandit known as Fra Diavolo (Dennis King) has been robbing rich travelers.  He knows when they'll be on the road and what they'll be carrying because he has a dual identity.  The robber dresses up in fancy clothes and enters society as the Marquis de San Marco where he seduces ladies and scouts his victims.  He latest mark are Lord and Lady Rocburg (James Finlayson and Thelma Todd) who have a large amount of jewels and 500,000 francs on their person.

Meanwhile two companions, Stanlio and Ollio (Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy), have saved up enough money to retire, only to have it all stolen from them while they travel.  Since they've spent their lives scraping and saving the hard way, they decided to try the easy way this time; they'll become thieves.  Seeing the terror that Fra Diavolo's name brings to the locals, Ollio comes up with a plan: They'll claim to be the vicious bandit themselves in order to make robbing easier.  Unfortunately they try to rob the real Fra Diavolo, and things don't go well for them.

Meanwhile Diavolo's gang raids the Rocburg's carriage and steals the jewels, but they didn't find the fortune in cash.  That means that Diavolo will have to play the Marquis once again and discover where the money is hidden.  He can't bring any of his own men with him, they'd be recognized from the robbery, so he spares Stanlio and Ollio and brings them along as his servants.  He probably would have been better going at it alone.

This is a very funny movie with some great scenes.  The movie does start of rather slow, it takes eight minutes before the stars even appear on screen, but once things get rolling it turns into one of their better films.

One of the reasons for the films success is that, one the plot is set up, they follow it and don't spend a lot of time on useless subplots.  There is a secondary story about the inn keepers daughter who wants to marry a poor soldier but is betrothed to a rich man, but they wisely spend the briefest amount of time on this and even work it into the main plot so it doesn't seem just thrown in.  There are some musical numbers too, but some of these also serve to advance the narrative and they aren't just a break from the comedy.

The boys themselves were in top form for this picture.  Stan's game of "kneesy-earsy-nosey" is outrageous and even more funny once you try it.  (It is played by slapping both hands against one's knees and then touching the left ear with the right hand while the left hand touches the nose.  Slap the knees once more and then touch the right ear with the left hand and the nose with the right hand.  It's not as easy as it sounds.)  The scene were Stan gets drunk filling up a pitcher with wine is also guaranteed to bring a laugh.

In this picture Stan and Ollie manage to transport the characters that they've honed for years in shorts to a period setting which accents the humor.  They are still the Oliver and Hardy of Two Tars and Big Business they just happen to be stumbling through 19th century Italy rather than 20th century California.
 

James Finlayson and Thelma Todd

The supporting cast was also very good.  James Finlayson, an old standard in L & H films doesn't get a chance to ham it up too much, but he does a good job when he's on the screen.  Likewise Thelma Todd, who appeared in a number of Roach films as well as a couple of Marx Brothers features, was a very talented comedienne who does a good job with this film.  Dennis King does a very good job in the title role too.  He was a star on Broadway, and this is one of the very few films that he appeared in.  It's unfortunate that he didn't make more, because he has a certain amount of flair in this movie.

With some classic comedy bits and a great supporting cast, this movie is strong enough to be released on DVD by itself.  Happily, there's another feature included with this set.

Bonnie Scotland (1935):

Stan's grandfather, the late Angus McLaurel, has died in Scotland and left the grandson he's never seen something in his will.   Sure that they are now rich, Stan and Ollie arrive in the homeland after breaking out of jail and stowing away on a ship transporting cattle.  Unfortunately when they arrive, the pair discover that the only things Stan gets are a set of bagpipes and a snuff box.

Destitute and in a foreign land, the lads accidently enlist in the army and are posted to India, where the vile Khan Mir Jutra is planning to attack the Scottish fort.  It's up the enlisted men Hardy and McLaurel to save their comrades.

The first half of this movie is classic L & H.  Just about everything works well to create a very funny film.  There's a lot of slapstick (Hardy falling into a lake after trying some snuff and sneezing all of the water out) and some very entertaining quick word play.

This film features one of the best entrances in a Stan and Ollie film.  Once we've established that Stan is due an inheritance, but exactly what is still a mystery, the scene cuts to a blacksmith hammering on a horse shoe.  As he hammers, he starts to beat to the tune of the Cuckoo Song, Laurel and Hardy's theme.  Through the open barn doors, way in the back, Laurel and Hardy come into view walking down the lane.

Everything hangs together very well in the first half too.  When Hardy's pants are burned while drying after the dip in the lake, he can't go outside.  With no inheritance they can't pay the bill at the inn either, so they concoct a story that Oliver is very sick and bed ridden to gain sympathy and time.  That also means that Oliver can't leave the room, so Stan has to sneak him food.  Selling their overcoats, Stan buys a fish and, in one of the best scenes in the movie, they cook it over a candle placed under the bed springs.

Things start going downhill after they join the army though.  Instead of the plot following Laurel and Hardy and how they'll solve their problems, it focuses on the romantic subplot between a legal clerk named Allan (William Janney) and the lady who does inherit Angus McLaurel's fortune, Lorna MacLaurel (June Lang).  She has to go to India where her guardian is posted, and though she loves Allan, her guardian wants to marry her for her money.

It's almost like this part is another film.  Instead of the narrative following the stars, it concentrates on the romance plot, occasionally going back to Laurel and Hardy almost as an after thought.  There are some cute bits in this later half though, the invisible accordion bit is amusing and I enjoyed the dance routine where the boys started dancing to a band while assigned to clean-up duty.  (Similar and just as effective as the number they would do in Way Out West, two years later.)  These just weren't enough the make up for the confusing and uninteresting romance.

Part of the reason for the mishmash of a second half is due to the fact that 20 minutes were cut out of the film after it was previewed.  While cutting back the subplot was a good idea, it did leave gaps in the narrative that made the film less enjoyable.

Overall, the first half of the film is great, while the second half drags and isn't quite as funny.  Still worth watching though as most of the Laurel and Hardy segments are very entertaining.

This two disc set comes in a thin trifold pressboard case.  The two discs as held in a plastic tray, with one DVD partially eclipsing the other.  The case is housed in a slipcover.  I can't say I'm too enthused about the way these disc are packaged.  I don't like having to remove the top disc in order to get to the bottom one, and the cardboard case is a little on the flimsy side and sure to wear out over time.

Audio:

These films come with their original English mono audiotrack as well as a mono French dub.  The tracks to both films sound good with only a very small amount of background hiss which isn't noticeable at normal viewing levels.  The soundtrack isn't very dynamic of course, but they fit the movies well.  There are subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.

Video:

These films look good overall, and though there are some defects that plague older films these transfers should please Laurel and Hardy fans.  Both films are presented in their original full frame black and white images, and are clear with a good amount of detail and sharp lines.  The contrast is fine, but not outstanding.  Black areas loose details and dark suits appear as just featureless black areas.  There is also some digital noise, which looks like a light amount of grain.  Besides these, the films both look fine.

Extras:

Both films include a commentary by Leonard Maltin and Richard W. Bann.  The two have a good rapport and present entertaining commentary tracks.  They present the background of the supporting characters as well as the history of the production and some behind the scenes anecdotes.  Between the two tracks there is some duplication of information but that is a minor critique.  There are only occasional quite parts, and these pass quickly.  A pair of good commentaries that are well worth listening to.

In addition to the commentaries, the first disc has an introduction by Robert Osborne, host of TCM, and trailers for both films.

The second disc is devoted to bonus material.  It starts out with a very informative documentary, Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story.  This 1½ hour feature relates the history and background of the short subjects that were a staple of movies for years.  This doesn't just cover Laurel and Hardy shorts, but the whole range of short subjects, looking at comedies, musicals, informative reels, and filmed vaudeville acts.  The focus was on MGM's output, (since this was a TCM production) but they did mention other studio's output.  A nice overview of an art form that is no longer made.
 
 

Stan Laurel and James Finlayson (without his ever present moustache) from Pick a Star.

There is also a very nice selection of Laurel and Hardy cameo appearances in films and shorts. These excerpts feature some rarely seen appearances including a scene from the lost film The Rouge Song (in technicolor no less).  There are also two scenes from Hollywood Party, a trio from Pick a Star, and Laurel and Hardy's bit from the Jack Benny hosted film The Hollywood Review of 1929.  The nice thing about these excerpts is that you're getting the best parts of these films without having to sit through the dull parts.  The Hollywood Review of 1929 is particularly bad and the part included with this set is the only part worth watching.  Getting the "good parts only" versions of three more films is quite a bonus.  (Though I will admit that Pick a Star isn't nearly as bad as the other two.)

Final Thoughts:

This is an excellent set.  The Devil's Brother is a great film, and while Bonnie Scotland isn't prefect, there are enough entertaining parts (including the entire first half) that make it worth owning.  The image and sound are very good, and the copious bonus material is really excellent.  Every comedy fan should have this set in their film library.  Highly Recommended.