tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post1338479418568525450..comments2024-02-22T17:59:50.213-05:00Comments on in so many words...: Tuesday's Overlooked (or Forgotten) Films: MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS (1934) starring Laurel and HardyYvettehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-90027456687453323442011-12-15T11:24:56.861-05:002011-12-15T11:24:56.861-05:00Richard: It sounds to me as if Roach's ego got...Richard: It sounds to me as if Roach's ego got in the way of his good creative sense. And refusing to recognize the genius of what had been created (not only in this film but in the pairing of Laurel and Hardy) for the rest of his life sounds a bit like overkill to me. But, to each his own. <br /><br />I'm thankful we have the film to enjoy over and over again to our hearts' content. :)Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-18256065524394067442011-12-15T10:38:03.818-05:002011-12-15T10:38:03.818-05:00I too prefer the title "March of the Wooden S...I too prefer the title "March of the Wooden Soldiers." Roach did his own treatment or "book" after buying the operetta. The outline I've read wasn't bad but Laurel didn't like it and he and the writers came up with the plot line used. Roach gave in after extensive arguing.<br /><br />Roach felt it was too dark and would be off putting to kids. He especially hated the Bogeymen ("goons in from the forest to destroy Toyland"). Despite Roach's fears the movie received rave reviews including the NY Times "Every youngster ought to find a ticket for Babes in Toyland in his Christmas stocking."<br /><br />Roach grew more and more resentful of Laurel and parted company with the team in 1940. Although teaming L&H was his studio's crowning achievement, Roach never recognized that. Yet there was something about the Roach studio that gave Laurel and Hardy the freedom to create magic in so many films. Their later films made at the rigid 20th Century studio are dreary by comparison.<br /><br />Bless all their memories as their films have given so many great joy.<br /><br />And I've enjoyed my visit and will return again!Richard Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13770090814220403413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-40734961797666341812011-12-15T10:10:23.301-05:002011-12-15T10:10:23.301-05:00You're welcome, Peggy. I'm so glad I broug...You're welcome, Peggy. I'm so glad I brought it to your family's attention again. Time for a re-watch! :)Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-2470369696835057602011-12-15T10:09:41.886-05:002011-12-15T10:09:41.886-05:00Richard: Thanks for dropping by. We are in complet...Richard: Thanks for dropping by. We are in complete agreement when it comes to this delightful film.<br /><br />I much prefer the title MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS so I don't miss the other one at all. Disney can have it. And boy did they botch it up.<br /><br />Hal Roach is uncredited as producer according to imdb, so he really must have hated the thing.<br />Wikipedia says that he and Laurel quarreled over the script, etc.<br /><br />Well, the results are what counts and thanks to Laurel and Hardy, the film is a classic.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-53910395008432944692011-12-14T18:52:15.732-05:002011-12-14T18:52:15.732-05:00Watched this with my boys when thy were little and...Watched this with my boys when thy were little and loved it! Haven't thought of it in years. Thanks for showcasing it.Peggy@Peggy Ann's Posthttp://peggyannspost.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-20556597060620834372011-12-14T10:57:21.677-05:002011-12-14T10:57:21.677-05:00I've loved this movie from the time I first sa...I've loved this movie from the time I first saw it on television over fifty years ago.<br /><br />The movie was originally released under the title "Babes in Toyland." Not sure if the "March of the Wooden Soldiers" title originated as a re-release or began when Walt Disney bought the rights to the Babes title for his dreadful remake. <br /><br />The movie is apparently in the public domain and DVDs are easy to find.<br /><br />Hal Roach hated this movie and for the rest of his life (and he lived to pass the century mark) insisted the film lost money. There is some dispute about that as the critics loved it and the holiday box office was quite good. <br /><br />I've watched the L&H films repeatedly through the years and more and more I appreciate Oliver Hardy. Laurel was the primary creative force involved in every aspect of the films. But Hardy developed his own character and, like you, I love his resigned look at the camera.Richard Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13770090814220403413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-9016651106229838392011-12-14T09:29:49.799-05:002011-12-14T09:29:49.799-05:00No kidding? Oh, you must find it, Mark. I know you...No kidding? Oh, you must find it, Mark. I know you'll get a kick out of it. :)Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-5819452112455978522011-12-13T20:43:41.362-05:002011-12-13T20:43:41.362-05:00I've never heard of this movie! Thanks for put...I've never heard of this movie! Thanks for putting me on to it - I'll be looking for a copy ...Mark D. Ruffnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09241533547309049140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-27213277037209312862011-12-13T16:25:35.494-05:002011-12-13T16:25:35.494-05:00I watch it every year. It's kind of a ritual f...I watch it every year. It's kind of a ritual for me. Like I said, makes me feel like a kid again. :)Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-24863829139799234062011-12-13T16:22:11.005-05:002011-12-13T16:22:11.005-05:00I haven't seen this one since I was a kid. Del...I haven't seen this one since I was a kid. Delightful.pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-28999719525820284352011-12-13T14:56:05.765-05:002011-12-13T14:56:05.765-05:00HA!
How about this one:
Ollie indicating the sa...HA! <br /><br />How about this one:<br /><br />Ollie indicating the sausage exhibit: "Why this is neither pork or chicken." (OR words to that effect.) "I smell a rat."<br /><br />And Stanley sniffs the sausage. SO FUNNY!!!Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-78841272195960430982011-12-13T14:45:24.130-05:002011-12-13T14:45:24.130-05:00"Good night, Ollie."
"Good night, S..."Good night, Ollie."<br />"Good night, Stanley. Oooh!"Caftan Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05936895555808823221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-60401767317416218082011-12-13T14:36:23.432-05:002011-12-13T14:36:23.432-05:00Knew what you meant. :) I could never bring myself...Knew what you meant. :) I could never bring myself to watch that all the way through. Awful.<br /><br />As for the bogeyman - remember the obvious zippers on the backs of their costumes? That's part of the charm for me. Ha!Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-45717167465298417192011-12-13T14:28:16.759-05:002011-12-13T14:28:16.759-05:00Oops - it's Tommy SANDS not Steele. Sands is ...Oops - it's Tommy SANDS not Steele. Sands is American and Steele is British. They're the same age and I confuse them all the time because they were the same kind of singers.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-91300514263697563892011-12-13T14:23:26.030-05:002011-12-13T14:23:26.030-05:00I love this movie. And I much prefer it to the Di...I love this movie. And I much prefer it to the Disney remake called BABES IN TOYLAND with Annette Funicello as Peep and Tommy Steele as Tom Tom. This is just good fun and often just plain weird. The Bogeymen living in what amounts to a sewer, for example. Love it!J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-28448785724033711692011-12-13T13:33:49.132-05:002011-12-13T13:33:49.132-05:00Becky!! How awful for you that you've never se...Becky!! How awful for you that you've never seen this!! You must do something about it AND quickly! :)<br /><br />Such a wonderful movie. Don't miss it this time around.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-54470936315637026222011-12-13T13:32:22.243-05:002011-12-13T13:32:22.243-05:00iluvcinema: Ah, the good old days of Million Dolla...iluvcinema: Ah, the good old days of Million Dollar Movie and the like. :)<br /><br />This is a movie that very much makes me feel like a kid again.Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-15328534986112809442011-12-13T13:30:56.152-05:002011-12-13T13:30:56.152-05:00Red: Definitely time to watch it again. :)Red: Definitely time to watch it again. :)Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-17720750076868034432011-12-13T13:15:03.226-05:002011-12-13T13:15:03.226-05:00What an utterly charming, perfect Christmas movie,...What an utterly charming, perfect Christmas movie, and I've never seen it! I love Laurel and Hardy, and always passed this one over because I didn't think I'd like it -- just one of those silly pop judgments. You make me want to see it, and I hope I get the chance to. <br /><br />You put into words what I've always loved about Hardy: "One of my favorite things about Oliver Hardy is the way he always looks at the camera - his expression a kind of shared exasperation. As if he and the viewer are in this together." Love it!ClassicBeckyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-50253165321014726002011-12-13T12:51:27.256-05:002011-12-13T12:51:27.256-05:00Totally remember this being on WPIX!
Good holiday...Totally remember this being on WPIX!<br /><br />Good holiday movie :)iluvcinemahttp://iluvcinema.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-80440275960612812332011-12-13T12:00:39.384-05:002011-12-13T12:00:39.384-05:00I haven't seen it in years, but I used to watc...I haven't seen it in years, but I used to watch Babes in Toyland all the time when I was little. Our VHS copy (taped from TV I'm sure) wore out and I haven't seen it since. I'll need to keep an eye out for it playing on TVRedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-1139064706508033512011-12-13T11:53:33.244-05:002011-12-13T11:53:33.244-05:00Lauren: Don't miss this!! You will thank me. :...Lauren: Don't miss this!! You will thank me. :)Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-86509326786732518402011-12-13T11:53:05.938-05:002011-12-13T11:53:05.938-05:00Then you're in for a real treat, Prashant. Thi...Then you're in for a real treat, Prashant. This is a keeper!<br /><br />Hope you can find it 'un-colorized'. :)Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-50330517371080030992011-12-13T11:52:37.584-05:002011-12-13T11:52:37.584-05:00I used to watch the Laurel & Hardy shorts on S...I used to watch the Laurel & Hardy shorts on Saturday morning with my grandpa, but I've never seen this. I'll have to check it out!Lauren Hairstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18037717621464819611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185294584889963228.post-75866923606300472152011-12-13T11:42:44.374-05:002011-12-13T11:42:44.374-05:00How did I ever miss this one?! It isn't part o...How did I ever miss this one?! It isn't part of my formidable collection of L&H, a big favourite with the family. We rate L&H above Buster Keaton, Charles Chaplin, and Marx Brothers. L&H were the best on-screen comic duo ever. What works in their favour is their innocence in everything that they say and do.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.com