Block-Heads is a 1938 American comedy film directed by John G. Blystone and starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. It was produced by Hal Roach Studios for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film, a reworking of elements from the Laurel and Hardy shorts We Faw Down (1928) and Unaccustomed As We Are (1929), was Roach's final film for MGM.
Contents
Plot
In the trenches of World War I, Oliver (Ollie), Stan, and their fellow soldiers prepare for combat. However, Stan is relegated to trench duty while his comrades proceed into battle. Subsequently, the film fast-forwards two decades, revealing Stan's continued vigilance at his post, symbolized by the accumulation of bean cans and the well-worn path of his patrol. His accidental discovery prompts a hero's welcome upon his return home, where he reunites with Ollie, now married to Mrs. Hardy.
Upon visiting Stan at the Soldiers' Home, Ollie discovers him seemingly unable to walk, leading to a series of misunderstandings regarding Stan's physical condition. The duo embarks on a tumultuous journey to Ollie's apartment, encountering various obstacles and engaging in heated exchanges along the way. Domestic chaos ensues upon their arrival, exacerbated by Stan's inadvertent destruction of Ollie's prized possessions and a comical encounter with the neighbor, Mrs. Gilbert. As tensions escalate with the arrival of Mrs. Hardy and Mrs. Gilbert's husband, the narrative culminates in a frenzied pursuit involving a shotgun-wielding Mr. Gilbert and a scramble for safety.
Production
The film was announced as being the last Laurel & Hardy film and it was the last Hal Roach production for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Block-Heads was the last film directed by John G. Blystone who died shortly afterwards.
The original ending in the script had Billy Gilbert seated comfortably in his study, with Stan and Ollie's heads mounted on his trophy wall (Ollie glances at Stan and says, "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!"). Hal Roach vetoed the idea as "too gruesome", but writer Felix Adler later used the gag at the end of The Three Stooges' 1941 short I'll Never Heil Again.
The battle scenes at the beginning of the film are recycled footage shot for the 1925 silent film The Big Parade by King Vidor.
Reception
Leonard Maltin was enthusiastic, "Stan's been marching in a trench for 20 years—nobody told him WW 1 was over! Ollie brings him home to find he hasn't changed. Top L&H." Leslie Halliwell gave it three of four stars: "The last first-class Laurel and Hardy comedy is shapeless but hilarious, a fragmented reworking of earlier ideas, all of which work beautifully. Gags include encounters with a tip-up truck and an automatic garage, and a brilliantly worked out sequence up and down several flights of stairs." Additionally, the film's score, composed by Marvin Hatley, earned a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Music (Scoring).
