- Actors: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson, Charlie Hall, Retta Palmer
- Directors: Clyde Bruckman, Frank Terry, Fred Guiol, James Parrott, James W. Horne
- Writers: H.M. Walker, Hal Roach
- Format: Black & White, DVD-Video, NTSC
- Language: English
- Subtitles: English
- Region: All Regions
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 1
- MPAA Rating:
- Studio: Paradox
- Release Date: Oct 1 2002
- Run Time: 124 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00000FE36
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #77,300 in DVD (See Top 100 in DVD)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon.com
The greatest comedy team of all time has come to DVD, in collected volumes of Laurel and Hardy's rarest shorts. Mastered from original 35mm materials, this pristine set really captures the Boys at their naughtiest. These films are fast and furious masterpieces of silent slapstick. Volume One contains such classics as Big Business (selling Christmas trees door to door can be such dangerous fun), Do Detectives Think? (a dumb pair of detectives, with the first appearance of the legendary "mixed-up derby hat" gag), The Finishing Touch (the first of the uproarious "laborer" comedies), and Call of the Cuckoo (about the house from hell featuring an all-star supporting cast), plus two early Laurel solo efforts. By the way, Stanley isn't always such a nitwit here. Sometimes he's downright mischievous. And that's director-to-be George Stevens doing the camera work. As with all volumes of this collection, this one's a comic treasure. --Bill Desowitz
Video Details
Mastered from the original 35mm material, this first volume of lost films from the great comedy team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy includes all silent shorts: "Big Business" (1929, 21 min.), "Do Detectives Think?" (1927, 24 min.), "Call of the Cuckoo" (1927, 18 min.) and "The Finishing Touch" (1928, 21 min.), plus the Stan Laurel solo shorts "On the Front Page" (1926, 23 min.) and "Hustling for Health" (1918, 15 min.).
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
Possibly some of the funniest films aver made
Mar 8 2004
Format:DVD
They are that funny! I bought it because it had "Big Business" - a film that was always shown on Christmas when I was a child in Sweden. I was so glad that I still find it funny. The other films are a bit uneven. They are, of course, all funny, but not as funny as "Big Business." The other favourite is "The Finishing Touch." This is suitable for anyone with the slightest sense of humour. They are the purest examples of Stan Laurel's special brand of slapstick. It goes a bit like a Greek drama: we know it will all end in chaos, we just do not know how. The scene is set at the beginning of the short, the characters are introduced, and slowly the small disasters and misunderstandings build up and amplify. Smiles, lead to chuckles, lead to howles, and finally to tears, stomach cramps, and frantic grasps for air as the short gets more and more unbelievably funny.
wish I could give it more stars
Jan 22 2004
Format:DVD
If you aren't familiar with the silent films of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, this is the best place to start. The first film on the DVD is worth the price alone, "Big Business" from 1929 (shot December 1928, released April 20, 1929) is probably THE FUNNIEST FILM EVER MADE...the boys are door-to-door Christmas tree salesmen (not in July) who should never have rang James Finlayson's doorbell. Other highlights include "Do Detectives Think?" (1927) in which the boys wear their trademark outfits for the first time...the real treat is Fin's reactions to killer Noah Young. "Call Of The Cuckoo" (1927) is a fairly odd piece with Max Davidson trying to sell his house to get away from his neighbors (Laurel, Hardy, Finlayson, and Charley Chase)...Spec O'Donnell is the real stand-out in this film as Davidson's dim-witted son. "The Finishing Touch" (1928) is classic Laurel & Hardy, the boys as carpenters has never been better...also starring the great Edgar Kennedy. Also included on this DVD are two Stan Laurel solo shorts, "On The Front Page" (1926) very amusing. and "Hustling For Health" (1918) one of Stan Laurel's earliest films.
The restoration for these films is amazing, all-in-all, this is a wonderful collection...don't just stop at volume one, all ten volumes are worth picking up.
The restoration for these films is amazing, all-in-all, this is a wonderful collection...don't just stop at volume one, all ten volumes are worth picking up.
Funny but not rock solid
Jun 26 2003
Format:DVD
There are indeed a couple of good shorts on here but they are supported with some not very interesting material. It's still worth the money but the other material is more for general interest than as being representative of the pair at their best.
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Most recent customer reviews
Worth it for Big Business
The rest of the material in this collection isn't quite on the same level of genius, but "Big Business" may be the funniest 20 minutes ever committed to film.
Published on Jun 23 2002 by Scaramouche
This DVD series is a MUST for "The Boys" admirers
I just want to say I have just received my ninth installment of this must have DVD series Hal Roach Studios Lost Films of Laurel and Hardy. Read more
Published on Nov 4 2000 by forrie
The beginning of a wonderful series of DVDs
Volume 1 in what is planned to be a 10 volume series of the early Laurel & Hardy films, most of which have been either unavailable on commercial video for years or have never... Read more
Published on Mar 28 2000 by Mark Bowen
Very good . Finally some silent material and good quality .
Found the recording process quite favourable . Enjoyed it thoroughly
Published on Sep 3 1999
Woth it just for "Big Business" alone.
For fans of comedy, this DVD is worth it just for the short, "Big Business." Excellent quality taken from the best available materials. Read more
Published on July 21 1999
A marvellous treat and a surprise for those who are under 40
Laurel and Hardy were giants of the cinema in their day not only because of their immense talent but also because of the more leisurely paced times of the late 1920s and the 1930s. Read more
Published on Jun 19 1999 by George Grellas
warning amazon does not tell you it's a silent movie
These are indeed classic L&H films. Unfortunately, they are silent. If you want to see the classic L&H you are used to, this is not it.
Published on April 11 1999
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