good film but with many flaws

Did you people see the same film I saw?

As Good As It Gets

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

"A Chump at Oxford" is an American 1-hour movie from 1940, the earlier days of WWII and this one is a black-and-white sound film that is already over 75 years old, at least in the original as I saw there are also color versions out there. It stars Stan and Ollie, the two silent film greats also not too early in their career as they are at the age of 50 here or slightly under. This one is directed by the very prolific Alfred J. Goulding and cast and crew include several names here that worked with Laurel and Hardy on many other occasions. The duo is (through lucky coincidence) on the campus here, but their fellow Oxford students are not exactly too fond of them. The film gets a bit (too) absurd at times, but it is tolerable, even if the story was not too convincing for me. Luckily the talent of the two guys in the center of it makes up for deficits in other areas and Stan even pulls off nicely the split-personality part. Other than that, it is the usual. Our two heroes carry the film nicely with their interactions with each other and the looks to us, the audience, too. I read there is a version that runs for under 45 minutes or maybe that was just what they initially wanted the film's runtime to be as everything I found was slightly over 60 minutes long. Maybe not my favorite from the duo, but a solid watch still. I give it a thumbs-up and recommend checking it out.

Since in a couple of days, school would be in session again (though here in Baton Rouge, it had already started in mid-August), I thought I'd watch a couple of comedies that take place in the institute of higher learning. So it is that I just watched A Chump at Oxford again which has Stan & Ollie going to that English university after foiling a robbery and the bank head wanting to give them a reward. Plenty of fun follows especially when some students (L & H regular Charlie Hall, Peter Cushing in an early role as Johnson before his horror movie fame) plan some pranks on them with the dean (Wilfred Lucas, previously the warden in the boys' Pardon Us) a victim and then Stan getting his memory back from previously being Lord Paddington, an Oxford alumni. That last bit is a rare instance of Stan playing someone other than himself during the years of his teaming with Babe (Ollie's nickname). He's hilarious playing the complete opposite of the usual dumb characterization for that role but when things switch back, it's great having Ollie overjoyed at the result especially after having to suffer the humiliation of being called "Fatty"! When first released, this was originally a "streamliner"-40 minutes in length-producer Hal Roach made in his dealings with the double feature program. But he decided to add a couple of reels in order to give it a more respectable length in Europe. So the movie now begins with Stan & Ollie being hired as a butler and a maid (Stan plays Agnes without changing his voice!) for Baldy and Mrs. Vandevere (James Finlayson and Anita Garvin in her last L & H role). This reworking of their previous short From Soup to Nuts is almost as funny here with the ending gag of this sequence having cop Harry Bernard suffering the same indignity as in another of the boys' short, Wrong Again! So on that note, I highly recommend A Chump at Oxford. P.S. The VHS tape I viewed from Video Treasures had some extra rarities of Lois Laurel, Stan's daughter, narrating some photos and home movie footage of her as a young child and her mother, Lois Neilson, with Stan. Of her playing in the snow in early '30s Los Angeles. Of James Finlayson, in glasses and clean-shaven, with companion Stephanie-perhaps the one with the last name of Insall that he often had breakfast with. And a color one of Stan at his home after receiving his honorary Oscar-which he dubbed "Mr. Clean"-at his desk where he wrote to his many fans.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are the most famous comedy duo in history, and deservedly so, so I am happy to see any of their films. Here Stan and Ollie seek employment, and when they hear that the Vandeveres - Baldy (James Finlayson) and the Mrs. (Anita Garvin) - need a butler and maid for a dinner party, and all disaster follows with Ollie as butler and Stan in drag as the maid. When this all ends, they are jobless sweeping the streets, and sitting outside the bank doors they unintentionally foil a robbery, and as reward, the grateful bank president grants them the proper education they want, sending them to Oxford. There they fall victim to some students and their pranks, who send them through a maze, and spooking them with their hands and dressing as ghosts, and worst of all, giving them the quarters of Dean Williams (Wilfred Lucas) as their own. Going into a new room the Dean's servant (Frank Baker) is convinced he knows Stan as scholar and athlete extraordinaire Lord Paddington, and after a hard knock through the window, this past memory is restored. Ollie by the way is retained as his valet, and unfortunately has to put up with being called "Fatty", don't worry, another hard knock brings back Stan. Also starring young Peter Cushing as Stundent Jones, the one pretending to be the Dean. Filled with wonderful slapstick and all classic comedy you could want from a black and white film, it is an enjoyable film. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were number 7 on The Comedians' Comedian. Good!

Chump at Oxford, A (1940) *** (out of 4) After stopping a bank robber Laurel and Hardy get the reward of an education at Oxford. This was the European version, which added a 20-minute prologue, which was a remake of From Soup to Nuts but it really doesn't work. The original is a lot better and contains a lot more laughs. The rest of the actual film here is very funny especially the maze sequence, which had tears coming from my eyes.County Hospital (1932) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Hardy in the hospital with a broken leg so Laurel comes to pay a visit and gets him kicked out. I think this was my first L&H film and it remains one of my favorites. The stunt with the window and Hardy being thrown in the air is the highlight as is the final gag with the wrecked car.Them Thar Hills (1934)** 1/2 (out of 4) Laurel and Hardy head out into the mountains for some fresh air and come across a well that bootleggers have filled with moonshine. There were some very funny moments here and there but overall this here really isn't anything too special.