The Flying Deuces, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy's 1939 spoof on Hollywood's then-vogue for 1930s Foreign Legion movies (Gunga Din, Morocco), while still funny and charming, is also little more than a glorified scenario for a short subject. While vacationing in Paris, Stan and Ollie meet an innkeeper's daughter named Georgette, whom Ollie intends to marry, but when the pretty young thing elopes with a Foreign Legion officer, Hardy nearly throws himself in the Seine, only to be 'rescued' at the last minute by an offer to join the Legion "to forget." What the boys don't know, of course, is that they've signed on for long-term service, and the film serves up scenes of pure physical slapstick as the duo try to escape (the most memorable being a wild ride in a stolen plane). Sporting a decent DVD transfer, the extras on this "deluxe collector's edition" include the short film "The Stolen Jools," two silent featurettes about Laurel and Hardy's trip to the United Kingdom, and a 1955 episode of This Is Your Life, in which the comic duo are the surprised subjects of a nationally televised tribute. Recommended. (T. Keogh)
The Flying Deuces: Deluxe Collector's Edition
Kino, 65 min., not rated, DVD: $24.95 Volume 19, Issue 6
The Flying Deuces: Deluxe Collector's Edition
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