3/5 Stan Laurel, comedian alone
  by Luisa Felix (Hoboken, New Jersey)
Bought DVD out of curiosity wanting to see comedian
STAN LAUREL. Only a few movies were really worth
watching like "HUNS AND HYPHONS" with Larry Semon
and Madge Kirby, and "DO YOU LOVE YOUR WIFE?" and
"GET EM YOUNG". The rest of the movies only take up
space and show that you took a risk when you entered
the theatre of not knowing when a comedy was good or
bad or worst plotless. I recommended this for the
movies I mentioned, but not for anything else. But
it is worth looking at, as a study, as a reminder of
Silent-Film comedies.----- Luisa Felix,[...]



5/5 "Stan Laurel alone with his crazy self."
  by Yvonne P. Joseph (Brooklyn, New York)
I borrowed this set from Netflix in early September, following the Laurel and Hardy marathon Saturday on Turner Classic Movies in late August. I couldn't resist, and had to order my own dvd set. Boy, am I glad I own them!

As you already know from the reviews here, these two-reelers feature Stan Laurel before his later teaming with Oliver Hardy. Although I prefer Laurel together with Hardy, his solo turns here are quite funny. And his persona is more on the manic, crazy side before becoming the calmer, dim-witted crybaby Stan we all know and love. This solo Stan Laurel is quite loveable, too. In many of the shorts, Stan often smiles broadly, flashing those cute large teeth of his. I like to nickname him 'Toothy' as he constantly laughs at himself and his mishaps.

Stan is a pretty good physical comedian, too. His pratfalls come close to Buster Keaton's - although Buster had that unique fall where he lands on the middle of his back. No other comedian has ever imitated this; at least, not to my knowledge.

Here are some of my favorites. (Sorry to be so detailed, but I must!):

"HUNS AND HYPHENS" - This is Stan's first comedy with Larry Semon. In it, he plays one of a group of thugs (What? Loveable Stan Laurel a thug??). The `Chase' sequence with the thugs chasing after Semon near the film's end is my favorite. There is some ridiculous slapstick involved, particularly in the wacky running styles of Larry and Stan. Observe each comic closely. Larry appears to be airborne as he `runs' (I'm quite sure with the aid of an invisible wire); his feet remain still as he assumes a running pose. The image is cartoonish.

Next, check out Stan's 'sideways' run. You have to hit the pause button on your remote control a few times to carefully view this in slow-motion as the 'Chase' scene is speeded up. Stan is at the back of the thugs. In one frame, his legs are in the normal running position. In another frame, he turns his legs sideways. Then back to normal running position; then he turns his legs sideways. And so this goes until the scene changes. He's crazy! How the heck does he manage this without losing his balance?? Then, again, in a Larry Semon comedy anything ridiculous goes.

"JUST RAMBLING ALONG" - More slapstick with Stan (nattily dressed in a suit, straw hat, and his toothy smile) at a beachfront café. He finds himself in a series of difficulties involving an abandoned wallet with money; a snotty kid who tries to take it from him as he, too, spotted the wallet; the kid's policeman father; and a bathing beauty Stan attempts to flirt with in the café.

"FRAUDS AND FRENZIES" - Stan teamed again with Larry Semon as they portray slacker convicts. In the opening sequence, they're both lounging and laughing reading a newspaper when they're supposed to be breaking rocks with the other convicts. They use slang expressions such as "It's the Lizard's eyebrows!" (I've never heard of this expression.) Semon later displays his cartoon 'running', again, in the film's 'Chase' sequence. He is airborne (via the use of an invisible wire), his feet not touching the ground; nor does he move his feet. This is followed by him running into a construction site, and being picked up by a crane. This scene is reminiscent of Buster Keaton's "Seven Chances" (1925) when, he, too, took refuge from the brides.

It's been reported (and rumored) that Larry dropped Stan after this film as Semon overheard someone comment (while viewing the rushes) that Stan was funnier than he. Displeased, Semon finished the film by having Stan handcuffed to the policeman seeking to capture the escaped convicts. From there, Semon dominates the remainder of the comedy in the 'Chase' sequence.

"HUSTLING FOR HEALTH" - Stan is a hapless guy who has just missed his train to go on vacation. Another man befriends him and takes him to his home so Stan can have his vacation there. But unusual stuff happens. Stan is, instead, put to work around the guy's home. The guy's wife is a suffragette (and the head of her suffragette meetings at home). She is displeased that Stan is her houseguest. Then there's the next-door neighbor (played by Bud Jamison) who maintains a pristine backyard. I won't say more; but the 'Rain' sequence by the film's end is both touching and dramatic for a comedy. Neil Brand's piano score enhances the scene.

"KILL OR CURE" - Stan is a dapper chatty door-to-door salesman (again, with straw hat) trying to sell a do-all elixir. He later gets flirtatious with Katherine Grant, to whom he tries to sell his product, annoying her in the process. Most L and H fans may have seen clips of "Kill or Cure" in silent comedy documentaries, such as "Slapstick" and "4 Clowns".

"SMITHY"- Stan is Smithy, a soldier fresh out of the army, who obtains a construction job. Hi-jinks ensue as he carries out his task to build a house. You can figure out the results.

"MANDARIN MIX-UP" - Stan plays, in the opening, a baby(!) crying in an oversized high chair. He gives his pre-teen brother a hard time during breakfast. Disgusted with him, mean Big Brother packs him up with the laundry the maid is taking with her. As a result, Stan is raised as a Chinese person, and helps his new family run their laundry business.

"DETAINED" - Stan is a simple guy watering the trees in a park (He even greets us with a shy grin!). An escaped convict encounters the innocent, friendly chap, and forces him to swap clothes. The creep soon runs off to freedom, and poor Stan is hauled off to jail by the Police who are seeking to recapture the convict.


After "DETAINED", Stan's 'loony' character begins to change and slow down in "SOMEWHERE IN WRONG" (where he plays a hungry tramp) and "GET 'EM YOUNG" (as Summers, the very timid butler). He cries in both films. He also cries at the conclusion of "Detained", and in "Mandarin Mix-up" in his 'infant' scene at the opening. In these, Stan's famous 'Laurel cry' was in its early stages of development. I thought he was winsomely cute as the butler in "Get 'Em Young". Stan wears his clown-white make-up; yet left the lower portion of his nose without make-up, enhancing his character's vulnerability. He looks as if he can really use a hug!


To conclude, I enjoyed this second Stan Laurel Collection. Laurel and Hardy fans need to have this dvd set in their personal collection. It may take some getting used to seeing Stan laughing and being crazy all over the place before calming down. But the films are enjoyable, overall. And Neil Brand's piano music works well with all the films. This set is, indeed, a keeper!

(NOTE: I also purchased the Stan Laurel Collection, Vol. 1 set. I'm still viewing these comedies. I will write a review on this in time.)




5/5 More Stan Laurel Treasures to savour!
  by Robert Badgley (London,Ontario,Canada)
This is Volume#2(two disc set) of the Kino "Slapstick Emporium" series,featuring the great Stan Laurel.Lobster films of France who produced not only Volume#1 of this series but also the highly recommended special edition "Flying Deuces",has again gone to great pains to bring out a product both they and the buying public can be proud of.There are 21 shorts here ranging from 1918 up to 1926 and most are in the best shape I have ever seen them in.The majority(as in Vol#1)delightfully come with most of their original title and inter-title cards in tact;just great to see.
The only entry of lesser distinction,technically speaking, is "Mud and Sand" the take off on the Valentino film "Blood and Sand".This print is just about the same as I have ever seen it.It seems to be a poor dupe of a multi generational print,but Lobster films has at least tried to improve the contrast and detail as much as it will allow.
We have some real gold here folks.All the shorts with Larry Semon are present as is Stans' first foray with his later-popular nemesis James Finlayson.Again,as in Volume#1,this is a comic in transition so we don't see the Stan of the team(with Hardy) which is in his future.Instead we see a comic looking for that special something that the public will latch onto.Most of the gags you see in these films are Stans in thought and execution.He has been praised by many as even a better gag man than Chaplin and in these films it is easy to see why.Some of his ideas are priceless and very,very funny to watch.Even though most were quite popular with the general public this is an entertainer that is all over the proverbial comic map.They are far more frentically paced than the later team films would be but then again that was what the public and most comedians' films of the day were like.It is also not hard to see a Chaplinesque influence in his mannerisms and camera looks.So even though Stan had some of the most brilliant gags going there just wasn't that certain something to stand him apart from the reigning comedy kings like Chaplin,Arbuckle,Semon,Langdon or Keaton.As a result from 1918 to the early 20s Stan was in and out of films like a yo-yo;back and forth from the Vaudeville stage with his then partner Mae Dahlberg,who incidentally can be seen in some of these shorts.
With the release of Volume#2 Lobster films has now released a good 60% of all the Stan Laurel solo films;that is all the ones he appeared in pre-teaming,whether directing and/or co starring in.I would like to see more volumes and the release of all the rest his pre-team works.Lobster films has done such a tremendous job here in restoring and releasing these films that it would be a shame to see the series stop at this juncture.I would also really LOVE to see Lobster films release the Laurel and Hardy silents.They could only be a tremendous improvement over the poor patchwork films released by Image Entertainment in recent years.
For all Laurel and Hardy fans and especially those of Stan Laurel himself,I recommend this Volume#2 of his earlier works very highly to you.Because it is even more varied in its' content and covers a longer period(two years in the first release as opposed to the eight here)it is overall an even more satisfying release than Volume#1.These are very well restored historical comedy treasures and deserve a wide audience and most importantly our unwavering support.

4/5 Better Than The First Set.
  by Chip Kaufmann (Asheville, N.C. United States)
Kino's new 2 disc set of Stan Laurel comedies in their ongoing SLAPSTICK SYMPOSIUM series is better than the earlier set which was released in 2004. Whereas that set concentrated on the mid 1920s comedies, this one features a broader overview of Stan's career starting in 1918 and chronologically going up to 1926 just before his teaming with Oliver Hardy. By doing this we get to watch Stan evolve from supporting then star comic Larry Semon (who would later use Oliver Hardy) to one of the best gag comedians in the business.

The early Semon shorts (HUNS AND HYPHENS, FRAUDS AND FRENZIES) introduce the derby hatted Stan who in F&F is very much like his later self. We then go through the Hal Roach Pathe' series and the Joe Rock produced Stan Laurel Comedies and get to witness the recycling of gags that would reach their final form with Laurel & Hardy. In particular there are a number of construction gags (THE NOON WHISTLE, SMITHY) that crop up in L&H's THE FINISHING TOUCH.

The other great asset in this set are the best of Stan's parody shorts (MUD AND SAND, UNDER TWO JAGS, RUPERT OF HEE HAW) which show a side of his comic writing that would disappear after 1926. This is not surprising for it was his teaming with Hardy that allowed him to settle into the character that we all know and love. Still with almost 6 hours of material here there's plenty of Stan to see and it makes this set a real bargain.

The overall visual quality of the shorts is quite good and the piano accompaniment by Neil Brand and Eric Le Guen is fine however more instruments would have added greater variety but then there's the budget to consider. Serge Bromberg and Lobster Films have done their usual fine job in making these films available to us. The other two releases in the SLAPSTICK SYMPOSIUM series are Mabel Normand's THE EXTRA GIRL (finally!) and a Harry Langdon double feature.

4/5 Solo Stan
  by Annie Van Auken (Planet Earth)
By the time the last short in this two-disc set was released, that is, 1926, 36 year-old Arthur Stanley Jefferson (aka Stan Laurel), fearing his acting career was going nowhere, had signed on as writer/director at Hal Roach studios. And so he might have remained, if not for a kitchen injury to a Roach contract player named Oliver Hardy. Because of this accident, Stan was asked to go back in front of the camera. Soon after, he and Hardy made their first official appearance as a team, in DUCK SOUP (1927). The film's success, as well as the many other Roach shorts to follow, brought Stan and Ollie international fame.

KINO's STAN LAUREL COLLECTION presents almost a third of the 65 comedies Laurel appeared in prior to his teaming with Mr. Hardy. The pantomimic skills and unique facial expressions evident throughout these somewhat ordinary shorts give no indication of the superstardom that awaited Stan.

For a look at what Laurel's future partner was doing during these same years, check out KINO's OLIVER HARDY COLLECTION. Eight movies (totalling three hours run time) are presented.


NOTEWORTHIES--

MUD AND SAND-- Spoof of Rudolf Valentino's "Blood and Sand" has Stanley as the reluctant bullfighter, Rhubarb Vaselino.

HUNS AND HYPHENS-- Also in this Larry Semon short is Stan's common-law wife, Mae. (It was her idea that Stan change his last name to Laurel).

RUPERT OF HEE HAW-- Another of Stan's movie spoofs. This one lampoons "Rupert of Hentzau," David Selznick's now forgotten follow-up to his "Prisoner of Zenda." Laurel's version includes many of Hal Roach's kid cast members of "Our Gang."

GET 'EM YOUNG-- The last title in this set has writer/director Laurel subbing for the injured Oliver Hardy as Summers, the butler.


Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are viewer poll ratings found at a film resource website.

DISC ONE--
(5.3) Huns and Hyphens (1918) - Larry Semon/Madge Kirby/Stan Laurel/Mae Laurel/Frank Alexander
(5.5) Just Rambling Along (1918) - Stan Laurel/Clarine Seymour/Noah Young/James Parrott/Bud Jamison
(5.8) Frauds and Frenzies (1918) - Larry Semon/Stan Laurel/Madge Kirby/William McCall/William Hauber
(5.0) Do You Love Your Wife? (1919) - Stan Laurel/Mary Burns/Bud Jamison/Marie Mosquini/James Parrott
(5.0) Hustling for Health (1919) - Stan Laurel/Bud Jamison/Frank Terry/Marie Mosquini/James Parrott
(???) The Egg (1922) - Stan Laurel/Drin Moro/Colin Kennedy/Tom Kennedy/Alfred Hollingsworth
(5.5) Mud and Sand (1922) - Stan Laurel/Wheeler Dryden/Sam Kaufman/Mae Laurel/Julie Leonard
(5.5) The Noon Whistle (1923) - Stan Laurel/James Finlayson/Katherine Grant/William Gillespie
(5.4) White Wings (1923) - Stan Laurel/James Finlayson/Marvin Loback/Katherine Grant/Mark Jones
(???) Under Two Jags (1923) - Stan Laurel/Katherine Grant/Mae Laurel/Sammy Brooks/Charles Stevenson
(4.4) Pick and Shovel (1923) - Stan Laurel/James Finlayson/Katherine Grant/George Rowe/Sammy Brooks
(5.2) Kill or Cure (1923) - Stan Laurel/Katherine Grant/Noah Young/Eddie Baker/Mark Jones/Helen Jones

DISC TWO--
(???) Short Orders (1923) - Stan Laurel/Marie Mosquini/Eddie Baker/Jack Ackroyd/Mark Jones/George Rowe
(5.5) A Man About Town (1923) - Stan Laurel/Katherine Grant/James Finlayson/Charles Stevenson
(5.5) Smithy (1924) - Stan Laurel/James Finlayson/William Gillespie/Glenn Tryon/Ena Gregory/Jack Gavin
(6.0) Rupert of Hee Haw (1924) - Stan Laurel/James Finlayson/Mae Laurel (uncredited "Our Gang" members: Joe Cobb/Mickey Daniels/'Sunshine' Sammy Morrison/Mary Kornman)
(???) Mandarin Mix-Up (1924) - Stan Laurel/Julie Leonard
(???) Detained (1924) - Stan Laurel/Julie Leonard/Agnes Ayres
(???) Somewhere in Wrong (1925) - Stan Laurel/Max Asher/Julie Leonard/Charles King/Pete the Dog
(5.6) Pie-Eyed (1925) - Stan Laurel/Glen Cavender/Thelma Hill
(5.3) Get Em Young (1926) - Harry Myers/Eugenia Gilbert/Stan Laurel/Max Davidson/Ernest Wood