Block-Heads
Encyclopedia
Block-Heads is a 1938 comedy film
starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy
, 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, and is remembered as one of Laurel and Hardy's most successful films.
where Ollie, Stan and the rest of their army company are ready to go 'over the top', but Stan is ordered to stay behind to guard the trench. Stock scenes of fighting are then seen followed by the caption 'Armistice
'. Twenty years pass, and Stan is still guarding the post, as shown by the huge pile of bean cans he has accumulated, and the path he has worn pacing back and forth on guard. He is found by accident (after firing on a plane he sees approaching) and is brought home, feted as a hero. Ollie, who has been married for a year to the formidable Mrs Hardy (Minna Gombell
), sees him in a newspaper and visits him in the veterans' home. He finds Stan in a wheelchair, having apparently lost a leg, and invites him home. However, Stan is in fact just resting in another veteran's wheelchair and Ollie only finds out he still has both legs after pushing him around in the chair and then carrying him. Ollie, angrily: "Why didn't you tell me you had two legs?" Stan: "Well, you didn't ask me." They reach Ollie's automobile, which he says belongs to his wife and is 'practically new', but it is boxed in by a dump truck
. Stan climbs into the cab to move it and inadvertently operates the dump mechanism, burying the car in sand and leaving only Ollie's head exposed. It is then completely wrecked when Ollie demonstrates the automatic garage door at his home and allows Stan to drive the car in to test it.
There is then a lengthy scene of the pair attempting to climb thirteen flights of stairs to Ollie's apartment because they think the elevator is out of order. They are resting near the top when a top hat wearing man with a cane (James Finlayson
) insults Ollie, leading him to challenge him to a fight outside. They return down the stairs, picking up spectators along the way. After settling the disagreement, the pair finally reach the top of the stairs, where they run into a brattish kid with a football. Ollie kicks his ball down the stairwell, where it hits the face of a man speaking on a telephone at reception. The kid's burly father emerges and orders Ollie back down the stairs to fetch it. After a 'tit-for-tat' fight with the father, the ball is kicked down the stairwell again and hits the man in the face a second time. When they finally reach the apartment, Ollie's wife wants Stan to leave immediately, as she is disgusted with the bums he brings home. When food is demanded she walks out, leaving Ollie to prepare a meal for Stan, but the pair only succed in blowing up the kitchen.
Across the hall, Ollie's attractive neighbour, Mrs Gilbert (Patricia Ellis
), offers to help clear up the mess. She is then soaked by a bowl of punch and the only dry clothing Ollie can find is a pair of his enormous pajamas. Mrs Hardy then returns, because her car is wrecked, and Ollie tries to conceal Mrs Gilbert by covering her with a cloth to make her resemble a chair. After Stan unwittingly sits on her, Ollie hides her inside a trunk. Big-game hunter Mr Gilbert (Billy Gilbert
) then arrives and the wife reveals herself after he boasts about his extra-marital conquests. He then chases Stan and Ollie back down the stairs, blasting at them with a shotgun, missing the duo, but hitting everything else!
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
, produced by Hal Roach Studios for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
. The film, a reworking of elements from the Laurel and Hardy shorts We Faw Down
We Faw Down
We Faw Down is a 1928 two-reel silent comedy starring Laurel and Hardy and directed by Leo McCarey. It was shot in August and September 1928, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on December 29 of that year, with synchronized music and sound effects in theaters wired for sound.The plot line was...
(1928) and Unaccustomed As We Are
Unaccustomed As We Are
Unaccustomed As We Are is a 1929 comedy short film starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, also featuring Mae Busch , Edgar Kennedy , and Thelma Todd...
(1929), was Roach's final film for MGM, and is remembered as one of Laurel and Hardy's most successful films.
Plot
The film opens in the trenches of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
where Ollie, Stan and the rest of their army company are ready to go 'over the top', but Stan is ordered to stay behind to guard the trench. Stock scenes of fighting are then seen followed by the caption 'Armistice
Armistice
An armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...
'. Twenty years pass, and Stan is still guarding the post, as shown by the huge pile of bean cans he has accumulated, and the path he has worn pacing back and forth on guard. He is found by accident (after firing on a plane he sees approaching) and is brought home, feted as a hero. Ollie, who has been married for a year to the formidable Mrs Hardy (Minna Gombell
Minna Gombell
Minna Gombell was an American film actress of the 1930s and 1940s.She had a very successful stage career from 1912 before being signed by Fox film company in the late twenties. Her first film was Doctor's Wives in which she played under the name of Nancy Gardner, a name given to her by Fox...
), sees him in a newspaper and visits him in the veterans' home. He finds Stan in a wheelchair, having apparently lost a leg, and invites him home. However, Stan is in fact just resting in another veteran's wheelchair and Ollie only finds out he still has both legs after pushing him around in the chair and then carrying him. Ollie, angrily: "Why didn't you tell me you had two legs?" Stan: "Well, you didn't ask me." They reach Ollie's automobile, which he says belongs to his wife and is 'practically new', but it is boxed in by a dump truck
Dump truck
A dump truck is a truck used for transporting loose material for construction. A typical dump truck is equipped with a hydraulically operated open-box bed hinged at the rear, the front of which can be lifted up to allow the contents to be deposited on the ground behind the truck at the site of...
. Stan climbs into the cab to move it and inadvertently operates the dump mechanism, burying the car in sand and leaving only Ollie's head exposed. It is then completely wrecked when Ollie demonstrates the automatic garage door at his home and allows Stan to drive the car in to test it.
There is then a lengthy scene of the pair attempting to climb thirteen flights of stairs to Ollie's apartment because they think the elevator is out of order. They are resting near the top when a top hat wearing man with a cane (James Finlayson
Jimmy Finlayson
James Henderson "Jimmy" Finlayson was a Scottish actor who worked in both silent and sound comedies. Bald, with a fake moustache, Finlayson had many trademark comic mannerisms and is famous for his squinting, outraged, "double take and fade away" head reaction, and characteristic expression...
) insults Ollie, leading him to challenge him to a fight outside. They return down the stairs, picking up spectators along the way. After settling the disagreement, the pair finally reach the top of the stairs, where they run into a brattish kid with a football. Ollie kicks his ball down the stairwell, where it hits the face of a man speaking on a telephone at reception. The kid's burly father emerges and orders Ollie back down the stairs to fetch it. After a 'tit-for-tat' fight with the father, the ball is kicked down the stairwell again and hits the man in the face a second time. When they finally reach the apartment, Ollie's wife wants Stan to leave immediately, as she is disgusted with the bums he brings home. When food is demanded she walks out, leaving Ollie to prepare a meal for Stan, but the pair only succed in blowing up the kitchen.
Across the hall, Ollie's attractive neighbour, Mrs Gilbert (Patricia Ellis
Patricia Ellis
Patricia Ellis was an American film actress of the 1930s.Born Patricia Leftwich in Birmingham, Alabama, Ellis began her stage career after leaving school. Given a film test while appearing on stage in New York, she was put under contract by Warner Bros. In 1932 she had two small parts, both...
), offers to help clear up the mess. She is then soaked by a bowl of punch and the only dry clothing Ollie can find is a pair of his enormous pajamas. Mrs Hardy then returns, because her car is wrecked, and Ollie tries to conceal Mrs Gilbert by covering her with a cloth to make her resemble a chair. After Stan unwittingly sits on her, Ollie hides her inside a trunk. Big-game hunter Mr Gilbert (Billy Gilbert
Billy Gilbert
Billy Gilbert was an American comedian and actor known for his comic sneeze routines. He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects and television shows starting in 1929. He is not to be confused with silent film actor Billy Gilbert Billy Gilbert (September 12, 1894 – September 23,...
) then arrives and the wife reveals herself after he boasts about his extra-marital conquests. He then chases Stan and Ollie back down the stairs, blasting at them with a shotgun, missing the duo, but hitting everything else!
Cast
- Stan LaurelStan LaurelArthur Stanley "Stan" Jefferson , better known as Stan Laurel, was an English comic actor, writer and film director, famous as the first half of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy. His film acting career stretched between 1917 and 1951 and included a starring role in the Academy Award winning film...
- Oliver HardyOliver HardyOliver Hardy was an American comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy, the classic double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted nearly 30 years, from 1927 to 1955.-Early life:...
- Patricia EllisPatricia EllisPatricia Ellis was an American film actress of the 1930s.Born Patricia Leftwich in Birmingham, Alabama, Ellis began her stage career after leaving school. Given a film test while appearing on stage in New York, she was put under contract by Warner Bros. In 1932 she had two small parts, both...
as Mrs 'Toots' Gilbert - Minna GombellMinna GombellMinna Gombell was an American film actress of the 1930s and 1940s.She had a very successful stage career from 1912 before being signed by Fox film company in the late twenties. Her first film was Doctor's Wives in which she played under the name of Nancy Gardner, a name given to her by Fox...
as Mrs Hardy - Billy GilbertBilly GilbertBilly Gilbert was an American comedian and actor known for his comic sneeze routines. He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects and television shows starting in 1929. He is not to be confused with silent film actor Billy Gilbert Billy Gilbert (September 12, 1894 – September 23,...
as Mr Gilbert - James FinlaysonJimmy FinlaysonJames Henderson "Jimmy" Finlayson was a Scottish actor who worked in both silent and sound comedies. Bald, with a fake moustache, Finlayson had many trademark comic mannerisms and is famous for his squinting, outraged, "double take and fade away" head reaction, and characteristic expression...
as the man on the stairs
Production
- The film was announced as being the last Laurel & Hardy movie and it was the last Hal RoachHal RoachHarold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
production for Metro-Goldwyn-MayerMetro-Goldwyn-MayerMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
. - Block-Heads was the last film directed by John G. BlystoneJohn G. BlystoneJohn G. Blystone was an American film director. He directed 100 films between 1915 and 1938.He was born in Rice Lake, Wisconsin and died in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack. His grave is located at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery.-Relatives:John Blystone's brother was actor Stanley...
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 AgainI'll Never Heil AgainI'll Never Heil Again is the 56th short subject starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1959.-Plot:...
.