16mm Rare Feature Film BLOCKHEADS LAUREL & HARDY 2 reels, 1938 VGC, 57 mins

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16mm Rare Feature Film BLOCKHEADS LAUREL & HARDY 2 reels, 1938 VGC, 57 mins:
$225.00

**BLOCK-HEADS**

HAL ROACH - 1938 - 57 minutes

16mm Classic Laurel & Hardy Feature Film

Film

on two 12.25 reels

From my Dad\'s Vintage movie collection, here is a Classic Laurel and Hardy Feature Film. This is a 16mm, sound, black and white film, which appears to be a great print quality. I held each reel up to a light and did not notice any obvious splice points. A note inside the film says the film was obtained in 1973 and the last showing of this film was 1988 at a local Laurel and Hardy \"Bacon Grabbers\" Club meeting. It has been in storage since then.

Please see pictures for details, and film name & codes, and quality. On thesprocketedge of the film reads; \"DUPONT SAFETY FILM \". There are date markings also. The two 12.25\" - VGC gray metal reels are each contained in separatevery good condition gray metal cases. These reels of film are free of \"vinegar\" odors. This film was only unwound to photograph frames from the first reel.

Most of the films my Dad collected were originals, please see pictures for details.

fROM tcm:
BLOCK-HEADS

Stan has been guarding his WWI trench for 20 years because nobody ever told him the war was over. Finally discovered, he is proclaimed a hero and reunited with war buddy Ollie, who takes him home to live with him and the missus. Inevitable and hysterical hijinks ensue as Stan readjusts to civilian life. This is the basis for the 57-minute gagfestBlock-Heads(1938), widely considered to be the last great Laurel and Hardy film (thoughA Chump at Oxford, 1939, has its fans).Block-Headswas actually announced as Laurel and Hardy\'s last film. It turned out not to be, but it was the last one they and Hal Roach Studios made for release by MGM. The comedy duo would go on to make two more pictures for Hal Roach outside of MGM,A Chump at OxfordandSaps at Sea(1940) - these despite a legal conflict between Laurel and Roach. After principal production ofBlock-Headswrapped, Laurel went on vacation and the film\'s ending had to be re-shot with a double. An annoyed Roach terminated Laurel\'s contract, and Laurel sued Roach, calling the termination unlawful. They settled out of court several months later. After all, Roach had worked with Laurel with Hardy for a long time and he still recognized them as geniuses, saying of Laurel years later, \"except for Chaplin, there was no better gagman in the business than Stan Laurel. He could always get the most out of every single gag.\"The gags inBlock-Headsare paced beautifully, the work of professionals who have honed their techniques over many years. Some gags are borrowed from Laurel and Hardy\'s earlier films, and the plot is largely a redo and extension of their two-reelerUnaccustomed As We Are(1929). Film historian William K. Everson likenedBlock-Headsto the work of seasoned \"old vaudevillians before the final curtain. They trot out their old and proven routines, embellish others, and throw in a few new ones.\" (The presence of former comedy star Harry Langdon as a writer is whyBlock-Headsalso contains elements of his classicsThe Strong ManandSoldier Man, both 1926.)There are many reasons for the timeless appeal of Laurel and Hardy. Hal Roach said it was because \"each was a perfect straight man for the other\" and because \"the Stan and Ollie characters were childlike, innocent. The best visual comedians imitate children, really.\" Laurel and Hardy scholar Richard Bann has attributed their success to \"one simple concept. Love. These films were made with love, and they reflected love. Stan and Ollie are nice people. Lovable people. They comport themselves with dignity. Their innocence is fundamental to their appeal.\"Block-Headswas director John G. Blystone\'s last film. He died of a heart attack at age 45, just two weeks before it was released. Blystone directed over 70 movies but was not much of a creative force, tending to work with actors and writers who dominated their productions, such as Buster Keaton onOur Hospitality(1923), and Laurel and Hardy. Look for some opening war footage taken fromThe Big Parade(1925) and for \"Our Gang\" actor Tommy Bond as a kid with a football.Block-Headsreceived one Academy Award nomination, for Marvin Hatley\'s score.Producer: Hal Roach, Jr.
Director: John G. Blystone
Screenplay: Felix Adler, Arnold Belgard, Harry Langdon, James Parrott, Charley Rogers
Cinematography: Art Lloyd
Film Editing: Bert Jordan
Music: Marvin Hatley
Cast: Stan Laurel (Stan), Oliver Hardy (Oliver), Patricia Ellis (Mrs. Gilbert), Minna Gombell (Mrs. Hardy), Billy Gilbert (Mr. Gilbert), James Finlayson (Man on stairs).
BW-57m.\"Block-Heads\" begins in WWI, where Stan and Ollie are in a platoon fighting in Europe. While Ollie and the rest of the group go into battle, Stan has to guard the post. You can tell that he\'s doing his job, because he continues doing it for twenty years after the war ends. After he returns to America, he and Ollie meet up again, and from there, they do their usual stuff. Probably the best scene was the football scene (I won\'t spoil it). But the wheelchair, temptress, garage door and kitchen all provide some laughs. They may play blockheads in the movie, but believe you me, Laurel and Hardy were comic geniuses.

See my 100% rating. Thanks for looking!

This is a great Laurel and Hardy feature film to add to your 16 mm film collection.

If you have any questions please ask, or comments on this listing, please contact me.