Oliver the Eighth was the last
of Laurel and Hardy's three reel pictures and is not one of their
better offerings. The plot is essentially a reworking of an
earlier misfire, The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case
(1930) and suffers from the same basic failings - a deficit of really
good gags and a dismal cop out ending. Although the boys are
below par (presumably they were drained after working on their previous
feature Sons of the Desert (1933)),
they do manage to turn in one hilarious slapstick routine. When
Ollie sets up the gag, with a gold-painted brick, a piece of string and
a candle, you just know how it is going to end, but it still manages to
get a full-blown belly laugh. Even in their weaker offerings, the
impeccable comedy duo still manage, somehow, to get the laughs.
Who needs Prozac when you can sit back and watch a Laurel and Hardy
film?
The above content is owned by frenchfilms.org and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Stan and Ollie are amicably running a barber's shop when yet another incident
arises to threaten their friendship. It begins when Stan spots a personal
ad in the newspaper from a rich widow who is keen to find a new husband.
In a spirit of friendly rivalry, the two men decide to write separate replies
to the ad, but Ollie hides his friend's letter as he posts his own.
Ollie is naturally delighted when the widow invites him to her mansion. Already
he anticipates a grand wedding and a glittering future in high society.
In fact, the widow is a homicidal maniac who intends murdering Ollie on account
of his name. It was some years ago that the woman was to marry her
first husband, Oliver. After he jilted her at the altar, the woman
went mad and has since been on a killing spree, luring men named Oliver to
her house and murdering them in their sleep. Poor hapless Ollie is
to be victim number eight. Fortunately, Stan is close at hand to thwart
the mad woman's scheme. At least he tries to...
Cast:Stan Laurel (Stan),
Oliver Hardy (Oliver),
Mae Busch (Mrs. Fox - Widow),
Jack Barty (Jitters the Butler)
Country: USA
Language: English
Support: Black and White
Runtime: 27 min
Aka:The Private Life of Oliver the Eighth
The best French Films of the 1920s
In the 1920s French cinema was at its most varied and stylish - witness the achievements of Abel Gance, Marcel L'Herbier, Jean Epstein and Jacques Feyder.
In the 1910s, French cinema led the way with a new industry which actively encouraged innovation. From the serials of Louis Feuillade to the first auteur pieces of Abel Gance, this decade is rich in cinematic marvels.
Continental Films, quality cinema under the Nazi Occupation
At the time of the Nazi Occupation of France during WWII, the German-run company Continental produced some of the finest films made in France in the 1940s.