Men O'War (1929)

Director:

Lewis R. Foster

Writers:

Leo McCarey (writer)
H.M. Walker (writer)

Release Date:

29 June 1929 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Comedy | Family

Plot:

Two sailors on leave, Stanley and Oliver meet two girls at a park and invite them to have a soda. Unfortunately...

Plot Keywords:

Sailor | Slot Machine | Park | Boat Accident | Pillow Fight

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Stan Laurel	...	Stan
Oliver Hardy	...	Ollie
James Finlayson	...	Soda jerk
Anne Cornwall	...	Girl
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Harry Bernard	...	Policeman
Baldwin Cooke	...	Boater
Gloria Greer	...	Girl
Charlie Hall	...	Boater

Runtime:

19 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric System)

Certification:

Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Hollenbeck Park - 415 S. St. Louis Street, Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Hal Roach Studios

Quotes:

Ollie: And why did you do it?
Stan: I had to. My half was on the bottom. I had to drink it all to get it.

Movie Connections:

References Should Married Men Go Home? (1928)

Pratfalls In The Park With Mr. Laurel & Mr. Hardy

A LAUREL & HARDY Comedy Short.

Sailors Stan & Ollie, two MEN O'WAR, are on shore leave. While strolling through the park, they meet & escort two silly young women. After a financial contretemps at the soda fountain, the Boys initiate a rowdy donnybrook on the boat pond.

A hilarious little film, with a delightful sense of spontaneity, as if the performers were extemporizing much of their dialogue. This short is also refreshing in that the plot takes place entirely out of doors. Highlight: bedlam in the boat. The knickers sequence shows that this film was produced pre-Production Code. That's James Finlayson as the soda fountain/boat rental manager; Anne Cornwall & Gloria Greer as the young women; and Charlie Hall as the man in the canoe.