Babes in Toyland (1934)

Directors:

Gus Meins
Charley Rogers

Writers:

Frank Butler (dialogue)
Nick Grinde (dialogue)

Release Date:

14 December 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical

Tagline:

1 and 1/2 hours of laughter!

Plot:

Ollie Dee and Stanley Dum try to borrow money from their employer, the toymaker, to pay off the mortgage...

Plot Keywords:

Forced Marriage | Lifting Person In Air | Stop Motion | King | Wedding

Cast

Stan Laurel	...	Stannie Dum
Oliver Hardy	...	Ollie Dee
Charlotte Henry	...	Little Bo-Peep
Felix Knight	...	Tom-Tom Piper
Henry Brandon	...	Silas Barnaby (as Henry Kleinbach)
Florence Roberts	...	Mother Widow Peep
Virginia Karns	...	Mother Goose

Also Known As:

Laurel and Hardy in Toyland
March of the Wooden Soldiers (USA) (reissue title)
Revenge Is Sweet
Wooden Soldiers

Runtime:

77 min | USA:73 min (re-release)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Spain:T | USA:Approved (PCA #401) | Australia:G | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Hal Roach Studios

Trivia:

The filming turned into a symphony of cast injuries. Stan Laurel fell off a platform and tore ligaments in his right leg. Henry Brandon was injured in a bar fight at the Brass Rail. Assistant director Gordon Douglas slid 15 feet from the top of the Old Woman's Shoe and tore ligaments in his left leg. Kewpie Morgan's part as Old King Cole called for him to laugh continuously - after two days, he ruptured muscles in his stomach. Oliver Hardy entered St. Vincent's Hospital to have his tonsils removed the day after filming wrapped, and Hal Roach developed appendicitis.

Goofs:

Continuity: As the wooden soldiers approach the Boogey men, Barnaby is holding Bo Peep in his arms, but when they fire the cannon shot that knocks him down, she is gone.

Quotes:

Old King Cole: I'm offering a 50,000 guineas reward for Barnaby's apprehension, dead or alive.
Stannie Dum: Can't you make up your mind how you want him?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Married with Children: A Babe in Toyland (#11.18)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

The Ku-Ku Song

A personal holiday favorite

I am a huge Laurel and Hardy fan, and while this may not be considered one of their great feature length films, I love to get this out for the December holidays. After the rest of the family watches "Wonderful Life", "Scrooge" and the Nutcracker, I pull this out and laugh until I cry. The only link to the holiday is the use of the "March of the Soldiers" music - but that's enough for me. Stan Laurel's ingenious battle tactics just send me into a fit.