classicsoncall Not quite a short and not quite a feature, still, whenever Laurel and Hardy get together it will be a fun time. The last time I saw this picture was probably over fifty years ago and it still seemed familiar. I guess the boys have that kind of effect on their fans from the old days.And to think, it was a picture of Jean Harlow that sent Stan and Ollie off to join the Foreign Legion. The forlorn Ollie will come to learn that she broke the hearts of nearly everyone else that wound up in the desert, while Stan remains clueless as ever through virtually every escapade.But you know, I couldn't help thinking that the picture probably couldn't even be made today considering how militant the PC police have gotten. Early on, when Ollie is happily explaining to Stan that he's getting married, Stan's question about who it might be gets twisted and tangled and Ollie responds - "Did you ever hear of anybody marrying a man?" Well....And then there's the entire business of the Foreign Legion fighting the Arab Riffraff (I know it was Riffians, but Riffraff sounds better); when the Arab leader invokes Mohammed one can only imagine modern day progressives decrying the racist element of the story line. I guess for all those folks, Ollie's sentiment that "This is no time for levity" would seem appropriate. For all the rest of us though, and I'll speak for all Laurel and Hardy fans here, this is exactly the time for levity.Oh yeah, can't forget - this is the picture that revealed Oliver Hardy's middle name - it was Nobel!

bkoganbing If as another reviewer says that Beau Hunks was Hal Roach's personal favorite of the many Laurel&Hardy shorts he produced, it certainly is a very good choice. Roach must have liked it because he expanded it later on in the decade to a full length feature film, Flying Deuces.Poor Ollie is pining over his lost love because his Jeanie Weanie is getting married so to forget his troubles he joins the Foreign Legion, dragging along poor Stanley behind him. Of course as it turns out Jeanie Weanie is Jean Harlow who's sent these loving autographed pictures all over the world as we see when they settle into the barracks of the Foreign Legion.The film is a satire of Beau Geste and of The Desert Song which only two years earlier had come to the screen. The enemy are the Riffraffs and a deadly bunch they are. Of course they haven't come up against Laurel and Hardy.Two best bits in the film are the boys getting lost in a sand storm on the desert and then actually arriving at the fort ahead of the rest of the troop. Second is when Laurel the dunce is asked by Hardy why he's not carrying any equipment for the march and he innocently replies that he packed his stuff with Ollie's. This is Stanley's innocence at its finest.One thing that is eerie about Beau Hunks is that the marriage Jean Harlow was to have the following year was to Paul Bern and we all know what a tragedy that turned out to be. She might have been better off marrying Ollie or one of the other Legionaires.Beau Hunks is a choice sample of Stan and Ollie's comedy which is absolutely eternal.

ottermole In 1980 I had the good fortune to be invited to the home of legendary motion picture producer HAL E. ROACH. I was there to show him a few films I made, hoping for some good advice. We talked about many things, including Laurel & Hardy.I then asked Mr. Roach what his all-time favorite Laurel & Hardy film was. After a thoughtful pause, he replied: "BEAU HUNKS."In 1939 BEAU HUNKS was remade as FLYING DEUCES (not by Roach) during a temporary lapse in the boys' contracts. The story must have been a favorite of theirs as well. BEAU HUNKS is an odd length (37 minutes), not too long and not too short. A classic which stands alone as one of Laurel & Hardy's most inspired films. No spoilers in this review, but if you are an L&H fan, seek out Hal Roach's personal favorite and you'll be glad you did!

zico-7 Each short or longer Laurel & Hardy movie is a classic in my view. The Laurel & Hardy tandem is unmatched in movie-history and in my opinion the majority of today's movie makers and writers can learn lots from L & H. They don't have Charly Chaplin's brilliance, but they are good! And funny! Their gags, faces, fights, accidents and disasters are hilarious and bring a smile to my face each time I watch. This time Hardy drags Laurel into a Foreign Legion adventure, because of a heartache and that gives plenty of room for these two legendary comedians to move! My advice: don't underestimate L&H movies!