Ever since Hal Roach had the idea of teaming a skinny guy and a fat guy together for a Mutt and Jeff effect on the silent screen a lot forget that both Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy had some prominent careers as singles on the silent screen, Stan being more well known than Ollie at the time. Mud And Sand gives us a look at a Laurel specialty, spoofing some well known silent cinema classics.
I've not seen the Rudolph Valentino version of Blood And Sand, but I have seen the Tyrone Power sound version, in fact it's a favorite of mine among Power's work. And as Power was known to have a sense of humor if he ever saw Mud And Sand I'm sure he would have appreciated it.
For a solemn and tragic tale Stan Laurel certainly mined quite a few laughs out of it. There is a marvelous gag with a bull being tossed over the Corrida wall while Stan is auditioning to be a matador. I think it might have inspired the Monty Python troupe in their quest for the Holy Grail.
If you're looking for Stanley to be the Laurel we know from the Laurel And Hardy films forget it. That was a character that Stan worked into to complement Ollie's bulk and know it all attitude. Stan works in broad satire in Mud And Sand as he did with a few silent screen classics. And his scenes with the wife and temptress are something else as well.
I've got to make it a point to see more of Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy's work before they were a team. Hope the rest of you will as well.
I've not seen the Rudolph Valentino version of Blood And Sand, but I have seen the Tyrone Power sound version, in fact it's a favorite of mine among Power's work. And as Power was known to have a sense of humor if he ever saw Mud And Sand I'm sure he would have appreciated it.
For a solemn and tragic tale Stan Laurel certainly mined quite a few laughs out of it. There is a marvelous gag with a bull being tossed over the Corrida wall while Stan is auditioning to be a matador. I think it might have inspired the Monty Python troupe in their quest for the Holy Grail.
If you're looking for Stanley to be the Laurel we know from the Laurel And Hardy films forget it. That was a character that Stan worked into to complement Ollie's bulk and know it all attitude. Stan works in broad satire in Mud And Sand as he did with a few silent screen classics. And his scenes with the wife and temptress are something else as well.
I've got to make it a point to see more of Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy's work before they were a team. Hope the rest of you will as well.