Laurel & Hardy

DVD Features:

Description by OLDIES.com:

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy join the French Foreign Legion in an effort to help Ollie forget the memory of the girl who jilted him. When life in the desert doesn't turn out to be what they expected, the boys turn in their resignation and try to leave. What they don't realize is that you can't resign from the Legion. They are thrown into prison and sentenced to be shot at dawn but make their escape in an airplane for a hilarious wild ride. Impressively produced for RKO with marvelous casting, sets and costumes, The Flying Deuces is regarded as one of the last great Laurel and Hardy classics.

Product Description:

Stan and Ollie join the Foreign Legion so that Ollie can forget an unhappy romance.
As luck would have it, they become involved in attempting to smooth out the messy love affair between an officer and his fiancee. After being in the Legion for as long as they can take it, they want their normal lives back. Ollie insists on their release just as they realize they're going to be shot at sunrise for their rebelliousness. The pair attempt an escape via airplane. Lots of laughs, nostalgia, and action-packed stunts take place including a dance routine to "Shine on Harvest Moon."

Plot Synopsis:

After the woman Ollie loves breaks his heart, he joins the French Foreign Legion to forget about her. His buddy, Stan, joins him and the two soon get mixed up in their usual hilarious trouble.
Once Ollie and Stan have had enough of the grueling work routine of the Legion (and the low daily wage of 3¢), they take off from their base -- fast. However, they quickly realize they've signed up for life and aren't allowed to leave. They're arrested for desertion but manage to escape a firing squad... only to get aboard a plane that crashes.
Among the entertaining highlights of the movie is Ollie singing "Shine On, Harvest Moon" while Stan performs a soft-shoe.

Plot Keywords:

Adventure | Buddies | Comedy | Military | Musical | Slapstick | Vintage

Production Notes:

• This was the first comedy that Laurel and Hardy starred in without producer Hal Roach, although they had previously been "guest stars" in four MGM movies. After they finished making "The Flying Deuces," they returned to Hal Roach Studios to make films.
• In order to make this movie, producer Boris Morros bought the rights to the 1931 French film "Les deux legionnaires," which had a similar plot. "The Flying Deuces" was Morros' first independent production and it was shot in continuity over a span of four weeks. Only one day was reportedly needed for retakes. The French original starred Fernandel and Noel Noel.
• The stars, cameraman and director all accepted a minimum salary in return for a share of the film's profits.
• Filmed on location at the Van Nuys Airport and Chatsworth, California.
• During the filming, Oliver Hardy met script clerk Virginia Lucille Jones, who became his third wife in 1940.
• Additional cast: Clem Wilenchick (Corporal); Kit Guard, Billy Eagle and Jack Chefe (Legionnaires); Richard Cramer (Truck Driver); Sam Lufkin and Eddie Borden (Legionnaires Knocked Out by Corks); Frank Clarke (Pilot); Michael Visaroff (Innkeeper); and Monica Bannister, Bonnie Bannon, Mary Jane Carey and Christine Cabanne (Georgette's Girl Friends).
• Additional credits: Robert Stillman and Johnny London (assistant directors); Rudolph Maté (production adviser); and Frank Clarke (chief pilot and technical adviser).
• The working title for the films was "The Aviators."

Cast and Crew: