In their third film for 20th Century Fox, Laurel and Hardy finally found a sympathetic director in Malcolm St. Clair. Unfortunately, they may also have found the worst scriptwriter alive in Scott Darling. The script for this film (based on an earlier film, "Arizona to Broadway") is really terrible. The plot makes no sense at all, and motivations for various events are really confusing.
However, Laurel and Hardy seem to be in high spirits in this film. Stan occasionally seems to be sleepwalking through scenes (his scene with Lee Patrick is a prime example) but for the most part they put their all into second-rate material and make it funnier. For instance, the first reel involves Stan and Ollie's car broken down in the desert. Stan suggests to Ollie that he faint so that a truck will stop for them. However, the truck just runs right over Ollie, and the expression Babe gives the camera when he's discovered such a depressing facet of human nature is worth the whole price of the film. Another scene involves Ollie trying to explain to Stan how they're going to scam the scammers, with Stan clearly not getting it. Their timing is perfect during this scene, and it always gets a laugh out of me.
Vivian Blaine, the love interest, is fairly entertaining as a singer, and has some decent, cute little songs to perform. (Well, the shoe rationing bit is excepted.) She's not so great as an actress, but hey, nobody's perfect, especially when you're having to compete with scene-stealers like Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel. (Admittedly, though, Stan steals more scenes as Emily Cartwright than he does as Stan. He must have just wanted to do a different character pretty badly.) The upshot is, don't think about the plot. Your head will really hurt if you do. Enjoy the congeniality and the comedy and your time won't be wasted.
However, Laurel and Hardy seem to be in high spirits in this film. Stan occasionally seems to be sleepwalking through scenes (his scene with Lee Patrick is a prime example) but for the most part they put their all into second-rate material and make it funnier. For instance, the first reel involves Stan and Ollie's car broken down in the desert. Stan suggests to Ollie that he faint so that a truck will stop for them. However, the truck just runs right over Ollie, and the expression Babe gives the camera when he's discovered such a depressing facet of human nature is worth the whole price of the film. Another scene involves Ollie trying to explain to Stan how they're going to scam the scammers, with Stan clearly not getting it. Their timing is perfect during this scene, and it always gets a laugh out of me.
Vivian Blaine, the love interest, is fairly entertaining as a singer, and has some decent, cute little songs to perform. (Well, the shoe rationing bit is excepted.) She's not so great as an actress, but hey, nobody's perfect, especially when you're having to compete with scene-stealers like Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel. (Admittedly, though, Stan steals more scenes as Emily Cartwright than he does as Stan. He must have just wanted to do a different character pretty badly.) The upshot is, don't think about the plot. Your head will really hurt if you do. Enjoy the congeniality and the comedy and your time won't be wasted.