User Reviews

A surprisingly fresh little comedy. Laurel and Hardy, in their last American made movie, have made a silly little film with enough story and gags to entertain the little ones and make the adults smile. I have to admit that I laughed out loud at some of the gags. A great moment occurs when the boys are sitting in a hotel lobby near a fountain and Stan decides to "investigate" what a particular faucet is for. Of course Ollie gets sprayed, which leads him to think someone sitting next to him is responsible. Unlike some of their other later films, the duo's comic timing is very sharp here. The whole bit about Stan resembling a famous matador has been done before(and since), but if you don't think about it too much the film is pleasant enough. I give it six bullfighters out of ten.

THE BULLFIGHTERS (1945)

This was the last movie the aging Laurel and Hardy made for Twentieth Century-Fox, and it's another fun and underrated one at that, even if it doesn't quite measure up to the classic shorts they made a decade earlier. They really manage to inject a lot of old tried and true gags into the proceedings, thanks in part to the fact that Stan Laurel is reported to have co-directed, and so the team had more input with regard to their jokes and material. Here, the "boys" are in Mexico where Stan is mistaken for a famous bullfighter. Many laughs ensue, and this one's a winner.

*** out of ****

Of course, this Laurel & Hardy feature is not another "Way Out West" (1937), but it's still worth watching. Their final Hollywood picture is far better than the other Fox and MGM products that the Boys did in the forties. Despite some boring sequences there is much more room for comedy - and Laurel & Hardy know to use it. Even Stan's make-up, which he was forced to change in the former Fox movies and that made him look much older, resembles his appearance in the old Roach days. One may wonder why producers in the forties after this movie did not realize, that these two genuine clowns had still the power to carry a whole picture. It's always sad to think of the fact, that there was only one more Laurel & Hardy film to be done after "The Bullfighters".

Laurel & Hardy's last American film is also probably the best(or more accurately,least worst)of their post-Hal Roach movies.One positive aspect,unlike their previous Fox/MGM wartime efforts,is that there are scenes in the film which are reasonably in character,as likeable innocents,and not complete idiots. A reworking of the egg-breaking sequence from HOLLYWOOD PARTY(1934)works quite well,as does a water-throwing routine.Arguably the best moments in the film are with cult character actor Hank Worden,who while registering at the hotel says he can't write("He's forging my name!",Stan protests!). Where the film falters is with supposed villain Ralph Sanford.Walter Long,Rychard Cramer,Charlie Hall and James Finlayson were both menacing and funny in the Roach films,but in this film,Sanford is neither despite his bulky frame.Former Radio announcer Richard Lane is good though,but the film falters in it's second half with a hackneyed 'double' story;namely Stan being a lookalike for the great bullfighter Don Sebastian.And for the first time since their earliest silent days,Fox's make-up department do away with their comic hairstyles.Still,the film brightens up with an amusing 'freak' ending,which Stan liked to employ occasionally with the Hal Roach studios.Not a good film,but certainly a tolerable one compared to A-HAUNTING WE WILL GO(1942) and THE DANCING MASTERS(1943).

Way back in the day before Laurel teamed with Hardy, Stanley was quite the comic silent screen star and many of his short subjects were satires of current big screen productions. One of the best of them was Mud And Sand where Stan Laurel did a spoof of Rudolph Valentino and his role in Blood And Sand. 20th Century Fox also now owned the rights to Blood And Sand because of the great Tyrone Power sound version that had come out a few years earlier.

So in their farewell film before the disastrous comeback with Utopia, Stan and Ollie did The Bullfighters where Laurel got to be a bullfighter again. And he plays a dual role the great Don Sebastian of Spain and just plain Mr. Laurel who with Mr. Hardy are a pair of private eyes from Peoria.

Now if you can wrap your minds around the concept of ANYBODY hiring these two as detectives, The Bullfighters is an amusing enough film though not up to the standards of their Hal Roach work. They're in Mexico on an extradition job to bring back Carol Andrews and of course in their usual fashion make a holy hash of that.

But promoter Richard Lane notices Stan's resemblance to Don Sebastian and since this guy whom he has brought over and promoted is being held up at the border. They've got a problem however in Ralph Sanford who got sent up the river on the mistaken testimony of these two lugnuts and threatens to skin them alive.

The Bullfighters is amusing, especially in that last sequence when both of Laurels personas show up in the bullring with the PI from Peoria getting well fortified for the occasion. I can't blame Stan it's the only way I would go in a bull ring.

You'll have to see The Bullfighters to see if Sanford makes good on his threat.

yes, their final for the USA, and too bad it is far from their "average" feature for the great Hal Roach (1927-1940).

on the other hand, along with THE DANCING MASTERS, this hangs together as a *comedy* and the Director thankfully does not bog them down as the naïve but lovable dummies who spend all their time helping the young lovers.

some genuine laughs are delivered...and this cannot be said of most of their post-Roach stuff in the '40s. some great opportunities are lost, as usual in this Fox effort, but the picture has the right look and the comedy flows, like the '43 flick mentioned above.

Ironic this became the last film Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy made in Hollywood-and for 20th Century-Fox-as it was a definite improvement to those other post-Hal Roach movies from the previous five years. No longer do they have to deal with gangsters or spies, certainly what a relief to no longer have to also support any romantic couples, that's for sure! No, Stan & Ollie are once again left to their own devices in dealing with a cruel world. They're detectives here in Mexico where they're attempting to snag a woman while someone else they earlier prosecuted has threatened to skin them alive if he sees them again! It's only because of a fast-talking go-between man named Hotshot Coleman (Richard Lane who has great chemistry with Stan & Ollie) that the boys mostly manage to avoid Richard K. Muldoon (Ralph Sanford). In this one, Stan plays both himself and a bullfighter named Don Sebastian. Also appearing were Carol Andrews-the woman L & H are looking for-who participates in perhaps one of the funniest sequences in the movie, a reprise of the boys' "egg battle" sequence they previously did with Lupe Velez in Hollywood Party, and Hispanic bombshell Diosa Costello who performs her sexy song-and-dance act here. She was previously a partner with one Desi Arnaz before he met Lucille Ball. One more supporting player worth mentioning is Edward Gargan who is active in another "tit for tat" sequence involving Hardy. I initially saw this movie 25 years ago on VHS and I enjoyed it then and still do now especially since the DVD version I just watched also had a fine commentary track by Scott MacGillivray, author of the book-"Laurel & Hardy: From the Forties Forward".

Mexico, Detectives Laurel and Hardy are on the trail of the evil Larceny Nell, but they get distracted by the usual assortment of Fox Studio gangsters. One of the gangsters notices Stan's remarkable resemblence to Don Sebastian, the great bullfighter. A lightbulb goes off in his head. Wackiness ensues.

Standard Laurel and Hardy film which is enjoyable from start to finish. There's plenty of slapstick; the egg smashing scene in the bar had me in stitches. Laurel & Hardy were visibly ageing but they still had the comic timing to pull it off. There's an energetic dance sequence by Diosa Costello and a pant splitting one.

Of all the six films Laurel and Hardy made for Fox Studios, THE BULLFIGHTERS is probably the second best of the lot and as such wasn't a bad way for the team to finish their last American film. Too bad they later decided to star in the rather dismal ATOLL K for a French studio.

For years, I assumed that all the films the team made post-Hal Roach Studios were bad. However, I recently finished watching all their RKO, MGM and Fox films and found them much more enjoyable than I'd anticipated. Now this isn't to say that they were great or nearly up to the quality standards of the Roach films--they weren't. But at least they were pleasant little films (aside from the dreadful THE BIG NOISE and perhaps THE DANCING MASTERS).

I think the reason why THE BULLFIGHTERS was such a watchable film is because the team had more say-so in the film and it was a bit more fun than the rather dull previous films (excepting JITTERBUGS). While a couple of the routines were unfortunately copies of fights from earlier films (such as BIG BUSINESS, TIT FOR TAT and Hollywood PARTY), the rest of the film was rather amusing. About the only let-up was towards the end when the whole film seemed to just degenerate into a riot. Fortunately, however, there was a bit more to the film and the final scene is really creepy--but also very creative and funny.

As I said before, not a great film but fortunately not one that was beneath them or embarrassing. Plus, unlike so many of these 40s films, there is no stupid sub-plot to get in the way--just lots of Laurel and Hardy. A pretty decent send-off from their American film career.

It's no big surprise to say that Laurel's & Hardy's movies for the Twentieth Century-Fox aren't their best. This movie only confirms that. "The Bullfighters" is a decent entertaining movie but it's lacking in anything refreshing or magical, like in all of the other earlier movies always was the case.

It's probably true that Laurel & Hardy should had stopped before the '40's. After that their humor became outdated, less original and it didn't come across as natural but seemed forced instead. It was like Laurel & Hardy were playing a parody of their old selves in that time period. It sounds perhaps a bit too harsh, also considering that their movie from that period were all still pretty entertaining to watch.

As a standalone movie, "The Bullfighters" is a pretty decent movie to watch but as a Laurel & Hardy movie, it's a pretty bad one by their standards. The case of mistaken identity in this movie has been handled far better in the past and it doesn't work out halve as hilarious as it could have. The movie is lacking in some good original and refreshing humor and hardly features any slapstick, just some good old tit for tat routines but that really is about all. The movie offers plenty of entertainment but it doesn't all come over as terribly clever or new.

The movie its very simple story also doesn't help. The movie also features many characters that hardly serve any purpose in the movie at all and only make the movie unnecessary confusing. The same goes for some needless plot lines, like the boys being two private detectives.

The movie does have its good moments and its amusing ending also makes up a lot, although it comes a bit too late to completely make- or save the movie entirely.

Too simple and not refreshing enough to really leave a lasting impression but entertaining enough to watch, nevertheless.

6/10

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I say "watchable" as if telling someone that when the dentist pulls their tooth, it'll only hurt a little while. Not a great recommendation for a film. This was it for the boys. Hollywood had essentially "forgotten" them and didn't appreciate their type of humor any more. This film is merely a stitched together series of some of the old gags used in their earlier shorts and features but without any direction or cause and effect. W. Scott Darling certainly was not a good choice at all for doing the writing considering his background in writing for the Sherlock Holmes series or the screenplay of "Ghost of Frankenstein". How did they figure that he would be adept at writing comedy for such a great team? It would be like John Huston writing something for Abbott & Costello immediately after he finished "The Maltese Falcon" or "Casablanca". NON SEQUITOR. Stan & Ollie really should have realized how much things had changed in Hollywood by the early forties and just quit while they were ahead with their "Saps At Sea" or "A Chump At Oxford", both from 1940. This film is only interesting from the viewpoint of watching what the "big studios" could do to a person's career. Sort of a "post mortem" effect.

It is very easy to understand Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy's appeal, with their such great comic timing and memorable contrasting and distinct personalities, and why they are so fondly remembered. The same goes with their chemistry, considered legendary and one of the best, and in their prime (mid/late-1920s to 1940) one can see there's a reason for that. Their best material, both verbal and particularly physically, was amusing to hilarious and their best films, short and feature, are perfect examples of how to do comedy.

Which is why it is sad that their filmography declined as drastically as it did in the post-Hal Roach period post-1940 (know that a few of the late 30s films were less than great but not to this extent). A period when Laurel and Hardy became underused, they and their material on the most part were tired, they were put in settings that they didn't gel in, the films seemed to forget what made Laurel and Hardy's prime period as great as it was, a lot of the verbal humour was dumb and trite, the supporting casts were variable and a few were too plot-heavy and the plots were far from great. For me though, while not a great film and far from prime Laurel and Hardy, 'The Bullfighters', most significant for being their final American film, is still one of their better post-Hal Roach efforts alongside 'Jitterbugs'.

Some of the second half is a bit hackneyed with a double subplot that feels forced at times, while the private detectives business doesn't serve as much point as ought, feeling like padding and making the story feel unfocused. The supporting cast are a bit hit and miss, with Ralph Sanford coming over as on the anaemic side as the villain, was expecting someone more formidable and with sharper comic timing.

The humour is also mixed, some of it is derivative of past material and not all of it feels very fresh.

However, Laurel and Hardy actually feel like leads here (not always the case with their later films). Both have more energy than in other films from this period and they are good fun and look like they're enjoying themselves more than most of their post-Hal Roach films. Their chemistry shines much more than it did in the previous 1940s films and they're in a setting and situation that they gel much better in and more like something you get in their late-1930s outings. The material they have here is also much better mostly, none of it classic but as far as this period goes the humour and writing, verbal and physical, are far less dumb and are actually funny and well timed. The fountain sequence is one of the best and funniest sequences of the duo's later films and the final gag is surprisingly creative.

Richard Lane is good fun in his role and the first half has zest and energy. Visually, 'The Bullfighters' is generally nicely made and looks professional in how it's shot, the editing not crude, while the direction is competent if not always the most inspired.

In summary, decent post-Hal Roach outing and, although far from classic Laurel and Hardy, one of the best from this declining period. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Bullfighters, The (1945)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Laurel and Hardy's final American film finds them playing detectives in Mexico looking for a woman. They end up with a seedy promoter (Richard Lane) who wants to pass Laurel off as a famous bullfighter. The boys have to go along with the plan so that the promoter doesn't turn them over to an man they wrongfully sent to prison years earlier. Going through L&H's final films at Fox, I think one could agree that they're not the best work from the boys but at the same time they're not nearly as horrible as their reputations would have you believe. This film here certainly isn't the greatest but there are enough laughs to make it worth viewing and the 61-minute running time goes by rather quickly. The best gag in the film happens early on when the boys are sitting next to a fountain and Laurel accidentally shoots Hardy with some water. Hardy, thinking it was a man sitting next to them, starts a water fight and this rather long sequence just keeps getting funnier and funnier as it goes along. What's so special about this scene isn't the water being thrown around but the facial expressions of Hardy as he keeps getting into a bigger mess. It's also priceless just seeing the look on Laurel's face as he sits back not understanding what's going on. The rest of the gags are hit and miss at best and this includes a misfire involving the boys and some eggs. The final gag inside the bullring isn't as funny as it could have been and the very final gag is a complete disaster and comes off rather embarrassing. With that said, there are enough laughs here so fans will certainly want to check it out but those new to the group will certainly want to try their earlier work first.

Stan and Ollie are private detectives, arriving in Mexico to apprehend a criminal named Blake. Meanwhile a famous Spanish Matador Don Sebastian is set to take part in a bullfighting contest and American sports promoter Richard K Muldoon looks forward to it, after hearing his associate Coleman shower praises of his skills. However, Don Sebastian looks like Stan and Muldoon has a grudge over the duo for wrongful imprisonment of him years ago. As he seeks revenge, how does the duo try to save themselves from him while circumstances leading to Stan pretending to be Sebastian forms rest of the story.

Considering this was the last American film for Laurel and Hardy, it has all the gags one expects out of them, be it mistaken identity to Stan in a double role to their rehashed bits. There isn't much to the story or to the supporting cast, relying entirely on the duo's comic timing. Despite the repetitiveness, they get much of the jokes to work especially starting with the taxi one followed by the water fountain which were definitely hilarious. Despite it's shortcomings, it is still worth a watch for the legends as even a generic stuff like this guarantees enough laughs.

The modus operandi of the iconic comedy duo is well established. Like contemporaries such as Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, or The Three Stooges, their films are flush with gags, physical comedy, situational humor, and witty dialogue. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy's own particular brand perhaps tends to be of a lighter variety, eliciting fewer hearty laughs, but in the very least they can be relied upon to keep us smiling with consistent entertainment. 'The bullfighters,' I think, counts among the latter sort, for while it boasts no few moments that are wonderfully funny, overall it's best described in softer terms like "amusing." Regardless, one can speak of it in any manner one wishes, and the basic fact remains that this is a really good time from beginning to end, and holds up well even decades later.

All those stunts and effects that are employed look terrific, not least at the climax that attains an extra degree of bombast. Between writer Scott Darling, director Malcolm St. Clair, and accordingly, further contributions from Laurel himself in both capacities, the picture stays fairly light on its feet and high in spirit to keep the proceedings aloft. Of course much of that can be attributed to the stars themselves, whose chemistry as partners is timeless, and whose cleverness and energy are all but infectious. The same can surely be said of their co-stars, too, who so ably embrace the silliness; at one point or another Richard Lane, Ralph Sanford, and Carol Andrews all especially stand out in that regard. That's hardly to count anyone else out, though, as from one to the next everyone here is splendid.

'The bullfighters' definitely benefits as well from all the resources at the disposal of 20th Century Fox, so we're treated to lovely, detailed sets, costume design, hair, and makeup on top of all else. Really, it's mostly pretty hard to go wrong with Laurel and Hardy; not all their movies are necessarily equal, but far more than not they are strongly enjoyable. I don't think this one title stands as tall as some of their others, but it's not because of any specific fault or shortcoming, only that it has a high standard to live up to and as a matter of personal preference it's less robust. Be that as it may, good comedy never grows old, and anyone who appreciates what the pair have to offer will like this just as well. Even if it's not their absolute best, 'The bullfighters' is still a worthy classic from a couple of legends, and is a fine way to spend a quick hour if one has the chance.

By 1945, it was clear that the film careers of Laurel and Hardy were winding down. Their second to last feature was "The Bullfighters", wherein they play detectives who go to Mexico to arrest a larcenist. As it happens, not only is Stan a dead ringer for a noted bullfighter, but a man whom the guys helped imprison is seeking revenge.

There are some funny scenes, but the movie isn't quite like their 1930s movies. On top of that, the casting of white people as Mexicans is politically incorrect. And of course, it's hard to enjoy the bullfighting scenes, knowing what a cruel sport it is. I always root for the bull. If the bullfighter gets injured...well, he knew the risks.

Anyway, it's OK, not great.

It may have been 1935 since the last Laurel and Hardy short film was released and the duo would continue for a another decade to make number of appearances in feature films until the 1945 release of The Bullfighters and should've signalled the end of an era for it was supposed to have been the last film Laurel and Hardy ever made together but less than a decade later, made another that was considered to be a box office near-miss.

Laurel and Hardy deliver some of the usual gags and slapstick together with no nonsense dialogues. However, it seems to be that they were long past their prime for most of these films around that era struggled to achieve success and hence, such ideas have simply dried up while some of the plots from The Bullfighters were clearly based on (or rehashed from) the classic short Going Bye Bye that featured Walter "Butch" Long. It's not all bad and not really the most impressive of the Laurel and Hardy films but should've signalled Going Bye Bye to Laurel and Hardy.