Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy wreak havoc on the French Foreign Legion in this film. As in most of their films, they played themselves (in some with very funny derivatives of their first or last names). Stan and Ollie had been a team for a dozen years when they made "Flying Deuces." Their best full length films were those produced in their first 13 years as a team at Hal Roach studios. Most viewers wouldn't consider this among their best films, but it is very good. What struck me most about this movie though is that the pair are both clueless throughout most of the film. It's a departure from the usual plot in which Ollie knows at least something about whatever they are encountering, and Stan is the dunce. But here we see a naiveté by both men. They've heard of the Foreign Legion but apparently lack even the least bit of sense about what military service is about. It's a wonderful set up for what happens from then on. Lots of fun, for sure. It's safe to say that neither of them were cut out for any type of military. As I've watched Laurel and Hardy over the years, I've come to appreciate more Oliver Hardy and his role as the straight-man, at least some of the time. This sure turned out to be a winning match that Hal Roach put together in 1927. I was amazed to find how long Hardy had been on the scene and how many productions he had been made. Granted, most were shorts his first 10 years. But, he turned out a phenomenal number. He was in more than 270 shorts and half a dozen films from 1914 until he teamed up with Stan Laurel. He made 145 of those over three years, with 39 in 1914, 47 in 1915 and 59 in 1916. Stand Laurel's career had been much shorter. He started in 1917 and was in 54 shorts before teaming up with Hardy. The better of their films will make modern audiences laugh just as audiences did back in their day.

Have loved this movie since I was a kid. Many situational comedy bits as L&H were used to from the silent days. There is a lot of slapstick involved in this movie but when it was filmed sound was now involved which sometimes made it more fun. Have the movie both on DVD and 8mm film and is still funny on both formats. Was the first L&H film I ever watched and stands up as one of the best early comedies on B&W film. Not their finest but definitely worth watching and a great example of early comedy films.Am a film collector and have been wanting to watch this film from film since I was a kid, thankfully the film community provided me with an 8mm copy of the film with sound complete. Wonderful to watch on the big screen. It's worth watching and showing to the younger generations so they don't think Jim Carry is a comedy icon.

Something of a dis-appointment for me...though I have seen this one before in years gone by...it was not one of my favorites, and is probably most memorable for the scene where the guys are going to end it all in Paris under the bridge. At this stage of the game, the novelty of Laurel and Hardy was beginning to wear thin. Newer stars, fresher stories, newer techniques and, obviously, a new mind-set for audiences of that period had begun to make their efforts somewhat passé in the passing parade of comedy in particular, and film in general. Of course, the legendary status of Laurel and Hardy commanded a certain respect from Hollywood and the audiences, but it is clear from this film that their star was beginning to fade. Their real heyday was already behind them, even here in 1939. The RKO effort truly seems to be out of the typical element of L and H as opposed to their Hal Roach efforts...maybe that was intended...but the effect is that of a somewhat watered down effort that does not come up to par with some of the madcap/screwball comedies that had become part of the cinematic diet of the 1930s, and L and H are scrambling to keep from being left in the dust. Ultimately it fails, and though L and H continued to be something of a salable commodity in their 20th Century Fox efforts to come...the magic was fast dis-appearing. This film, "Flying Deuces" and the up-coming "A Chump at Oxford" would be, perhaps, their last hurrah at cornering the creative market for cinema. Afterwards ( pardon the pun) , they would rest and rely on their "Laurels". Incidentally, Stanley was a Rhodes scholar, and was the "brains" of the outfit, despite his impish, submissive character which played second fiddle to the more robust My Hardy. Though this is NOT one of their better efforts, I can recommend it as a nod of respect to a great duo who were probably becoming passé through no real fault of their own...physical comedy and gags of that sort had run their course, and were simply becoming passé as audiences became more sophisticated.

THE FLYING DEUCES (RKO Radio, 1939), directed by A. Edward Sutherland, stars the comedy team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in their first feature film away from their home lot of the Hal Roach/MGM Studios. It also marked their return to the screen since BLOCKHEADS (1938), during which time Oliver Hardy had teamed up with another comic, Harry Langdon in ZENOBIA (United Artists, 1939). While it's interesting watching Hardy interact with another comedian other than Stanley (who never worked alone after being initially teamed with Hardy in the late 1920s), it clearly shows that Laurel and Hardy are the screen's most perfect pair. With this being their welcoming return, and more feature films ahead into the 1940s, THE FLYING DEUCES has the distinction of being a Hal Roach comedy without being a Hal Roach comedy. It also marked the team's return into the foreign legion, having already done so in their four-reel featurette, BEAU HUNKS (1931), a "Beau Geste" spoof. Aside from their usual antics, there's also James Finlayson, their frequent foil, doing his familiar double-take as a harassed jailer in the latter portion of the story, and Charles Middleton (of BEAU HUNKS) adding some more of his usual no-nonsense flavor as their commanding officer.This time around, Stan and Ollie (as they are simply billed in the closing credits), are Americans from Iowa vacationing in Paris. On their last days before returning to their jobs at the fish market, it is learned that Oliver has fallen in love with Georgette (Jean Parker), a café hostess whom he hopes to marry. Refusing his proposal, Ollie decides to end it all by attaching himself to a huge rock, throwing himself into the Seine River (unknown to them to be infested by a shark), and taking Stanley with him. After some failed attempts, thanks to Stanley, Francois (Reginald Gardiner), a legionnaire who happens to be passing by, advises Ollie the best way to forget his troubles is to join the foreign legion, which they do. All goes well until Stan and Ollie learn from their stern commandant (Charles Middleton) that they'll be paid "three cents a day" for their chores, and that Georgette, who's seen around the base, happens to be the wife of Francois. Will Oliver try more suicide attempts? Will Stan and Ollie move up to the ranks in the foreign legion? Will they ever return to their old jobs in Iowa? Stick around and find out.What's does all this have to do with the flying deuces? Although the title promises air travel, it really doesn't take off until much later where Stan and Ollie escape jail and a firing squad, leading to a merry chase around the base before seeking refuge inside an airplane that takes them to the air but not with the greatest of ease.In true Laurel and Hardy tradition, slapstick and chase scenes are the focal point along with Oliver telling Stanley the familiar phrase, "Well, here's another fine mess you've gotten me into." There's also a nice musical interlude where Oliver displays his fine vocalization to "Shine On, Harvest Moon" (by Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth) at the post courtyard while Stanley does his own style of dancing. There's also another musical moment where Stanley plays a harp on a prison bed spring to "The World is Waiting for the Sunrise" in the best Harpo Marx tradition while waiting to be shot at sunrise with his pal for desertion.In the wake of home video, movie rentals and cable television in the early 1980s, THE FLYING DEUCES, was easily accessible by numerous distributors. Some VHS copies contained shorter prints with missing bits from airplane climax, others with inferior picture, sound quality, or both, as well as colorized. Beware of similar problems that may be found on DVD. The best quality happened to be one by Hal Roach Home Video with excellent visuals, sound, and the original RKO Radio Pictures studio logo and closing cast credits restored. In recent years, American Movie Classics has presented the complete 68 minute print into its lineup of Laurel and Hardy festivals from 1994 to 1999; followed by Turner Classic Movies where THE FLYING DEUCES premiered January 5, 2006.While not quite as spectacular or hilarious as some of their comedies for Hal Roach, yet better than the ones Stan and Ollie made during their declining years over at 20th Century-Fox (1941-1945), THE FLYING DEUCES is something to consider whether it be from the wild airplane ride, the cameo appearance by talking horse with a familiar sounding voice, or for the comedy team of Stan and Ollie. (***)