Directed by James W. Horne
Produced by Stan Laurel & Hal Roach
Written by Jack Jevne, Charley Rogers, Felix Adler & James Parrott
Starring Stan Laurel
Oliver Hardy
James Finlayson
Rosina Lawrence
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date April 16, 1937 (U.S.)
Running time 65 minutes
Language English
Way Out West is an old-fashioned film, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Like many comedies made in the 1930s it has dated a lot, yet even compared to its contemporaries it feels old-fashioned. Even though it was made in 1937 and is a talkie (only Chaplin was still making silent movies at this time) it feels almost like a silent film, probably because there are so many cut shots to either James Finlayson or Oliver Hardy doing a take and mugging for the camera. This of course was something that was common in the silent era but it is something that becameoutdated as the 30s wore on. You’d rarely see Groucho Marx mugging silently at the camera after some minor tragedy had been bestowed upon him. (If the camera ever cut to Groucho he’d make sure he had a quip.) I don’t mean this as a criticism, just as an observation.
Having said that Way Out West is enjoyable if only because the two main stars of the film. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are so likable and work so well together that you have to laugh at their antics. They were both veterans of the cinema at this time and had worked together for over a decade. Here their great chemistry is on show in the skits, while their song Ballad Of A Lonesome Pine is a treat. You still have this feeling that this is all very old-fashioned, but in a good way. There is also a great chemistry that the boys have with their co-star James Finlayson, although I did think he spent too much time mugging for the camera. The movie is kind of short, at only 65 minutes long, so it never overstays its welcome either and is a good introduction for anyone who wants to watch the films of Laurel & Hardy.
Related Articles
- In the soup (brainygamer.com)
- Turner Classic Movies and UCLA Film and Television Archive Team Up for 24-Hour Programming Marathon Sept. 20 (tvbythenumbers.com)
- Nevin’s Notes: 02/08/2010 (independent.co.uk)
- 5 reviews of Spanky (rateitall.com)
- Gervais touts upcoming dwarf sitcom as ‘pure funny’ (ctv.ca)
- Famous and Celebrity Birthdays for June 16, 2010 (blippitt.com)
- 8 reviews of George “Spanky” McFarland (rateitall.com)
- The Empire Strikes Back, Reworked Into A Silent Movie (wired.com)
- Clip joint: horses (guardian.co.uk)
- Council makes ‘fine mess’ getting Stan Laurel birthplace wrong (telegraph.co.uk)
- Who Stole the Jam? (1938) (songbook1.wordpress.com)
- Comedy of errors over Stan Laurel’s birthplace (bbc.co.uk)
- Bowler hat makes a comeback (telegraph.co.uk)
- The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (songbook1.wordpress.com)
- Bowler hats are making a fashion comeback in UK (newslite.tv)
- History of the Bowler Hat (telegraph.co.uk)
- “Agony Aunt, Claire Rayner, RIP” and related posts (hecklerspray.com)
- ‘Groucho’ record attempt at football game (upi.com)
- Is This What a Surge Looks Like? (reason.com)
