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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable Oliver Hardy solo,
By Anyechka (Rensselaer, NY United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Laurel & Hardy: Zenobia [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Oliver Hardy rarely made any solo appearances after being teamed with Stan Laurel, so it's interesting to see the kind of performance he put forth as a solo star after he was famous. (In his pre-stardom days he usually played heavies and supporting roles, not really a star in his own right.) This story takes place in the small town of Carterville, Mississippi in 1870, and Hardy plays Dr. Henry Tibbitt. His daughter Mary is about to get married to Jeff Carter, but Jeff's mother really doesn't like the Tibbitts (largely because they're from different social classes), and tries at every step to discredit and humiliate them, both privately and publicly. Meanwhile Professor McCrackle (played by Harry Langdon) comes to town with his medicine show. His elephant Zenobia falls sick, and Dr. Tibbitt is sent for to find what's ailing her. It turns out to be nothing more than a knot in her tail, but Zenobia is so grateful she starts following him about everywhere. This really hurts and angers Professor McCrackle, who takes Dr. Tibbitt to court for alienation of affection, with his lawyer being paid for by Mrs. Carter. All of this winds up with some interesting twists and turns, and a really cute ending.
On its own this really isn't a great picture, but it is really fun, with a lot of funny moments and scenes. Ollie was funny enough, with enough great screen presence, to carry this film alone, proving that he was every bit as funny as Stan Laurel. It's been said that Stan is the hook that draws you in, but that Ollie is the one that makes you stay a fan longterm. Alone, his talents are quite obvious, and might make one pay more attention to him the next time one is watching one of his L&H films. It also seems fitting that he was playing a country doctor from a small Southern town, since he was from the South in real life, and always remained very proud of that fact (although he and his first wife left the South in protest and disgust after the infamous lynching of Leo Frank, and as far as we know Ollie never went back to the South after that). It was also nice to see him trying to explain race relations to the cute little boy, Zeke, who seems to be the son of the family cook (played by the great Hattie McDaniel), and how he gave him a quarter later on for memorising the Declaration of Independence and taking to heart its lessons about equality and happiness for all people. The real-life Hardy also had those beliefs, and never understood racial prejudice, so it's nice to see his character mirroring what he in real life might have articulated to a child trying to understand such a complex matter. I also enjoyed Harry Langdon's performance in this, and liked the chance to hear what his voice sounded like after only seeing his silent work. In this film he did not play the borderline disturbing man-child character he made famous in the Twenties, a character I didn't really warm up to in the films I've seen him in so far. It shows that he was a very talented underrated comedian who was more than capable of being funny when he was working with the right people and had great material.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
zenobia,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Laurel & Hardy: Zenobia [VHS] (VHS Tape)
video was what was promised! i was very happy with the vhs tape! thankyou! i would use this vendor again!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Zero_Funny!!!!!!,
By Ralph "Heyralphe" (Iowa) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Laurel & Hardy: Zenobia [VHS] (VHS Tape)
In My Opinion,Step'N Fetchit Stole The Show On This One.
Watching And Listening To Him,Cracked Me Up! Zeke Reciting The Declaration of Independence(Priceless)I Would Have Given Him More Than 25 Cents Thou,He Very Well Deserved It. Mary Singing A Song,Awesome-Blew Every One Away,Good For Her,You Go Girl!!! I Recommend This Movie And Rate It Excellent. To Work,To Work,To Work.
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