Customer Reviews

Saps at Sea - Laurel & Hardy [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although "Saps at Sea" is not Stan & Ollie's best work for Hal Roach, it's decidedly better than the big studio work that was yet to come in the 40's. Their contracts about to expire, they turned out one more effort that's a throwback formula to such L&H classics as "Blockheads" or "Our Relations".
Beginning with Ollie suffering a nervous breakdown as a tester at a horn factory (a good place to have one), the boys waste no time in victimizing themselves. Given doctor's orders to "get some fresh sea air and quiet", the boys rent a boat but keep it tied to the dock (as Ollie doesn't care for open waters). The story takes a turn when a harsh criminal (Richard Cramer) hides out on board from the police. Soon, Stan's pet goat predictably chews away at the dock rope, and the boys are set adrift to deal (in their own ineptitude) with the killer.
SAS has several wonderful moments, which Laurel himself termed "white magic": Stan managing to get on Ollie's already-frayed nerves by making the loudest noises; a mixed-up maintenance guy turning the apartment building upside-down with refrigerators that play music, radios that freeze over, faucets which dispense water from other fixtures, etc.; the boys planning to poison the killer with a "synthetic meal", only to be forced to eat the rancid concoction themselves; and Ollie going berserk every time Stan plays his horn (which comes in handy with fighting the killer, and not-so-handy with a policeman).
It's a film guaranteed to bring at least a chuckle to any viewer, and a worthy swan song from their home studio.

Always one of my favorite Stan&Ollie Films, this one will make you laugh like crazy.
The hornfactory is funny and Ollie's "recovery" from his nervous breakdown in Bed that turns out to be a disaster is funny beyond belief.
But what really tops these performances is the scene where Stan has to eat the meal he made himself out of some unsavory objects (yes, objects. Such as a sponge)...without muttering a single word he get's his feelings across to the camera like a master of comedy. It is priceless.
I grew up watching Laurel&Hardy in germany (i am 38 years old) and i am glad to see that they are still cherished by people.
In Germany Laurel and Hardy are known as "Dick und doof", which translated means "fat (ollie) and stupid(stan)". I guess they get right to the point.
Laurel and Hardy are still going strong!!!

I love this one. All of these sets are great, but this one is my favorite! A close second is: Sons of the Desert.

Laurel & Hardy are working at a horn factory (alongside Ben Turpin!) when the honking of horns drives Ollie to a nervous breakdown. A doctor (James Finlayson) orders him to take a nice peaceful sea voyage, but poor Ollie cannot stand the ocean. The boys settle for renting a leaky boat safely tied up in the harbor. However, an escaped killer (Dick Cramer) comes aboard and sets the boat adrift. Now, if Stan can just play his trombone long enough to drive Hardy into a rage sufficient to take out the killer, everything will be just fine.

The first half of "Saps at Sea," set in the horn factor, is the better half of this 1940 film directed by Gordon Douglas, even though it is obviously "inspired" by Chaplin's "Modern Times." The second half, set on the boat adrift, is simply not as funny. Call the first half a 5, the second half a 3, and split the difference for a 4. However, "Saps at Sea" does have the distinction of being the last time the boys acted with James Finlayson, their best comic foil.

Though "Saps at Sea" (1940) looks like a pair of three-reel comedies stuck together, the result is undiluted Laurel and Hardy. This streamlined feature marked Stan and Ollie's last production for Hal Roach, with The Boys making the most out of thin material. Memorable appearances by Jimmy Finlayson, Rychard Cramer and Ben Turpin add to the fun. No classic, but far superior to the team's dispiriting post-Roach efforts.

Laurel and Hardy work in a horn factory testing horns. When Ollie can't stand the sound of another horn and goes mad every time he hears one, his doctor recommends a relaxing vacation at sea and goat milk. Since Ollie don't like the sea, Stan gives him the idea to keep the boat tied to the dock. When a crook slips on the boat, and the goat chews the rope that keeps the boat tied to the dock is when the fun begins! The horn the Stan brings along comes handy! If you like Laurel and Hardy, you'll like this one.

For fans of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, SAPS AT SEA is a bittersweet experience.

Scripted in part by Harry Langdon, it's a fine movie packed with such familiar sight gags as a car engine falling into the street, apartments with crossed up plumbing and a fridge that plays music vesus a radio covered in permafrost. (Let's not forget the ever-popular exploding balloon and/or kitchen gag.)

Sadly, any laughs here are tempered by knowledge that after years of conflict, Stan and producer Hal Roach parted on less-than-friendly terms when this film was completed. The boys soldiered on for other studios, turning out mediocrities in comparison to their Roach films.

This is also L&H's last screen appearance with the marvelous Jimmy Finlayson. Alas.

Like it or not, all great things end. SAPS AT SEA is just another reminder of that truism, and it's why our smiles are an amalgam of joy and sorrow.


Related item:
The classic A CHUMP AT OXFORD (1939) is Laurel & Hardy's penultimate Roach Studios work.


Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 viewer poll rating found at a film resource website.

(6.9) Saps at Sea (1940) - Stan Laurel/Oliver Hardy (uncredited: James Finlayson/Ben Turpin/Patsy Moran/Richard Cramer)

Among their funnier feature films.The sad thing about this film is,it was the very last film the boys did for Hal Roach.
Saps At Sea is one of the most popular L&H films.I've seen it on TV many times.Richard Cramer is most memorable as Nick Ranger.With his silly pet names for Stan and Ollie"Dizzy and Dopie".Definetly one of my favourite Stan and Ollie films.The mixed up plumber is actor Ben Turpin,who was a film comedian in the silent movie era.Incidentally he was also a rival of Charlie Chaplin.

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Saps At Sea could really be called two short L&H films put togather to make a feature. The first half is much better, but the
second half has more than its share of laughs.
The boys work in a horn factory. Ollie is going crazy (he never did have all that far to go anyway) from all the horns. And if he
can survive Stan trying to take care of him, he might even recover. The doctor suggests a nice quiet boat trip for Ollie.
But once on the boat they find theirselves at the mercy of an escaped convict. Or is it the other way around?