Laurel & Hardy were built for comedy shorts. Literally, with big assists from producer Hal Roach & writer/director Leo McCarey starting in late ‘20s silents. Keeping at it thru the transition to sound, then moving up to features in the mid-‘30s. ‘Up’ being a relative term since the feature length films miss the consistent hilarity of the best shorts. Even so, Stan & Ollie make such good company, they just about all give off an enjoyable vibe. BULLFIGHTERS, if not the least of their Hollywood features, comes close. (It's certainly the last.*) Yet still lands a reasonable bit of pleasing silliness. Investigators on the hunt in Mexico City, Stan’s uncommon likeness to a local bullfighter gets them into just enough trouble to run out the hour. With smiles instead of belly laughs, and a few choice crying jags for Stan, it keeps the spirits up before a wicked sick final visual gag under director Mal St Clair, a gag-man all the way back to Mack Sennett days. Viewed with limited expectations, it’s makes for an okay sendoff.
DOUBLE-BILL: *The final entry in a series of films made for 20th/Fox (1941-‘45), the boys returned to the screen six years later, looking much the worse for wear, going overseas to make UTOPIA/’51 (not seen here). A better bet might be their final film for Hal Roach, SAPS AT SEA/’40, under an hour and close in spirit to the old shorts.
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