| The Flying Deuces | |
|---|---|
Film poster |
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| Directed by | A. Edward Sutherland |
| Produced by | Boris Morros |
| Written by | Ralph Spence Charley Rogers Fred Schiller Harry Langdon |
| Starring | Stan Laurel Oliver Hardy Jean Parker Reginald Gardiner |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
| Release date(s) | October 20, 1939 |
| Running time | 69 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Flying Deuces, also known as Flying Aces, is a 1939 comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy, in which the duo join the French Foreign Legion. It is a partial remake of their 1931 short film Beau Hunks.
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The boys are in Paris. Ollie proposes to the innkeeper's daughter Georgette, who is actually married to an officer, François. When she turns him down, Ollie decides to jump into the River Seine. He drags Stan along with him, and they discuss reincarnation:
The boys are saved from suicide in the nick of time when François changes their mind and recruits them into the French Foreign Legion.
They are sent to a fort in North Africa, where they disrupt drills, and are eventually sent to do laundry work. They accidentally throw wet underwear in the face of an officer and set a mountain of clothes on fire. They find that they are not army material (as one would guess) and they desert, after having sent an offensive letter to their commandant. They are imprisoned and sentenced to execution by firing squad.
The boys find a secret tunnel, but it caves in. They manage to escape in an aircraft, despite Stan's initial protests ("Good old terra cotta firma for me any time,") and a hilariously frantic take-off. The aircraft crashes, and Ollie is killed on impact. His soul waves goodbye to Stan as it floats up towards heaven.
At the very end, Stan, on a walk in the countryside back home, meets the re-incarnated Ollie, a moustachioed horse wearing a bowler hat. Stan hugs his friend, who says "Well, here is another nice mess you've gotten me into!"
Principal credited cast members (in order of on-screen credits) and roles:[1]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Stan Laurel | Stan |
| Oliver Hardy | Ollie |
| Jean Parker | Georgette |
| Reginald Gardiner | François |
| Charles B. Middleton | the Legion Commandant |
| Jean Del Val | Sergeant |
| Crane Whitley as Clem Wilenchick | Corporal |
| Jimmy Finlayson | Jailer |
| Michael Visaroff | The Innkeeper |
Charles B. Middleton reprises the Legion Commandant role he played in 1931's Beau Hunks, while Laurel and Hardy's frequent co-star James Finlayson also makes an appearance as a jailer.
The Flying Deuces was the first Laurel and Hardy film not to be produced by Hal Roach, although they had played supporting roles in MGM features previously. The film was made by independent producer Boris Morros, and released by RKO Radio Pictures after Roach agreed to 'loan out' his two stars. RKO bought the rights to a French picture, The Two Aces, but the remake was very different.
Director A. Edward Sutherland and Stan Laurel did not get on well together. Sutherland said he would rather eat a tarantula than work with Laurel again. Noted Cinematographers for The Flying Deuces are Elmer Dyer, and Art Lloyd.
At the beginning of the film, the innkeeper's daughter is seen looking at a framed photograph of Ollie. The same photograph can also be seen in the short film Our Wife (1931), where sight of it prompts the father of Ollie's fiance to forbid the wedding.
The Flying Deuces was shown in the reality show Age of Love. An unedited version of the film includes an escaped shark (a strange-looking model fin being pulled back and forth) in the river Stan and Ollie are planning on jumping into. The film is now in the public domain and good quality prints or transfers for commercial VHS or DVD release have been rare.
The successful production of a film away from Hal Roach Studios may have influenced the pair's decision to leave Roach the following year for a larger studio, 20th Century Fox. Considered a popular but lacklustre remake of Laurel and Hardy's four-reel comedy Beau Hunks, the only memorable scenes revolve around the aerial sequences. Screen veteran Frank Clarke was the stunt pilot who flew the aircraft in the film but the ground-based scenes were strictly RKO sound stage.[2]
During the film Oliver Hardy sings "Shine On, Harvest Moon" in a musical interlude which recalls "Lazy Moon" from Pardon Us.
The harp pastiche that Stan plays on the wires under his bed is "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise". Most of the audience at the time would have recognized that tune and understood the point that Stan and Ollie were waiting for the sunrise too.
In "The Impossible Astronaut", the first episode of series 6 of Doctor Who, Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) watch the movie on DVD. Rory sees the The Doctor (Matt Smith) appear in the film running towards the camera wearing his fez and waving, before returning to dance with Stan and Ollie.
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