The Flying Deuces

"They dish out the dizziest rib-ride of the year!"

1939 1h 9m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 185

ComedyWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Ollie falls in love with a woman. When he discovers she's already married, he unsuccessfully attempts suicide but he and Stan then decide to join the Foreign Legion to get away from their troubles. When they’re arrested for soon trying to desert the Legion—they escape a firing squad by stealing an aircraft.

“They dish out the dizziest rib-ride of the year!”

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Cast

Stan Laurel
Stan
Oliver Hardy
Ollie
Jean Parker
Georgette
Reginald Gardiner
Francois
Charles Middleton
Commandant
Jean Del Val
Sergeant
Crane Whitley
Corporal
James Finlayson
Jailor

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: A. Edward Sutherland
Writers: Ralph Spence, Charley Rogers, Fred Schiller
Languages: English, Italian
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 69-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

87 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Italian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by A. Edward Sutherland, shot by Art Lloyd. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by John Leipold. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jack Dennis shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy and Jean Parker carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They dish out the dizziest rib-ride of the year!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

A. Edward Sutherland directs. Art Lloyd behind the camera. John Leipold scores. Jack Dennis cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 69-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
287 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Italian.
4Directed by A. Edward Sutherland, shot by Art Lloyd. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by John Leipold. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Jack Dennis shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy and Jean Parker carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "They dish out the dizziest rib-ride of the year!".
9IMDB entry: tt0031322 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "paris, france", "escape", "suicide attempt", "desertion".
11Released under 30 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Art Lloyd
Original score: John Leipold
Editing: Jack Dennis
Makeup / hair: Mel Berns
Runtime: 69 min · 1h 9m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Flying Deuces (1939)

Also by

A. Edward Sutherland

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Community reviews

What people are saying

r96sk2020-09-05
★ 6/10
A few chuckles and it flies by, can't say I massively enjoyed it though. <em>'The Flying Deuces'</em> features the talents of iconic duo Laurel and Hardy. Despite knowing of them for as long as I can remember, I can't say I've seen much - if anything - of them before this. I look forward to seeing more in the future, but hopefully they're a tad better than this. This is solid enough, as I said I did feel amused at a few moments. A more interesting plot would've peaked my interest more, as would less of the overly obvious comedy. Very meh, for me.
CinemaSerf2022-06-22
★ 7/10
I'd have to say that this is one of my favourite outings for Stan and Ollie - but like most of the slapstick comedy of the 30s, it has not aged at all well. Ollie has fallen for a young French woman, but she has eyes on a refined, posh, Captain and so he is rejected! In the depths of despair, he considers (joint) suicide in the Seine (inhabited by a deadly killer shark) before alighting on a cunning plan to join the Foreign Legion, thereby assured of certain death.... well, hmmm - not quite: instead they end up in charge of the largest mountain of laundry since the Ark landed on Mount Ararat after 40 days of rain - and, for a mere 3 cents per day. Of course, chaos ensues and when he bumps into his long lost love again, that just makes matters worse... The bond between the stars, and their wonderful affinity with each other is great to see; but the jokes are all very tame and the inclusion of "Shine on Harvey Moon" though really quite accomplished, has no obvious place in the narrative... It is simple, harmless fun that ought to be seen.