Way Out West (1937)

Way Out West (1937) is one of Laurel and Hardy's most beloved and celebrated films, and there's good reason for that: it's one of their best, and is their greatest feature after Sons of the Desert (1933). It's not just one of their funniest films but one of their liveliest and most energetic, and is a highlight not just of their filmography but of '30's comedy in general.

The plot involves Laurel and Hardy going to an Old West town to deliver the deed to a gold mine to a young woman (Rosina Lawrence) who's the daughter of a deceased friend. Since they've never seen her before, the shifty saloon owner (James Finlayson) who serves as her guardian has his saloon performer wife (Sharon Lynn) pretend to be her so they can get the deed. When Laurel and Hardy are unable to recover the deed after realizing their mistake, they decide to sneak back into his house at night in order to recover it.

The film features some of the best and most memorable scenes in any of Laurel and Hardy's films. The scene of Stan and Ollie dancing while the Avalon Boys sing "At the Ball, That's All" is one of the most beloved in their oeuvre, and indeed it is a delight: it's both charming and funny, and they perform their dance with a lot of grace. Another highlight is a parody of the hitchhiking scene in It Happened One Night (1934), with Stan Laurel causing a stagecoach to screech to a halt by baring his leg. There are also echoes of their short "Scram!" (1932), with the local sheriff warning Laurel and Hardy to take the the next stagecoach out of the town after they annoy his wife. It also features some of Stan Laurel's trademark tongue-tied and non-sequitur quotes. When, posing as the young woman, Lynn asks if "her" father is dead, he replies, "Well, we hope he is. They buried him." This line to her is probably the best in the film: "Now that you've got the mine I bet you'll be a swell gold digger."

The film benefits greatly from having frequent Laurel and Hardy supporting player James Finlayson play the villain. He played the irate homeowner in their great silent short "Big Business" (1929), and added something special to their films. The way he portrays shock and outrage is absolutely hilarious- first a surprised double take, then an angry narrowing of the eyes. Oliver Hardy's reactions to Stan Laurel's behavior is also hilarious, like his exasperation when he uses a piece of meat that's "as tough as shoe leather" to patch up a hole in his shoe.

There's a vein of zany, madcap humor in this film that was largely absent in most Laurel and Hardy's previous films, and which was taken even farther in Swiss Miss (1938) and Block-Heads (1938). When Laurel and Hardy sing "Trail of the Lonesome Pine" Stan's voice suddenly drops into a deep bass, and when Hardy hits him on the head with a mallet it ascends into a high-pitched, feminine falsetto. There are also cartoon-like gags that stretch the laws of reality, like Stan Laurel lighting his thumb like a match, and Oliver Hardy's neck stretching like rubber when Stan tries to pull his head out of a trapdoor. There's also a scene where Finlayson plays a piano when Laurel and Hardy hide in it, which is more like something out of a Warner Bros. cartoon than a typical '30's comedy.

The most memorable of these gags is the routine that occurs when Hardy reminds Laurel of his promise to eat his hat if they couldn't get the deed back. Laurel is reluctant to at first, but soon finds that the likes it, and decides to put on a napkin and sprinkle salt on it. Hardy then snatches his hat back, and when he takes a bite he spits it out in disgust.