If you are a Laurel and Hardy devotee it’s probably old news that the second volume of beautifully restored shorts has been released on Blu-ray and DVD by Flicker Alley. Covering the year 1928, the second year of their official partnership, this two-disc set features such silent-comedy classics as THE FINISHING TOUCH, SHOULD MARRIED MEN GO HOME? and TWO TARS. The bonus features are worth the price of admission, especially the fact-filled commentary tracks by Randy Skretvedt and Richard W. Bann. Dick can even tell you the current address of a house seen in the background of THE FINISHING TOUCH!
But wait—there’s more. Kit Parker has scoured the globe—literally—to present a two-disc DVD/Blu-ray set called CHARLEY CHASE AT HAL ROACH: THE LATE SILENTS 1927. Most of the 35mm negatives for these two-reelers no longer exist so we have to make do with the best 16mm copies that survive. Most of them are quite good, although a handful require forbearance on the part of the viewer. Charley is at his best in such shorts as FLUTTERING HEARTS, A ONE-MAMA MAN, and THE LIGHTER THAT FAILED. Oliver Hardy turns up in supporting roles and Charley’s leading ladies include Jean Arthur, Anita Garvin and a startlingly young Lupe Velez. Dr. Andrew Simpson provides lively and entertaining piano accompaniment. Among the “extras” are a famous sequence from the Max Davidson short CALL OF THE CUCKOO featuring an extended cameo appearance by James Finlayson, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, with their heads still shaven from making the prison comedy THE SECOND HUNDRED YEARS. If you choose to, you can listen to commentary tracks on all of the shorts by Richard M. Roberts.
And that’s not all! David Kawas at ClassicFlix has worked his restoration magic on a handful of Our Gang comedies from the 1920s for a disc called THE LITTLE RASCALS: THE RESTORED SILENTS, VOLUME 1. It is available for pre-order now on Amazon.com (due January 21) and I will discuss it at further length when it’s officially released…but suffice it to say that this is cause for celebration.