Lost Films of Laurel and Hardy: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1 [DVD]

Volume One of "The Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy" offers four misadventures of the boys from the late 1920s: "Big Business" (1929, 21 min.) has Laurel & Hardy as Christmas tree salesmen in July and is far and away the best offering on this DVD. James Finlayson becomes the test of their salesmanship and the battle is not over until his home and their business are totally destroyed. I like Tiny Sandord as the policeman who watches everthing while making copious notes, waiting for a reason to become involved, at which point Stan takes apart a piano with an axe. A comedy classic of the first rank. "Do Detectives Think?" (1927, 24 min.) has the distinction of being the first film to present Laurel & Hardy as the team we come to love. Convicted murderer Noah Young escapes from prison and vows vengeance on the judge (James Finlayson) who sentenced him. The boys are inept employees of a private detective agency assigned to guard the judge. Young goes after the judge with giant knives and swords, but the boys keep getting in his way. Even though they give up protecting their client, they do end up catching the convict by a fluke. "Call of the Cuckoo" (1927, 18 min.) merely features Laurel & Hardy as guest stars, their heads shaved because they were playing convicts in "The Second Hundred Years" being filmed at the same time. The star here is Max Davidson who moves into his new house only to discover every thing falls apart (including his bathtub). The boys do some sort of William Tell act. "The Finishing Touch" (1928, 21 min.), has Laurel & Hardy as contractors for agree to build a house in a day for an impatient homeowner while harassed by cop Edgar Kennedy. The best sequence has Oliver continually swallowing mouthfuls of nails. The only real problem with this two reeler is that there isn't a really satisfactory climax to it all. Also includes are a pair of Stan Laural solo shorts, "On the Front Page" (1926, 23 min.) and "Hustling for Health" (1918, 15 min.)
Laurel and Hardy - The Collection (21-disc Box Set)