FLYING DEUCES

FLYING DEUCES (1939). Director: A. Edward Sutherland.

Ollie proposes to French waitress Georgette (Jean Parker), unaware that she already has a husband, Francois (Reginald Gardiner). Broken-hearted, he decides to commit suicide, and Stan -- who'd be lost without him -- has to take the plunge into the Seine (where a shark is somehow on the loose) with him. But they wind up in the foreign legion instead, where they have to deal with a jealous Francois and a stern commandant (Charles Middleton, better-known as Ming the Merciless). Not a classic by any means, but this does have many amusing moments, especially the mountain of laundry! Stan makes like Harpo Marx and plays the bed springs of a mattress like a harp at one point. Amusing wind-up.

Verdict: Mostly for L & H enthusiasts; all others beware. **1/2.