March of Wooden Soldiers (1934)

I’ve been wanting to see this Laurel and Hardy “holiday” film for many years now but whenever I tried to check it out Netflix stated its status as Very Long Wait. Finally it arrived in the mail and I’ve had the pleasure of watching it. First observation: it’s not a holiday film. Why is it on my list of great classic holiday films? Because Santa Claus is in it for like ten minutes? This is a family film, also known as Babes in Toyland, that takes place in a land of fairy tales and Mother Goose characters. The main love story is between Tom Tom and Little Bo-Peep and the plot centers around saving the Old Woman Who Lived In A Shoe from being evicted with all her children. Stannie and Ollie bumble around to help out as side characters and propel this film into a watchable classic because of their comedic chemistry. The set pieces and costumes are also highly entertaining, such as a monkey dressed up as a mouse (animal cruelty?) and the freaky looking in a cute way Three Little Pigs. I still don’t think this should be considered a holiday film and most contemporary audiences will scoff at such an innocent fable but I’m glad I saw it. Grade: B+