TCM's Laurel and Hardy Saturdays: Good and Bad News

[Hal Erickson]

Well, at long last TCM has upgraded its print of OUR RELATIONS. Looks like
one of the
prints that Hal Roach Studios prepared for theatrical release in the late
1980s, and it's not perfect, but certainly better than that crummy, grainy
Nostalgia Merchant version.

And that Lion's Gate print of BLOCK-HEADS is the best I've ever seen.

Now the bad news...TCM is still using the truncated version of SWISS MISS
prepared for "The Laurel and Hardy Show" back in 1985. It's hardly my
favorite film, but better to see the full 73 minute version--even with the
bad music--than the 65-minute abridgement (which admittedly isn't terrible,
just incomplete).

Hopefully TCM's PACK UP YOUR TROUBLES, scheduled for August, will be the
complete 68 minute version and not the "Laurel and Hardy Show"'s 65-minuter
(with fadeouts for commercial breaks, yet).

--Hal E

[m***@yahoo.com]

I'm glad they're showing them--and, they're arguably still better
prints than most people have ever seen on TV, but it just doesn't make
sense when I have better copies of these films sitting on my living
room shelf than a big cable network. Sheesh, somebody at TCM could
DOWNLOAD better copies off a torrent site!

Post by Hal Erickson
Well, at long last TCM has upgraded its print of OUR RELATIONS. Looks like
one of the
prints that Hal Roach Studios prepared for theatrical release in the late
1980s, and it's not perfect, but certainly better than that crummy, grainy
Nostalgia Merchant version.
And that Lion's Gate print of BLOCK-HEADS is the best I've ever seen.
Now the bad news...TCM is still using the truncated version of SWISS MISS
prepared for "The Laurel and Hardy Show" back in 1985. It's hardly my
favorite film, but better to see the full 73 minute version--even with the
bad music--than the 65-minute abridgement (which admittedly isn't terrible,
just incomplete).
Hopefully TCM's PACK UP YOUR TROUBLES, scheduled for August, will be the
complete 68 minute version and not the "Laurel and Hardy Show"'s 65-minuter
(with fadeouts for commercial breaks, yet).
--Hal E

[Ray Faiola]

My Blackhawk OUR RELATIONS is still the best-looking print I've seen
of the film; it was taken from MGM fine grain material. What I saw of
the TCM print looked pretty washed out.

The BLOCK-HEADS was outstanding except I wish to heck they would have
included the scored roaring lion logo. Fortunately it's on the
British DVD.