March of the Wooden Soldiers

Also known as "Babes in Toyland", "March of the Wooden Soldiers" (1934) takes you to Mother Goose's hometown where the inhabitants include the Three Little Pigs, Little Bo Peep, Jack Horner, The Queen of Hearts and other characters from beloved stories and poems for children. Starring Laurel and Hardy as Stannie and Ollie Dum, the fanciful froth of a plot revolves around the villainy of Silas Barnaby, wealthy landowner. In addition to contriving to marry the virtuous Miss Bo, he's looking to evict the famous comedy duo from the shoe-house they share with Bo Peep's mother and numerous siblings. His treachery involves framing Bo's true love, Tom Tom The Piper's Son, for pignapping, which takes all the main characters to the dreaded Bogeyland.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy thrilled 20th century audiences with their slapstick comedy. Englishman Laurel, tall and slim, played the child-like innocent, while American Hardy, dark-haired and round, acted the practical straight man. The pair starred in more than 100 films starting with "The Lucky Dog" (1921) and ending with the European production "Atoll K" (1951). It is said that off-camera, each actor's personality was quite unlike his onscreen persona, with Hardy the more easy-going of the pair and Laurel as the sharp-edged creative force.