Berth Marks

source: Berth Marks

Laurel and Hardy play musicians who need to board a train as they are on tour for a so- called big vaudeville act. After losing all of their music and one instrument, Stan and Ollie attempt to settle in their overnight sleeping compartment. They don't achieve this without causing the other passengers to tear each other's clothing first. I found "Berth Marks" to be disappointing. There weren't enough gags and the story wasn't as interesting as it could have been. However, such disappointments from Laurel and Hardy's best period are few and far between.

. . . from Toledo to the East Coast in order to run the Boston Marathon. Unlike Rosie Ruiz, who rode the Green Line DURING the Big Race in which she temporarily was crowned with the winner's laurel wreath, my guy did NOT use the rails to cheat. However, he told me that he did not do as well in Beantown that week as he later did the time he rode across Canada with a drunken semi-truck driver who picked him up as a stay-awake aid as he hitchhiked in Sault Ste. Marie, because it's impossible to get comfortable on a moving train. BERTH MARKS confirms my man's experience, as Stan and Ollie are reduced to tears by their railroading experience. It's a good thing that they don't have to run the Boston Marathon the next day!

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were comedic geniuses, individually and together, and their partnership was deservedly iconic and one of the best there was. They left behind a large body of work, a vast majority of it being entertaining to classic comedy, at their best they were hilarious and their best efforts were great examples of how to do comedy without being juvenile or distasteful. Although a vast majority of Laurel and Hardy's previous efforts ranged from above average to very good ('45 Minutes from Hollywood' being the only misfire and mainly worth seeing as a curiosity piece and for historical interest, and even that wasn't a complete mess), 'Two Tars' for me was their first truly classic one with close to flawless execution. Didn't find 'Berth Marks' as one of their best and a bit disappointing compared to their late 1928 and previous 1929 efforts, which were among their best and funniest early work. It is still very good and has much of what makes Laurel and Hardy's work as appealing as it is. It may not be "new" material as such and the first part takes a little bit too time to get going and is a little formulaic. When 'Berth Marks' does get going, which it does do quite quickly, it is great fun, not always hilarious but never less than very amusing, the getting into bed routine though is classic Laurel and Hardy. It is never too silly, a wackiness that never loses its energy and the sly wit emerges here, some of the material may not be new but how it's executed actually doesn't feel too familiar and it doesn't get repetitive. Laurel and Hardy are on top form here, both are well used, both have material worthy of them and they're equal rather than one being funnier than the other (before Laurel tended to be funnier and more interesting than Hardy, who tended to be underused). Their chemistry feels like a partnership here too, before 'Two Tars' you were yearning for more scenes with them together but in 'Berth Marks' we are far from robbed of that. Their comic timing is impeccable. 'Berth Marks' looks good visually, is full of energy and the direction gets the best out of the stars, is at ease with the material and doesn't let it get too busy or static. The supporting players are solid. Overall, very good. Not essential or classic Laurel and Hardy, but a very good representation of them. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Berth Marks (1929) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Laurel and Hardy are a vaudeville team who are trying to catch a train so that they can reach their next gig. They barely catch the train but once on there they run into one problem after another with the biggest being trying to get up in their bed so that they can sleep. BERTH MARKS was the duo's first sound film, although it was also shown in a silent version in theaters that hadn't yet upgraded their systems. For the most part this is a mildly amusing comedy but at the same time there's no question that it falls well short of classic Laurel and Hardy films. The biggest problem is the fact that there's really not too many laughs and the one joke pretty much takes up the majority of the running time. This joke has the boys trying to get into their bed but constantly failing for one reason or another. This here just isn't funny enough to warrant it taking up most of the running time.

Call me crazy ("Hey, crazy!") but I never enjoyed silent era films. I tried, oh I tried, but each time an actor's mouth moved there was nothing but an awkward silence. Then after what seemed too lengthy of a wait, a placard flashed on the TV screen, reflecting what the actor had just said moments before. I found this to be very distracting, plus it slowed down the natural comedic timing. This lapse between action and dialog, for me, was like watching an entire movie subtitled, and I couldn't square the two up. That being said, I didn't watch any of the short and feature length "TV reruns" unless they were "talkies." As a kid who was fortunate enough to have a tiny black and white TV set in my bedroom, every Saturday morning before my parents or the Sun were up, I was thoroughly mesmerized by the vaudevillian, overtly physical humor of Buster Keaton, Our Gang (The Little Rascals), The Three Stooges, and of course, Laurel & Hardy. The first Our Gang (The Little Rascals) talkie was "Small Talk" released in 1929. Buster Keaton's first talkie was "Free and Easy," released in 1930. The Three Stooges (Larry, Moe and Curly) most recognized talkie was The Woman Haters (1934). "Unaccustomed As We Are," released worldwide in 1929, was Laurel and Hardy's film debut with sound. It was an immediate hit with audiences. Unlike many of their silent film era contemporaries who couldn't make the transition from silent to sound film, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy effortlessly slipped into this new media. Both actors had the rare gift of "comedic timing," and the duo knew how to thoroughly exploit sight gags. Moreover, lovable Hardy routinely broke the "fourth wall" of film, and after each hilarious yet tragic gag, he would often look straight at the camera as if to say, "Can you believe what just happened to me?" "Berth Marks" (1929) was released at the same time the "talkies" were sweeping the film industry. This is Laurel and Hardy's second sound movie although, ironically, there is actually very little dialog. The plot unfolds as the two vaudeville musicians (Laurel and Hardy) board a train and after a few distractions find their sleeping berth. From there it escalates into sheer mayhem. It's that simple yet it is a true classic. It's all brilliantly performed by two of the most iconic comedic teams in history, and supported by a wonderful set of actors who would often appear in many future Laurel & Hardy shorts and feature length films. No spoilers here as usual, but I will reveal that the engine, as seen pulling the train, is shown as a 4-6-2 engine or an American Pacific type steam locomotive, which was the most common wheel arrangement for steam trains, during the 1800s and 1830s on American railroads until 1928.

With their vaudeville careers slowly taking off, Messers Laurel and Hardy set off on a tour of small music halls. They arrange to meet at the train station with their instrument but find that the journey is not as comfortable or straightforward as they had first expected. Laurel and Hardy's first short film with sound is clearly the start of a developing series of shorts. For the first few minutes there is almost no sound to speak of as they rely on their normal comedy style – it feels a little like they want to stay with what they know for a while. When the sound does kick in, it is very grainy and is given limited use for that reason. However, considering it is now over 70 years old this is understandable and it doesn't really affect the film too much. The routines are pretty good and show a keen imagination – one running gap is left to run offscreen for five minutes before we are allowed to see it's extreme punchline! The routine in the train carriage berth has been reused to better effect by Laurel and Hardy but is still funny here. Both men are good and work well in the confines of the berth – Laurel has the better of the material here though. Overall I enjoyed this short but must admit that the sheer age of the film did shine through in regards sound quality and even film stock at times. Regards though it was still funny although I missed the verbal wit that is part of their comedy in other shorts.

Laurel & Hardy play vaudevillians headed to their next gig in another town who must deal with the cramped conditions of a railroad sleeping berth. Many fans consider this film, their second sound short, to be their worst short. I have to agree with them. There simply isn't much too this film. The train station opening isn't particularly inspired, although their exchange with the stationmaster is amusing. The main problem is with the main action. There is simply too much of the boys trying to get undressed and comfortable in the upper sleeping berth. The sequence is probably hurt by the script-- or lack thereof. Without any memorable dialogue, we are simply left with general whining and complaining. There were better possibilities. Early in the film, the boys inadvertently set off an avalanche of tit-for-tat violence and retribution. Unfortunately, after they initiate it, they leave it and we only get to see the repercussions of it at the end. Laurel and Hardy were masters of that form of stylistic violence -- as evidenced in "Two Tars," "Big Business," and "Tit For Tat." I would have preferred more jacket ripping and less feet in the face. That said, the film isn't a total waste. Watching it now on the newly-released "The Essential Laurel & Hardy," did bring some smiles Since I never really sought it out since I originally saw in the 1970s, it did have the benefit of being somewhat fresh to me. Still, it is not one of their better shorts.

Several published works on Laurel And Hardy seem to rate this as one of the boys' poorest shorts. How dare they! This is extremely funny - if not quite top drawer - Stan and Ollie. An early talkie, half the film is simply our two heroes trying to get undressed in the upper berth of a sleeper train, getting entangled in each others trousers, night-shirts etc. The boys have also inadvertently set the rest of the passengers against each other, via a method I won't spoil by revealing. It's simplicity itself, yet it works wonderfully well. When most comedies of the twenties and thirties have long been forgotten, the films of these two lovable characters continue to delight. The real secret is surely in their universal humanity; there's a little bit of Stan and Ollie in all of us.

For anyone who doesn't believe that train rides can be a total hassle, see this film, and your views will be sorely changed. Laural And Hardy, two vaudeville stars heading for Pottsville, take us on a 20 minute ride of their life (one most of us wish would never happen). This movie makes me laugh tears right from the opening scenes, as the boys even find boarding the train a hard thing to do (this is one of the best scenes in the short). Next we find them on the train, and they've apparently lost their music for their act, can things get worse? of course! stan, on the way to his berth, walks into a womans room, causing her husband to think someone was looking at her, and a free for all coat fight ensues! The next scenes are what tops the short off... Stan and Ollie spend the last 15 minutes just trying to get in the berth and get settled into it! These last scenes make this short a killer, one to be remembered forever, and even though i am only 18, i will make sure my grandkids watch this when they are my age. A truly great L&H short...for everyone