UTOPIA aka ATOLL K — Utopia, Laurel and Hardy's final feature film collaboration, finds the boys traveling to London so that Stan can collect on an inheritance. After taxes, he is left with a duty-free island and a "yacht" ... more »that turns out to be an old, dilapidated, sea slug of a boat. Unswayed, Stan and Ollie set out into the great blue yonder to explore their newly acquired land. But after a ferocious storm, the boat becomes stranded on an atoll, which the duo promptly dubs, "Crusoeland." The boys' cook, an Italian stowaway, and a runaway named Cherie Lamour, hiding from her demanding fiancé, join them in forming an island government. But as soon as they've agreed upon a pecking order, with Ollie as the island leader of course, Cherie's fiancé shows up without warning. He claims not to be in search of her, but to be investigating rumors of a valuable uranium deposit on the isle. When it's revealed that the gossip is true, and the land is in fact uranium rich, the castaways scramble to stake their claim in a hilarious mad dash to make a quick buck.
THE FLYING DEUCES: While on vacation in Paris, Ollie falls head over heels for a waitress who is unyielding to his amorous advances. As a result of Ollie's rejection, the comedic duo joins the French Foreign Legion, which embarks them upon a hysterical rollercoaster ride of chaotic circumstances chock full of the pair's famous slapstick comedy and unassuming wryness. Interlaced in this uproarious comedy are memorable scenes of emotional subtlety that are touching, yet appropriately understated. This, combined with the usual side-splitting comedic antics of the duo, form a masterpiece that is a shining example of American pop culture.
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK: A whimsical adaptation of the famous fairy tale steeped in comedy, Abbott and Costello style. Reminiscent of the cinematography of films like The Wizard of Oz, the movie begins in black and white, later morphing into full cinematic color. The story begins as Jack, a professional baby-sitter, and his "agent" Dink, go to the home of Eloise Larkin to watch Eloise's troublemaking nephew Donald. As he reads the book Jack and the Beanstalk to Donald, Jack falls asleep and begins to dream that he and his cohorts are part of this fantastical world where he encounters magical creatures, as well as a troubled prince and princess. It is a version of the classic fairy tale but with a humorous and unique Abbott and Costello style twist.
AFRICA SCREAMS: The boys are a pair of booksellers who find themselves deep in the wilds of Africa when they purport themselves to be knowledgeable of the country. In search of diamonds and led by a beautiful woman named Diana, Abbott and Costello are spurred on by promises of sharing the elusive loot if they can find it. Along the way they find themselves in sticky situations that involve lion tamers, gigantic gorillas, and an unruly river. Will the bumbling pair survive their encounters with the wildlife? Will they find the diamonds and get their share of riches?« less
K. K. (GAMER)