A Chump at Oxford

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Denny S "A Chump At Oxford" (1940) was the second to last Hal Roach produced Laurel and Hardy feature before they were thrown on the scrap heap at 20th Century Fox. What makes this film special is that we see Stan Laurel (due to a bump on the head) transformed into the brilliant Lord Paddington. It is a treat to see Stan's acting chops as he plays this part with great flourish and intelligence, completely different from his "Stanley" character. That alone, makes this film a worthy view. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/01/24 Full Review Edoardo C probably my most favorite movie of the couple Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/12/23 Full Review deke p 1939! The film credits said this was produced in 1939 not 1940. & A credit also said that Peter Cushing was in the cast. Enjoyable. Oxford is a different atmosphere than usual for this Comedy couple. never heard of Nor saw before on the movie channel 13.3 Early Saturday morning January 22, 2022 Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Far from their best work - very uneven, overlong and with some rather forced jokes/slapstick that we've seen served up far better in their earlier shorts. Still quite entertaining but they're looking rather tired, as is the script. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member Disappointing. It looks old-fashioned, especially as I had noticed the date of 1939 in the opening credits. It looked more old-fashioned than Will Hay in 1939. This was wartime (albeit not in the USA yet), and O&H were repeating their schtick from the early 1930s? Later I read that their partnership really only lasted from 1927-1940. I think it lasted a few years longer than that, but once the war kicked in for real, it diffused and dissolved them. A chump at Oxford has a 20-minute pre-eamble, during which I wondered if the title was as random as a Marx brothers title (but then half of every Harold Lloyd movie is preamble), but no - they go to Oxford, BUT then they spend a whole 15 minutes stuck in a maze! One is tempted to wonder if that was symbolic. There's a great scene in the maze where Stan wonders if he has three hands, but that's about all the content in the scene - in fact it's not a scene it's a whole act. It got a bit better after that, although there were no scenes of their studying, just a curious back-story about Stan being an English Lord (in reality - no kidding) but the film as a whole felt pretty old to me. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member This short comedy film has Laurel and Hardy scrounging around for work and they masquerade as a maid and butler in a well-to-do home. As expected they cause loads of trouble and skip out. Next they are a pair of street sweepers who come upon some luck while on break. They unwittingly capture a bank robber and they are soon rewarded with a free education at Oxford. There they are met with a group of haughty Oxford snobs who cannot wait to mess with the new arrivals. The ensuing moments include getting lost in a maze, dizzy spells, run-ins with the Dean, and a chance encounter with Oxford athletic hero Lord Paddington, who shares an uncanny resemblance to Stan. Despite all the ups and downs, Stan and Ollie make it through and they succeed in making this comedy quite funny. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Read all reviews

A Chump at Oxford

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