In this year’s 31 Days of Oscar lineup (also available on WatchTCM), among all of the classics we’ve watched and rewatched many times, there is one movie that may at first glance appear to be slightly out of place: the Laurel and Hardy film BLOCK-HEADS (’38). Although it is not as well known or acclaimed, I believe that it is every bit as good as most of the other Oscar-nominated films being shown this month.

In BLOCK-HEADS, Laurel and Hardy portray, as the title suggests, two not-so-bright fellows. The film opens with footage of World War I and we meet Stan and Ollie, two soldiers in the trenches. While the rest of the company goes into battle, Stan is ordered to stay back and guard the trench. In a delightfully dark turn of events, the other soldiers never return, news of the eventual armistice never reaches Stan and he dutifully guards the trench… for 21 years. The year is now 1938, and Stan has been subsisting solely on cans of beans. We even see a humongous mountain of 21 years’ worth of bean cans; it is a haunting image. He is discovered and returned to society, and when Ollie sees his friend’s photograph in the paper he decides to invite him over for dinner. Mayhem, needless to say, ensues.

I first saw this film a few months ago and it was one of my most delightful movie-watching experiences in recent memory. I hadn’t laughed so hard at a movie in a long time. With a running length of just 57 minutes, it’s densely packed with great gags which I won’t attempt to describe here. I’ll just say that my personal favorite gag is the one involving a football and leave it at that.

BLOCK-HEADS was nominated for Best Original Score. Marvin Hatley’s score is certainly good (even if it was often difficult to hear over the sound of my uproarious laughter), but it does seem a bit odd that it’s all that BLOCK-HEADS was nominated for, since it’s just about the last thing you think about when you finish watching this movie. You’re thinking about the hilarious performances by Laurel and Hardy – their gestures and facial expressions – the way Hardy reflexively touches his hat and the way Laurel sways side to side when he’s standing around, not really knowing what to do with himself. Or maybe you’re thinking about the script with its brilliant setups and payoffs. But the actors, writers and directors of movies like BLOCK-HEADS would rarely find themselves nominated for awards.

The film’s director, John G. Blystone, was never nominated for an Oscar. Neither were any of the film’s five writers. Laurel received an honorary Oscar in 1961, but apart from that, Laurel and Hardy themselves were never nominated for anything, even though their performances have aged remarkably well. As for their films,BLOCK-HEADS and WAY OUT WEST (’37) earned Best Original Score nominations, while THE MUSIC BOX (’32) won and TIT FOR TAT (’35) was nominated for Best Live Action Short Subject, Comedy. Tellingly, their work was mainly recognized when competing in a category specifically devoted to comedy, which was discontinued in 1937. Although today Laurel and Hardy are beloved icons and many classic film lovers will agree that their films have stood the test of time, those movies simply weren’t seen as worthy of much recognition when they were first released, except in peripheral categories. (I find it amusing that, although BLOCK-HEADS had no realistic chance of getting a Best Picture nomination at the 11th Oscars, it currently has a better IMDB rating than 6 of the 10 movies that were nominated instead.)

Comedies, particularly “lowbrow” comedies such as Laurel and Hardy’s slapstick-heavy movies, are seldom honored by the Oscars. The films of classic comedians such as Abbott and Costello, the Marx Brothers, Olsen and Johnson and W.C. Fields were regularly ignored. And this trend persists to the present day, perhaps to an even greater extent than in the 1930s. Best Picture nominees are notoriously drama-dominated, and the comedies that do get nominated are nearly always “comedy-dramas” like JOJO RABBIT (2019) which have an underlying seriousness at their core. Silliness for its own sake consistently goes unrewarded, whether it’s from Melissa McCarthy, Jack Black, Will Ferrell or Tyler Perry. Whether or not you think today’s comedians are comparable to those of the ‘30s and ‘40s, it is interesting to consider that Laurel and Hardy may have been viewed in their time the same way that critics receive an Adam Sandler comedy today, only for them to become respected decades later.

Great slapstick is really quite beautiful. Its humor is ageless and universal, striking some indescribable chord in our collective human psyche. What is it about Oliver Hardy slipping and falling on a rolling pin that makes us laugh? I’m not sure, but it’s hard to deny that slapstick has a mysterious power. Silliness deserves respect, especially when it is executed as exquisitely as in films like BLOCK-HEADS.

Season 6: Episode 2 (The Meeting)

rogerthebestboah:

The cast of RDR2 gets together again, but instead of a western, they make a sitcom, while making occasional references to the RDR universe.

Roger would be great as a goofy suburban dad similar to Jim Belushi’s character in According to Jim. I’m not saying he should copy pasta the character, ofc he would bring his own quirks into play to make his character unique.

Rob could be the ever-wise and lovable next-door neighbor who always knows the right thing to say. Think of Mr. Wilson in Home Improvement.

I saw plenty of “there is no shows with lgbtq+ protagonists, if there are, they are dramas with no comedy and someone dies”. Let’s make a list with fresh shows that fills this demand. 

 - comedies 

- not for/about teens 

- full force lgbtq+ representation 

- zero queer deaths 

- good ratings

“This is going to hurt”, 2022- (?)

imdb 8.5 

comedy, drama, no queer deaths, explicit sex scenes, bitterness 4/5 

warning: blood, medical, not for pregnant or recent mums 

“Set on labour ward with all its hilarity and heart-lifting highs but also its gut-wrenching lows, the show delivers a brutally honest depiction of life as a junior doctor on the wards, and the toll the job can take back home." 

The protagonist is gay with morally grey personality, the most of the show is about his struggles with demanding job and falling personal life.

“Gentleman Jack”, 2019-ongoing now 

imdb 8.2 

period drama, comedy, biography, gnc lesbian protagonist, no queer deaths, mature sex scenes, bitterness 3/5  

"A dramatization of the life of LGBTQ+ trailblazer, voracious learner, and cryptic diarist Anne Lister.”

Anne Lister is morally grey, 40+ yo gender non conforming (to the point that your trans friends will find something close to heart) woman, searching for rich life partner. The show is about her struggles with need for adventures, duty of landowner and forbidden romances.

“A very English scandal”, 2018 

imdb 7.7 however: Emmy, Bafta, Golden Globes, 24 more awards 

comedy, crime, biography, no queer deaths, explicit sex scenes, bitterness 3/5

“British Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe is accused of conspiracy to murder his gay ex-lover and forced to stand trial in 1979." 

Sounds boring, but Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw makes this political drama an entertaining story full of hilarious scenes. Both characters are morally grey and it’s impossible to hate them as they probably deserve.

"Good omens”, 2019-2023 

imdb 8.0 (+Bafta, Hugo, 3 other awards) 

comedy, fantasy, no queer deaths, no queer sex scenes (only dating), bitterness 1/5  

“In the beginning and eleven years ago, two immortal beings decide that it might not be time to start an Apocalypse." 

The main couple of angel and demon, who you can consider protagonists of the show and whose relationship is one of the plot moving tool, has no scenes with intimacy shown, but profoundly queer and humorous.

"Our flag means death”, 2022- (?)

imdb 8.0 

Comedy, action, adventure, no queer deaths, censored sex scenes, bitterness 2/5  

“The year is 1717. Wealthy landowner Stede Bonnet has a midlife crisis and decides to blow up his cushy life to become a pirate. It does not go well. Based on a true story.”

This show is the reason why I started this thread. It is a romantic comedy of protagonist starting a new life he truly wanted, and of course finding the man of his dream. There are three queer couple including trans, big focus of the plot is on toxic masculinity reformation.

I Was Gonna Watch That

I Was Gonna Watch That

And Then I Didn’t….

Loki

I remember this was one of those series I was mildly excited about. I mean I like Loki, I guess (lukewarm sigh) and I most definitely like Tom Hiddleston, so why didn’t I care about this. I don’t know. Sometimes my excitement for a show just peters out or loses momentum. The level of excitement simply wasn’t enough to carry me all the way to the end of the series,…

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