Laurel And Hardy – Way Out West DVD – Stanley Fields, James Finlayson

Way Out West, Laurel and Hardy’s sole foray into cowboy country, benefits from their rousing rendition of “The Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia” (a song which made it into the British charts a few years ago) and some inspired villainy from James Finlayson, the Scottish actor who was frequently cast as Stan and Ollie’s nemesis (here, he plays villainous bartender Mickey Finn). The plot is some hokum about Stan and Ollie’s attempts to deliver deeds to a gold mine to the daughter of an old pal. What matters is the clowning–most of which is inspired. –Geoffrey Macnab