''Beau Hunks'' is a 1931 American

Pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American double act, comedy duo during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) ...

film, directed by James W. Horne.

Plot

Ollie, deeply infatuated with his absent sweetheart Jeanie-Weenie, serenades her with piano melodies before revealing to his friend Stan his plans to marry her. However, their aspirations are swiftly shattered when Ollie receives a letter of rejection from Jeanie-Weenie, prompting him to seek solace in the distraction offered by the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (, also known simply as , "the Legion") is a corps of the French Army created to allow List of militaries that recruit foreigners, foreign nationals into French service. The Legion was founded in 1831 and today consis ...

. Determined to escape the anguish of lost love, the duo enlists in the Legion and embarks on a journey to

French Algeria French Algeria ( until 1839, then afterwards; unofficially ; ), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of History of Algeria, Algerian history when the country was a colony and later an integral part of France. French rule lasted until ...

. Upon their arrival at the Legion barracks, Stan and Ollie are astonished to discover that their fellow soldiers share the same plight, all nursing broken hearts over Jeanie-Weenie. This collective realization leads Ollie to question the worthiness of his affections for Jeanie-Weenie from the outset. Their attempt to resign from the Legion is met with stern opposition from the camp commander, compelling the entire platoon to embark on a forced march. However, their plans are disrupted when news arrives of an impending siege on Fort Arid by native Riffian tribesmen. Despite becoming separated from their regiment in a sandstorm, Stan and Ollie manage to reach the fortress ahead of their comrades. In a surprising turn of events, the duo, armed only with barrels of nails, single-handedly repel the Riffian attackers whose bare feet are vulnerable to the nails. The confrontation culminates in the revelation that the leader of the Riffians was also a victim of Jeanie-Weenie's romantic conquests, reinforcing Ollie's newfound perspective on his former love interest.

Cast

Production notes

At 37 minutes, ''Beau Hunks'' is the longest Laurel and Hardy short. The French Foreign Legion scenario was reused in '' The Flying Deuces'' with Charles B. Middleton again playing their commanding officer. The title ''Beau Hunks'' is a reference to the Beau Geste trilogy (''

Beau Geste ''Beau Geste'' is an adventure novel by British writer P. C. Wren, which details the adventures of three English brothers who enlist separately in the French Foreign Legion following the theft of a valuable jewel from the country house of a r ...

'' (1924), '' Beau Sabreur'' (1926), '' Beau Ideal'' (1927)) and its associated Hollywood adaptations, as well as a colloquial ethnic slur prevalent in the United States during the era. The term also alludes to a specific line from ''Beau Sabreur'', where Buddy says '"Sure thing, Son Hank — if a gang of Touareg Bohunks couldn't, French troops couldn't. . . . I s'pose it ''is'' us he's after?"

Legacy

In January 1992, during an interview on ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...

'',

Hal Roach Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr. Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director and screenwriter, ...

identified ''Beau Hunks'' as his favorite among the movies he had produced. He cited the cameo appearance of

Jean Harlow Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress. Known for her portrayal of "bad girl" characters, she was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s and one of the defining figures of the ...

, a starlet who had transitioned from Roach's studio to MGM. Harlow's presence in the film was confined to archival publicity photographs from her tenure at Roach's studio. Roach's appearance on the show coincided with the celebration of his hundredth birthday. The film inspired the formation of the Beau Hunks Orchestra, a Dutch musical ensemble established in 1992. Initially assembled to perform soundtrack music at an Oliver Hardy centennial celebration in Amsterdam, the orchestra later expanded its repertoire to include compositions by Leroy Shield and other notable composers, including Raymond Scott. This initiative not only paid homage to the cinematic heritage associated with "Beau Hunks" but also contributed to the preservation and appreciation of film music from the early 20th century.

References

External links

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Beau Hunks Orchestra in rehearsal, 2007
{{James W. Horne 1931 films 1931 comedy films 1931 short films American black-and-white films Films directed by James W. Horne Films about the French Foreign Legion Laurel and Hardy (film series) Military comedy films Films with screenplays by H. M. Walker Films set in deserts 1930s English-language films 1930s American films Films scored by Leroy Shield English-language short films