''Babes in Toyland'' is a

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) ...

musical

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

film released on November 30, 1934. The film is also known by the alternative titles ''Laurel and Hardy in Toyland'', ''Revenge Is Sweet'' (the 1948 European reissue title), and ''March of the Wooden Soldiers'' (in the United States), a 73-minute abridged version. Based on

Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and co ...

's popular 1903 operetta '' Babes in Toyland'', the film was produced by

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, ...

, directed by

Gus Meins Gus Meins (March 6, 1893 – August 1, 1940), born Gustave Peter Ludwig Luley, was an American film director. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany. Career Meins started out in the ‘teens as a cartoonist for the ''Los Angeles Evening Herald'' ...

and Charles Rogers, and distributed by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

. There are two computer-colorized versions between

The Samuel Goldwyn Company The Samuel Goldwyn Company, later known as Samuel Goldwyn Entertainment, Goldwyn Entertainment Company, Goldwyn Films, and G2 Films, was an American independent film company founded by Samuel Goldwyn Jr., the son of the famous Cinema of the Unit ...

in 1991 and

Legend Films Legend Films is a San Diego–based company founded in August 2001 which originally provided restoration and colorization of classic black-and-white films for TV, theatrical and home video release via Legend Films Home Entertainment Distribution. ...

in 2006. Although the 1934 film makes use of many of the characters in the original play, as well as several of the songs, the plot is almost completely unlike that of the original stage production. In contrast to the stage version, the film's story takes place entirely in Toyland, which is inhabited by

Mother Goose Mother Goose is a character that originated in children's fiction, as the imaginary author of a collection of French fairy tales and later of English nursery rhymes. She also appeared in a song, the first stanza of which often functions now as ...

(

Virginia Karns Virginia Karns (May 30, 1907 – June 21, 1990) was a singer and character actress at the Hal Roach Studios in the early 1930s. Fans probably remember her best from the opening scene of the Laurel and Hardy musical comedy '' Babes in Toyland'' (19 ...

) and other well-known

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...

characters.

Plot

Stannie Dum and Ollie Dee inhabit a shoe residence alongside Mother Peep, Bo Peep, and a diverse array of children. Their tranquil existence is disrupted by the malevolent Silas Barnaby, who harbors intentions to wed Bo Peep and seize control of their shoe abode through

foreclosure Foreclosure is a legal process in which a lender attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has Default (finance), stopped making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the Collateral (finance), coll ...

. Faced with imminent

eviction Eviction is the removal of a Tenement (law), tenant from leasehold estate, rental property by the landlord. In some jurisdictions it may also involve the removal of persons from premises that were foreclosure, foreclosed by a mortgagee (often ...

, Ollie impulsively offers their meager savings to stave off the threat, unaware that Stannie has squandered the funds on peewees. Subsequent attempts to procure the mortgage funds from their employer, the Toymaker, result in calamity when a misguided toy order leads to chaos in the toy shop, resulting in their dismissal. In a desperate gambit to thwart Barnaby, the duo embarks on a futile burglary endeavor, culminating in their arrest and sentencing to banishment in Bogeyland. Despite Bo Peep's reluctant agreement to Barnaby's demands to spare their lives, Stannie and Ollie endure a dunking and face impending exile. Employing guile and resourcefulness, Stannie and Ollie devise a cunning scheme to disrupt Barnaby's machinations during Bo Peep's wedding ceremony. By unveiling Stannie in Bo Peep's bridal attire, they expose Barnaby's treachery and obliterate the mortgage, thus freeing Bo Peep. However, Barnaby exacts vengeance by framing Bo Peep's true love, Tom-Tom, for "pignapping," leading to his unjust banishment to Bogeyland. In a race against time, Stannie and Ollie unravel Barnaby's scheme, ultimately rescuing Tom-Tom and exposing Barnaby's villainy to the townspeople. A climactic confrontation unfolds in Bogeyland, where Tom-Tom valiantly defends Bo Peep from Barnaby's advances, while Stannie and Ollie join the fray to repel the Bogeymen. The film crescendos with the triumphant march of the wooden soldiers, orchestrated by Stannie and Ollie, driving back the Bogeymen and vanquishing Barnaby, restoring peace to Toyland. As the kingdom celebrates its salvation, a comedic mishap ensues when Stannie and Ollie inadvertently bombard Ollie with darts from a malfunctioning cannon.

Cast

Charlotte Henry Charlotte Virginia Henry (March 3, 1914 – April 11, 1980) was an American actress who is best remembered for her roles in ''Alice in Wonderland'' (1933) and '' Babes in Toyland'' (1934). She also starred in the Frank Buck serial '' Jun ...

as Bo-Peep *

Felix Knight William Felix Knight (stage name: Felix Knight, November 1, 1908 – June 18, 1998), was an American tenor, actor, and vocal teacher, best known for his role as Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son, Tom-Tom in the 1934 Laurel and Hardy holiday musical fi ...

as Tom-Tom Piper *

Florence Roberts Florence Roberts (March 16, 1861/1864 – June 6, 1940(photo included) was an American actress of the stage and in motion pictures. Stock company actress Born in New York City, she began acting onstage there. Her career began at the Brooklyn ...

as Widow Peep * Henry Brandon as Silas Barnaby *

Stan Laurel Stan Laurel ( ; born Arthur Stanley Jefferson; 16 June 1890 – 23 February 1965) was an English comic actor, director and writer who was in the comedy double act, duo Laurel and Hardy. He appeared with his comedy partner Oliver Hardy in 107 sh ...

as Stanley "Stannie" Dum *

Oliver Hardy Oliver Norvell Hardy (born Norvell Hardy; January 18, 1892 – August 7, 1957) was an American comic actor and one half of Laurel and Hardy, the double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted from 1926 to 1957. He appeared with his ...

as Oliver "Ollie" Dee Uncredited cast * Frank Austin as Justice of the Peace *

Billy Bletcher William Bletcher (September 24, 1894 – January 5, 1979) was an American actor. He was known for voice roles for various classic animated characters, most notably Pete in Walt Disney's ''Mickey Mouse'' short films and the Big Bad Wolf in Di ...

as the Chief of Police *

William Burress William Burress (19 August 1867 – 30 October 1948) was an American actor. He appeared in fifteen Broadway productions from 1900 to 1920, and more than seventy films from 1915 to 1939. Filmography References External links * 1867 ...

as the Toymaker * Russell Coles as

Tom Tucker Thomas, Tommy or Tom Tucker may refer to: Music * Tommy Tucker (bandleader) (1903–1989), big band leader in the 1930s * Tommy Tucker (singer) (1933–1982), American blues singer and songwriter * "Tommy Tucker", song by the band Bow Wow Wow Po ...

* Zebedy Colt as Willie the Pig * Alice Dahl as

Little Miss Muffet "Little Miss Muffet" is an English nursery rhyme of uncertain origin, first recorded in 1805. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 20605. The rhyme has for over a century attracted discussion as to the proper meaning of the word ''tuffet''. ...

Jean Darling Jean Darling (born Dorothy Jean LeVake; August 23, 1922 – September 4, 2015) was an American child actress who was a regular in the ''Our Gang'' short subjects series from 1927–29. Prior to her death, she was one of four surviving cast ...

Curly Locks Curly is a surname, given name, nickname or stage name. It may refer to: First name, nickname or stage name * Crazy Horse (1840–1877), Oglala Sioux war chief nicknamed "Curly" * Curly (scout), nickname of Ashishishe (1923), Crow Indian scout ...

Johnny Downs John Morey Downs (October 10, 1913 – June 6, 1994) was an American actor, singer and dancer. He began his career as a child actor, most notably as Johnny in the ''Our Gang'' short comedy film series from 1923 to 1926. He remained active ...

Little Boy Blue "Little Boy Blue" is an English-language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 11318. Lyrics A common version of the rhyme is: Little Boy Blue, Come blow your horn. The sheep's in the meadow, The cow's in the corn. Where is ...

* John George as Barnaby's Minion *

Sumner Getchell Sumner Getchell (October 20, 1906 – September 21, 1990) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1926 and 1953. He was born in Oakland, California, and died in Sebastopol, California. His last role was as Lie ...

Little Jack Horner "Little Jack Horner" is a popular English nursery rhyme with the Roud Folk Song Index number 13027. First mentioned in the 18th century, it was early associated with acts of opportunism, particularly in politics. Moralism, Moralists also rewro ...

* Pete Gordon as The Cat and the Fiddle * Robert Hoover as Bobby Shaftoe * Payne B. Johnson as Jiggs the Pig * Alice Moore as the

Queen of Hearts The queen of hearts is a playing card in the standard 52-card deck. Queen of Hearts or The Queen of Hearts may refer to: Books * "The Queen of Hearts" (poem), anonymous nursery rhyme published 1782 * ''The Queen of Hearts'', an 1859 novel by ...

Kewpie Morgan Kewpie Morgan (born Horace Allen Morgan, February 1, 1892 – September 24, 1956) was an American silent film comedian who also performed in a few early sound films. He appeared in 99 films from 1915 to 1936. He appeared in the films of such come ...

Old King Cole "Old King Cole" is a British nursery rhyme first attested in 1709. Though there is much speculation about the identity of King Cole, it is unlikely that he can be identified reliably as any historical figure. It has a Roud Folk Song Index numbe ...

Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...

as Himself * Ferdinand Munier as

Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

Charley Rogers Charles Rogers (15 January 1887 – 20 December 1956) was an English film actor, film director, director and screenwriter best known for his association with Laurel and Hardy. He was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, and was the so ...

as Simple Simon *

Angelo Rossitto Angelo Salvatore Rossitto (February 18, 1908 – September 21, 1991) was an American actor and voice artist. He had dwarfism and was tall, and was often billed as Little Angie or Moe. Angelo first appeared in silent films opposite Lon Chaney a ...

as Elmer the Pig *

Tiny Sandford Stanley J. "Tiny" Sandford (February 26, 1894October 29, 1961) was an American actor who is best remembered for his roles in Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chaplin films. His tall, burly physique usually led him to be cast as a comic heavy, and ...

as Dunker * Marie Wilson as Mary Quite Contrary

Songs

The film features only six musical numbers from the enormous stage score, though that is fitting for a musical with only a 78-minute running time. Included in the film, in the order in which they are performed, are: "Toyland" (opening), "Never Mind Bo-Peep", "Castle in Spain", "Go to Sleep (Slumber Deep)", and "March of the Toys" (an instrumental piece). Also included in the film is an instrumental version of "I Can't Do the Sum" for the running theme of Laurel and Hardy's scenes. Another song, "

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" is a popular song written by Frank Churchill with additional lyrics by Ann Ronell, which originally featured in the 1933 Disney cartoon ''Three Little Pigs'', where it was sung by Fiddler Pig and Fifer Pig (voic ...

", is not one of the original stage songs but appears in the

Three Little Pigs "The Three Little Pigs" is a fable about three pigs who build their houses of different materials. A Big Bad Wolf blows down the first two pigs' houses which are made of straw and sticks respectively, but is unable to destroy the third pig's ho ...

segment, heard only as an instrumental piece. The opening song is performed by Mother Goose and an offscreen chorus; most of the others are sung by Bo Peep and/or Tom-Tom. While none of the songs is performed by Laurel and Hardy, the two briefly dance and march in a memorable scene to "March of the Toys".

Production

RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the major film studios, "Big Five" film studios of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood's Clas ...

originally purchased the rights in 1930 with the plans of filming the musical partly in two-strip Technicolor. Plans were announced to have

Bebe Daniels Phyllis Virginia "Bebe" () Daniels (January 14, 1901 – March 16, 1971) was an American actress, singer, dancer, writer, and producer. She began her career in Hollywood during the silent film era as a child actress, became a star in musicals s ...

(later

Irene Dunne Irene Dunne (born Irene Marie Dunn; December 20, 1898 – September 4, 1990) was an American actress who appeared in films during Classical Hollywood cinema, the Golden Age of Hollywood. She is best known for her comedic roles, though she perf ...

) star in the musical along with the comedy team of Wheeler and Woolsey. Due to the backlash against musicals in the autumn of 1930, the plans were dropped. A couple of years later, some thought was given to filming the musical as an animated feature film to be shot in

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

, however, the projected price of the film gave pause to RKO's plans. Hal Roach, who had seen the play as a boy, acquired the film rights to the project in November 1933. The film was completed in November 1934. The village of Toyland was built on

sound stage A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a large, soundproof structure, building or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or te ...

s at

Hal Roach Studios Hal Roach Studios was an American motion picture and, through its TV production subsidiary, Hal Roach Television Corporation, television production studio. Known as ''The Laugh Factory to the World'', it was founded by producer Hal Roach and busin ...

with the buildings painted in vivid storybook colors, leading Stan Laurel to regret that the film wasn't shot in Technicolor. The film was originally produced in

sepia tone In photography, toning is a method of altering the color of black-and-white photographs. In analog photography, it is a chemical process carried out on metal salt-based prints, such as silver prints, iron-based prints ( cyanotype or Van Dyke ...

and later

colorized Film colorization (American English; or colourisation/colorisation [both British English], or colourization [Canadian English and Oxford English]) is any process that adds color to black-and-white, sepia, or other monochrome m ...

personally approved the appearance of

in the film along with the use of the song "

Reception

Critics' reviews were positive. Andre Sennwald of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' called the film "an authentic children's entertainment and quite the merriest of its kind that Hollywood has turned loose on the nation's screens in a long time." ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' proclaimed it "a film par excellence for children. It's packed with laughs and thrills and is endowed with that glamour of mysticism which marks juvenile literature."

John Mosher John Mosher (1928–1998) was an American jazz bassist, classical bassist and composer who worked, recorded and toured with a wide range of primarily West Coast artists from the 1950s through the mid-1990s. Early years A native of Sioux City, ...

wrote in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'': "It's certainly far more successful than was last year's ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

'', and the children will probably be far less bored by it than they generally are by those films designed especially for them". ''

Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informati ...

'' called it "delightful musical fantasy" and "dandy entertainment". The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' review read: "It's been many a long day since I've had so much pure (and I MEAN pure!) fun as I had watching this picture". ''Babes in Toyland'', one of many feature films with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, was also popular at the box office. However, many years later in a filmed interview, Hal Roach admitted that on its first release, the film lost money. After it appeared in theaters, it was re-released several times with the title constantly changed, to make it seem to audiences that they were going to see a different film. It surfaced as a holiday movie on TV as ''March of the Wooden Soldiers'', where it was rerun annually on some local affiliates for many years. On one local Atlanta station, the film was shown as a Thanksgiving special only a few weeks before the release of its 1961 Disney Technicolor remake, so that those who saw it on television and then saw the Disney film version over the Christmas holiday had the experience of seeing two different versions of the same work, within a few weeks of each other. A holiday staple, this film was shown by many television stations in the United States during the

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

holiday season, each year, during the 1960s and 1970s. In New York City, it continues to run (as of 2024) on

WPIX WPIX (channel 11) is a television station in New York City, serving as the ''de facto'' flagship of The CW Television Network. Owned by Mission Broadcasting, the station is operated by CW majority owner Nexstar Media Group under a local market ...

as ''March of the Wooden Soldiers'', airing on that station in the daytime on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. It also runs nationally, on occasion, on

This TV This TV (also known as This TV Network and alternately stylized as thisTV) was an American free-to-air television network owned by Allen Media Broadcast Networks, LLC, part of the Allen Media Group division of Entertainment Studios. Originally ...

, as well as

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcas ...

Copyright status

The original 79-minute film is under copyright to Prime TV Inc., the assets of which as of the present time are owned by television station

(and its current owners,

Mission Broadcasting Mission Broadcasting, Inc. is a television station group that owns 29 full-power television stations in 26 markets in the United States. The group's chair is Nancie Smith, the widow of David S. Smith, who founded the company in 1996 and died in 2 ...

), with

(under

Orion Pictures Orion Releasing, LLC (Trade name, doing business as Orion Pictures) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by the Amazon MGM Studios subsidiary of Amazon (company), Amazon. It was founded in 1978 as Ori ...

, which like MGM is now part of

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

) still handling partial distribution rights of the film, making this one of the few films that were not part of MGM's pre-May 1986 library which

Ted Turner Robert Edward Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and Philanthropy, philanthropist. He founded the CNN, Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour United States cable news, ...

purchased it. In 1950, a 73-minute edited version was distributed by

Lippert Pictures Lippert Pictures was an American film production and distribution company controlled by Robert L. Lippert. History Robert L. Lippert (1909–1976) was a successful exhibitor, owning a chain of movie theaters in California and Oregon. He was frust ...

, retitled ''March of the Wooden Soldiers''; it was released without a copyright notice. The edited version of the film had the opening tune "Toyland" trimmed and the "Go to Sleep (Slumber Deep)" number cut completely. Also removed were Barnaby's attempted abduction of Little Bo-Peep and his ultimate fistfight with Tom-Tom. ''March of the Wooden Soldiers'' has been distributed by many motion picture and home video companies over the decades, as if it were in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

; however, because it relies entirely on copyrighted material from the 1934 film, ''March of the Wooden Soldiers'' itself falls under the same copyright as its parent film and will not truly enter the public domain until that film's copyright expires in 2030. WPIX has not enforced its copyright on ''March of the Wooden Soldiers'', effectively making the film an

orphan work An orphan work is a copyright-protected work for which rightsholders are positively indeterminate or uncontactable. Sometimes the names of the originators or rightsholders are known, yet it is impossible to contact them because additional details ...

History

Hal Roach first sold the film in 1944 to the

estate, and at this point, the film’s copyright was reassigned to Federal Films. Shortly thereafter, the rights reverted to film partners Boris Morros and William LeBaron. In 1948, film producer Joe Auerbach acquired the picture and leased most of his distribution rights to Erko, and it was beginning with this distribution deal that the film began to be edited down to alternate versions, in this case, a 75-minute revised reissue. By 1950, Lippert Pictures acquired some distribution rights, and as aforementioned, cut the film further to 73 minutes. Later in the 1950s, television rights were licensed to Quality Pictures, and by 1952 TV rights reverted to Peerless Television Productions.

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

TV station

’s long association with the film began with its initial airing on December 24, 1952, and it has aired almost annually ever since. Meanwhile, by 1968, Prime TV Films would acquire ownership of the film, and as previously mentioned, they have been the copyright holders of the film ever since. In the 1970s, Thunderbird Films released 16mm prints drawn from a heavily spliced (and incomplete) master. In the 1980s, WPIX and its then-owner,

Tribune Broadcasting Tribune Broadcasting Company, LLC was an American media company which operated as a subsidiary of Tribune Media, a media conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois. The group owned and operated television station, television and radio stations thro ...

, leased the film to

. The Samuel Goldwyn Company's select holdings (particularly the non-Samuel Goldwyn-produced films) ultimately became part of the

library. Finally, Orion became a division of

, thus after nearly eight decades, bringing partial rights full circle. Since 1984, the underlying rights to the film have been the property of

and its successive owners. In 1991, the complete film was restored and

by American Film Technologies for television showings and video release by The Samuel Goldwyn Company. In 2006, the complete print was again restored and colorized by

, using the latest technology. Although the Legend Films release was advertised under its reissue title, both the color and black-and-white prints featured the original title and opening credits.

References

Citations

General sources

* * Everson, William K. ''The Complete Films of Laurel and Hardy''. New York: Citadel, 2000, (first edition 1967). . * Louvish, Simon. ''Stan and Ollie: The Roots of Comedy''. London: Faber & Faber, 2001. . * McCabe, John. ''Babe: The Life of Oliver Hardy''. London: Robson Books Ltd., 2004. . * McCabe, John with Al Kilgore and Richard W. Bann. ''Laurel & Hardy''. New York: Bonanza Books, 1983, first edition 1975, E.P. Dutton. . * McGarry, Annie. ''Laurel & Hardy''. London: Bison Group, 1992. .

External links

* * * * * {{Authority control Babes in Toyland (operetta) 1934 films 1934 musical comedy films 1930s Christmas films 1930s American films 1930s children's adventure films 1930s children's comedy films 1930s children's fantasy films 1930s coming-of-age films 1930s fantasy adventure films 1930s musical fantasy films American black-and-white films American children's adventure films American children's comedy films American children's fantasy films American Christmas films American coming-of-age films American fantasy adventure films American musical comedy films American musical fantasy films 1930s English-language films Films about sentient toys Films about children Films directed by Charley Rogers Films directed by Gus Meins Laurel and Hardy (film series) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Operetta films Santa Claus in film Films using stop-motion animation Films set in fictional countries Mickey Mouse films English-language musical comedy films English-language fantasy films English-language adventure films English-language Christmas films Christmas musical films