The Asheville Film Society will screen Babes in Toyland on Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 7:30 p.m. at The Grail Moviehouse, hosted by Xpress movie critic Scott Douglas.
Babes in Toyland (March of the Wooden Soldiers)
Movie Information
Babes in Toyland — which generations of children have grown up knowing only by its re-issue title, March of the Wooden Soldiers — is the second of Laurel and Hardy’s excursions into opera or operetta (no, they don’t sing), and it’s by far the most elaborate and most popular. It’s been a Christmas staple for as long as I can remember, which is kind of odd, since it’s not really a Christmas-themed film. However, it is set in a place called Toyland, and Santa Claus does make an appearance — and it has the right tone for a Christmas movie, so who am I to argue? Fair is fair, so it really isn’t a Christmas movie, but it’d take an outright Scrooge to complain about that. And anyway, have you ever noticed how very little of Holiday Inn takes place at Christmas? Exactly. This excerpt was taken from a review by Ken Hanke published on May 13, 2014.
| Score: | |
| Genre: | Comedy Operetta |
| Director: | Gus Meins and Charles Rogers |
| Starring: | Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Charlotte Henry, Felix Knight, Henry Kleinbach |
| Rated: | NR |
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