OT: Babes in Toyland/March of the Wooden Soldiers

[PeppeRaskell1]

Have any of you out there ever seen this movie? It was on this past Thanksgiving on PIX 11, but I had to leave the house early to go to work and had to miss it. Fortunately, I was able to rent a DVD of the flick from the local Public Library.

I remember it being on every Thanksgiving when I was a kid (I can still smell the turkey cooking in the oven whenever I think of it!), and the one moment that stands out in the back of my mind is the end of the flick, when Laurel and Hardy (as Ollie Dee and Stannie Dum) send out the wooden soldiers and save the town from Barnaby and the Bogeymen.

BTW, if you have seen it, which version did you like better? The color version, or the original b&w? (I liked the b&w version myself.)

[CueBallCat79]

Is there a good black and white version available on DVD?

[Keith Paynter]

Is there a good black and white version available on DVD?
Only recently released, here's the most "official" version you'll ever need:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61Ls7HgSFgL._SS500_.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/March-Wooden-Soldiers-Stan-Laurel/dp/B001D8W7FE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1228970001&sr=1-2

And, although we've crapped on them in the past over "Bugville", Legend Films' 2006 color & b&w dual version is quite good, with original titles!

[zavkram]

I have the Legend Films release. The black and white restoration is very good; the only snag, however, is that there is no chapter index. You have to fast-forward or rewind to get to a certain scene in the movie. Only the colorized version has a chapter index. Of course one solution to that problem would be to watch the colorized version with the color and tint controls on your TV set turned all the way down.

I previously had another DVD with the movie March of the Wooden Soldiers. I forget now who the distributor is; but this edition contains just the movie and an early 1922 silent comedy, Lucky Dog, which was the first to feature Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in the same film (although here they play two completely different characters and are not teamed together). This DVD edition has the original opening titles as well as the MPAA certificate card just before the main titles begin. The Legend Films release omits this, but as compensation the end titles are intact. In the other edition I had the original end-credits were replaced by a CGI "page-turn" which created a fake segue from the final scene of the movie to the distributor's own end-titles.

The Legend Films release also contains the comedy short, Lucky Dog, plus the color promotional film, Tree in a Test Tube.

I've never seen the MGM edition of this movie; how does the visual quality compare with the Legend Films release? Also, what bonus features (if any) are there on the DVD?

[PeppeRaskell1]

I didn't realize that there was more than one DVD version of March of the Wooden Soldiers/Babes in Toyland. My library rental is the Legend Films version.

Hmmm...Only $7.99 for MGM's "Official" version at amazon.com? Sounds tempting...

[zavkram]

I didn't realize that there was more than one DVD version of March of the Wooden Soldiers/Babes in Toyland...

The film has been in the Public Domain for years and aired a lot on TV in truncated versions which usually omitted the opening scene with Mother Goose singing. There have also been a number of VHS and DVD editions of the film available over the years; the quality of which range from abysmal to very good. The Legend Films release is the best edition I've seen so far and the bonus features are quite generous.

[mighty mouse]

The mgm version that our friend Keith is showing a picture of, in post # 3 ,is the best version to get !!!!!!!! Not only because its on sale at amazon for 7.99, but because the picture restoration is better than the legend films!!!!! I have both versions, thats how I know.Youve never seen march of the wooden soldiers look this good.:)

[Steve Stanch]

Babes in Toyland ISN'T Public Domain; it's often thought to be because of the Lippert reissue in the late 40's titled 'March of the Wooden Soldiers'. There are various versions of the film; one TV version has the Mother goose opening and 'go to sleep' number (both missing from the Lippert reissue) but is missing all the close up shots of the Bogie men (maybe scary for kids?).

It's in my top 10 of all time favorite movies.

"maybe we should make him dead when he's alive...."

[Daws Butler Jr.]

Some people in this thread are saying certain versions have the original titles. Are any of you referring to the original "Babes in Toyland" titles with the storybook opening? That's the one I would like to have.

[Glowworm]

I've always seen the color version as a kid on tv every thanksgiving.-was it merely "colorized"?

It's one of my dad's favorites. Truthfully all I can remember are the wooden soldiers(one without a head) chasing after the boogiemen and of course Stan pulling arrows out of Ollie's behind.

[MarkTheShark]

Some people in this thread are saying certain versions have the original titles. Are any of you referring to the original "Babes in Toyland" titles with the storybook opening? That's the one I would like to have.

Yes, DB Jr., both the Legend and M-G-M DVD versions have this. And the older Goodtimes version has an altered version of it, with the title changed to March Of The Wooden Soldiers.

The recent M-G-M DVD is the definitive DVD release of this film. Unfortunately, there are no extras at all, not even the trailer.

[Paul Penna]

The Legend and MGM versions have the original storybook opening titles, and the running times are virtually identical. While the Legend is a pretty good transfer of a pretty good 35mm element, the MGM is even better, crisper and with a better gray scale range. From my point of view, it's the clear choice. As for Legend's bonus features, they are a grab-bag of PD-like items. The transfer of the Jam Handy "Rudolf" is nice, but compromised by compression artifacts and klunky synthesized music dubbed over the opening and end titles. Other stuff includes some Castle Films Christmas-oriented shorts and old TV toy commercials in transfers that run from OK to dollar-dvd quality.

Anyway, if it's "Babes in Toyland" you're after, the MGM is the best.

[Duck Dodgers]

"Legend" got "colorized version" or something like that written on the last page of the fairy tale book that appears at the end of the b/w version.
So it's no way a definitive version. The MGM version is;)

[FleischerFan]

I have the Good Times version, which after reading this thread has me thinking of picking up the MGM release.

BTW - we could bring this thread on topic by mentioning the rare appearance of Mickey Mouse in a non-Disney picture.

I always found it odd that:
1.) Producers included Mickey in with a collection of classic Mother Goose characters
2.) Disney "loaned out" their #1 star to MGM

[sumnernor]

BTW - we could bring this thread on topic by mentioning the rare appearance of Mickey Mouse in a non-Disney picture.


Might I mention the Mickey also appeared in the Hollywood Party film

[mighty mouse]

About the mickey mouse appearance, cant remember what site it was.It said Walt was such a big fan of Laurel and Hardy , that he allowed them to have Mickey in the movie.

[Paul Penna]

BTW - we could bring this thread on topic by mentioning the rare appearance of Mickey Mouse in a non-Disney picture.

Also the Three Little Pigs and their theme song.

[mighty mouse]

Yeah, somehow I forgot the 3 pigs and their theme song.:rolleyes: How funny would it be, if they had a big bad wolf in the movie as well????:p

[FleischerFan]

While they did use Disney's immensly popular "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf," the 3 Little Pigs at least had their origins as bona fide fairy tale/Mother Goose characters. Mickey was a 100% Disney character.

[Vdubdavid]

Okay, if the MGM disc is the definitive version, why does it have the reissue title rather than the original "Babes in Toyland"?

[Paul Penna]

Okay, if the MGM disc is the definitive version, why does it have the reissue title rather than the original "Babes in Toyland"?

The film itself has the original "Babes in Toyland" title, it's only the case that's labeled "March of the Wooden Soldiers." I haven't seen an official explanation, if there is one, but speculating, I'd say perhaps the film is better known by the latter title due its bring shown so frequently on TV that way, and MGM made their marketing decision accordingly.

[MarkTheShark]

The film itself has the original "Babes in Toyland" title, it's only the case that's labeled "March of the Wooden Soldiers." I haven't seen an official explanation, if there is one, but speculating, I'd say perhaps the film is better known by the latter title due its bring shown so frequently on TV that way, and MGM made their marketing decision accordingly.

Also, "the word on the street" is that the March Of The Wooden Soldiers reissue version is public domain, but the original film under the Babes In Toyland title is still under copyright. The back of the case shows a copyright notice for "Primo TV Films."

And by the way...this was not an M-G-M production. It was produced by the Hal Roach studio and distributed by M-G-M (like the majority of L&H's films of the era). This new M-G-M marketing the DVD is a different M-G-M, and it seems to be a coincidence that they ended up with it. (I believe The Samuel Goldwyn Company was distributing the film for a time, and the Tribune Company also claimed some kind of ownership.)

[sumnernor]

I bought the colored "March of the Wooden Soldiers" done by GoodTimes DVD a few years ago in NYC. I have the B&W german Kinowelt "Babes in Toyland " ("Rache ist süß"). This was "cleaned up" by the Kirch Group. The British L & H films were taken from the Kirch Group versions. For me the picture quality is good. I suspect that the release by "MGM" mentioned earluier is from the same source. Has anyone the british version AND the "MGM" version. If so -. are they the same?

[mighty mouse]

Sumnernor,I know what version youre talking about, but this version from MGM, is actually better than the kinowelt.This version has less grain and better contrast than the german dvd.