Babes in Toyland (1934 film)

Babes in Toyland is a Laurel and Hardy musical Christmas 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's popular 1903 operetta Babes in Toyland, the film was produced by Hal Roach, directed by Gus Meins and Charles Rogers, and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. There are two computer-colorized versions between The Samuel Goldwyn Company in 1991 and Legend Films 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 (Virginia Karns) and other well-known fairy tale 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. Faced with imminent eviction, 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 destroy 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 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.Everson, William K. 1967. The Complete Films of Laurel and Hardy. Citadel Press. p. 160. Barr, Charles. 1968. Laurel & Hardy. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 90. 
==Cast==
* Virginia Karns as Mother Goose
* Charlotte Henry as Bo-Peep
* Felix Knight as Tom-Tom Piper
* Florence Roberts as Widow Peep
* Henry Brandon as Silas Barnaby
* Stan Laurel as Stanley "Stannie" Dum
* Oliver Hardy as Oliver "Ollie" Dee
Uncredited cast
* Frank Austin as Justice of the Peace
* Billy Bletcher as the Chief of Police
* William Burress as the Toymaker
* Russell Coles as Tom Tucker
* Zebedy Colt as Willie the Pig
* Alice Dahl as Little Miss Muffet
* Jean Darling as Curly Locks
* Johnny Downs as Little Boy Blue
* John George as Barnaby's Minion
* Sumner Getchell as Little Jack Horner
* 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
* Kewpie Morgan as Old King Cole
* Mickey Mouse as Himself
* Ferdinand Munier as Santa Claus
* Charley Rogers as Simple Simon
* Angelo Rossitto as Elmer the Pig
* Tiny Sandford as Dunker
* Marie Wilson as Mary Quite Contrary
==References==