The Flying Deuces (1939)
“Heartbreak sent them to the Foreign Legion. The Legion may never recover.”
Streamed free from the Internet Archive · no signup, no cost — this film is in the public domain.
Synopsis
While vacationing in Paris, lovelorn Ollie is crushed to learn that the innkeeper's daughter he adores is already married to a Foreign Legion officer. To mend his broken heart, he and Stan impulsively enlist in the French Foreign Legion — and promptly prove hopeless at soldiering, sentenced to mountains of laundry and worse. A tangle of misunderstandings lands the pair condemned for desertion, setting up a frantic escape that ends in one of the duo's most surreal finales.
Cast
About the Director
A. Edward Sutherland — A. Edward Sutherland was a veteran comedy director whose career stretched back to the silent era and included films with W. C. Fields. He kept 'The Flying Deuces' moving at a faster clip than many Laurel and Hardy features — though he and Stan Laurel clashed badly on set, Sutherland reportedly quipping he "would rather eat a tarantula than work with Laurel again."
Why It’s Free: The Public-Domain Story
'The Flying Deuces' is in the public domain because its copyright was never renewed during the required window. As an independently produced film (made by Boris Morros and released through RKO rather than kept in a major studio's library), it slipped through the renewal cracks — one of only two Laurel and Hardy features in the public domain.
Behind the Scenes
Because Laurel and Hardy were not under an exclusive contract at the time, they were free to make this film for independent producer Boris Morros, released by RKO Radio Pictures and premiering November 3, 1939. The famous "laundry scene" was shot at the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, California. An uncut version, transferred from a nitrate negative discovered in France, was restored by Lobster Films and released in 2004.
Did You Know?
- It's a partial remake of the team's 1931 short 'Beau Hunks'; Charles Middleton reprised his Legion Commandant role from that film.
- The film features a charming song-and-dance number to "Shine On, Harvest Moon."
- Aerial laundry-line footage shot for the film was reused for years in other productions, including Republic serials.
- The 2004 Lobster Films restoration finally gave fans a clean, complete version after decades of worn budget prints.
Reception & Legacy
The film is well regarded among Laurel and Hardy's later features — Leonard Maltin awarded it three of four stars, praising it as "good fun, faster paced than most L&H films." Its public-domain status has kept it perpetually available, making it one of the most-seen entries in the duo's catalog.
Africa Screams
Beat the Devil
My Favorite Brunette
Disorder in the Court