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I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Don't Believe the Hype

Zenobia (1939) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Oliver Hardy plays a country doctor's whose life gets turned upside down when his daughter is about to marry into a rich family that doesn't want her. To make matters worse, the doctor is asked by a circus man (Harry Langdon) to look at his sick elephant. The doctor cures the creature but then the elephant refuses to leave his side. This was Hardy's first and only starring role without Stan Laurel but the screenplay really seems like it was originally meant for the two. Langdon, a silent screen star, fills in for Laurel and one can't help but think the duo could have made this film together but didn't for whatever reasons. The film takes place during the Old South and features a lot more than just laughs as the doctor always talks about he Declaration of Independence and how important that is to him. The battles between rich and poor as well as black and white are dealt with in a pretty honest manor considering the type of film this is. There's one sequence where a black boy asks Hardy if he'll ever be white so that he will be able to do more things. The response Hardy gives him makes for some good drama but it's also interesting in what's said. I was surprised at how honest they looked at the racial tensions but some of them are nearly thrown to the side with Step'n Fetchit playing his normal slow slave character. He's certainly very good at what he does but the performance does go against some of the speeches in the film. Hardy proves that he could carry a movie on his own and delivers many laughs including a very funny sequence where he tells Langdon that he isn't an elephant. Langdon's comeback is great and he also manages to do his part quite well and add plenty of laughs. I didn't care too much for any of the other supporting performances as I found them very annoying due to how they were written in the screenplay. This film certainly isn't a masterpiece or even a classic but it makes for a mildly entertaining 70-minutes.

While this certainly isn't a great movie and is in many ways pretty forgettable, it is a decent time-passer and worth seeing from a historic sense. This is the only film that Oliver Hardy starred in without Stan Laurel since they became a team in the late 1920s. However, when Laurel's contract expired he refuses to re-sign as he and Hardy (who was still under contract) wanted to explore other career options other than to continue with Hal Roach Studios. So, Roach decided to try pairing Hardy with a new partner--hoping he and Hardy would catch on and Hardy would soon re-sign with the studio. However, the film lacks the balance of a true Laural and Hardy film, as Hardy is definitely in the leading role. And, fortunately, Hardy does a pretty good job as the kindly doctor who is befriended by an elephant and he's able to carry this amiable film. Additionally, the movie is very interesting because in a supporting role (one that could have been played by Stan Laurel) was the silent film comedian, Harry Langdon. As there are few of his films still in existence, this is one of the rare chances you'll get to see,...as well as hear him. The story itself is pretty silly but handled so well, you probably will forgive this.Despite being a story about an Elephant that falls in love with Hardy, about the only thing you may not like about the film is Stepin Fetchit--the horribly stereotyped Black actor who made a career out of playing some who is dumb and lazy. It's quite a contrast to the role played by Philip Hurlic as 'Zeke'--a smart, precocious and cute Black child. At least there were contrasts, as most of Fetchit's earlier roles provided nothing to balance the negative image.

Plodding along clumsily through themes of race and class, 'Zenobia' is the movie equivalent of a television after school special that tries desperately to force feed its audience a plate of moral fiber for digestion. This morality feeding does not go down smoothly at all, even with a spoonful of humor provided by the antics of Oliver Hardy and company. Hardy is decent, but the humor in the film is never up to his standard and the preachings of the other plot lines is just incredibly lame.The irony of 'Zenobia' is that when it begins to preach, it comes of as comical, when it tries to be funny, it falls seriously flat. The problem I have in slamming this movie is that its heart seems to be in the right place, sort of. Besides, how can you hate an Oliver Hardy film?I spent most of my time laughing AT THE MOVIE. Hardy, a doctor by trade, explains race to his black child servant simply as being the difference between white pills and black pills. He mentions that the Declaration of Independence is made up of black, white, red and yellow pills. When Hardy asks the child if he understands, the child answers back, "No, Suh". What does Hardy mean? Is he saying that all pills are created equal? Hardy finally appeases the child's questions by bargaining a quarter to the child if he can memorize the Declaration of Independence. Well, that settles it. Now Hardy can go to the all white party where no colored people are allowed to attend.When Hardy gets to the party he is subjected to a bit of class-ism. Hardy squints a shade of disapproval, but is able to carry on happily enough until Zenobia the elephant crashes the party. Suddenly Hardy finds himself in a confusing lawsuit over the affections of an elephant or from an attempt to embarrass his daughter into not marrying into another family, or something, I'm not really sure.One thing is certain, this was the first film where the comedy duo consisted of Oliver Hardy being the skinny one.Pretty dire stuff. Stay away if you like comedy.

Oliver Hardy stars as a small-town doctor in Mississippi who hits on hard times when he insults the local rich woman (Alice Brady). Meanwhile his daughter (Jean Parker) is engaged to the rich woman's son (James Ellison). Brady will not have Parker as a daughter-in-law because the the family's low social standing. Hardy's wife (Billie Burke)invites everyone to dinner to try to smooth thing over. Disaster.When Hardy is summoned to come help someone who is sick, he races across town only to find that the patient is an elephant (Zenobia) in a traveling carnival. Zenobia's owner (silent comic great, Harry Langdon) helps Hardy figure out how to treat an elephant. Zenobia is so grateful, she falls in love with Hardy and refuses to leave his side. Langdon gets mad and sues Hardy (with the help of mean-spirited Brady). There is a good court room scene and the usual ending.The cast works well in this mild but pleasant comedy. Many will be disappointed by Langdon's standing in for Stan Laurel, but it's interesting to see Langdon in a talkie. Definitely a B film, but not without its good points.Hardy is very good in a comic role that allows him a little room to act. Burke and Brady are total pros, and Jean Parker is pretty and pleasing. Ellison is a blank.Hattie McDaniel plays the cook, J. Farrell McDonald is the judge, Olin Howland is the lawyer, Hobart Cavanaugh plays a patient, Philip Hurlic (as the kid) has a great scene, June Lang plays a rival, and Stepin Fetchit plays himself. William Bakewell can be spotted in a bit part.