Air Raid Wardens
Encyclopedia
Air Raid Wardens is a 1943 Laurel and Hardy
comedy film. This was the first of their films made at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
.
, Stan and Ollie try their hand at various business ventures. Their store opens and closes in various guises but without success.They finally open it as a bicycle store but some German spies trick them into partnering the business so that they can use it as a front for a base. Stan and Ollie volunteer as air raid
wardens but keep messing up until they are fired. They soon discover that the spies are planning to blow up the local magnesium
plant and in the end are heroes as they scupper the plan.
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
comedy film. This was the first of their films made at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
.
Synopsis
Set during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Stan and Ollie try their hand at various business ventures. Their store opens and closes in various guises but without success.They finally open it as a bicycle store but some German spies trick them into partnering the business so that they can use it as a front for a base. Stan and Ollie volunteer as air raid
Strategic bombing
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in a total war with the goal of defeating an enemy nation-state by destroying its economic ability and public will to wage war rather than destroying its land or naval forces...
wardens but keep messing up until they are fired. They soon discover that the spies are planning to blow up the local magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
plant and in the end are heroes as they scupper the plan.
Cast
- Stan LaurelStan LaurelArthur Stanley "Stan" Jefferson , better known as Stan Laurel, was an English comic actor, writer and film director, famous as the first half of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy. His film acting career stretched between 1917 and 1951 and included a starring role in the Academy Award winning film...
as Stan - Oliver HardyOliver HardyOliver Hardy was an American comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy, the classic double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted nearly 30 years, from 1927 to 1955.-Early life:...
as Ollie - Edgar KennedyEdgar KennedyEdgar Livingston Kennedy was an American comedic film actor, known as "the king of the slow burn". A slow burn is an exasperated facial expression, performed very deliberately; Kennedy embellished this by rubbing his hand over his bald head and across his face, in an attempt to hold his temper...
as Joe Bledsoe - Jacqueline WhiteJacqueline WhiteJacqueline White is a former American film actress. She's probably best remembered appearing in the films noir Crossfire and The Narrow Margin. She usually played either lead actresses in B-movies or supporting parts in A-movies. Still active as of 2005, White appears occasionally at film...
as Peggy Parker - Stephen McNallyStephen McNallyStephen McNally was an American actor remembered mostly for his appearances in many westerns and action films. He was an attorney in the late 1930s before pursuing a career in acting.-Career:...
as Dan Madison (as Horace McNally) - Nella Walker as Millicent Norton
- Donald MeekDonald MeekDonald Meek was a Scottish-born American character actor. He first worked as a stage actor and later became a film actor, starring in several movies including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Little Miss Broadway, and State Fair. Before becoming an actor, he fought in the Spanish-American War and...
as Eustace Middling - Henry O'NeillHenry O'NeillHenry O'Neill was a film actor known for playing gray-haired fathers, lawyers, and similarly dignified roles during the 1930s and 1940s.-Life and career:...
as Rittenhause - Howard FreemanHoward FreemanHoward Freeman was an American stage actor of the early 20th century, and film and television actor of the 1940s through the 1960s....
as J.P. Norton - Paul StantonPaul StantonPaul Frederick Stanton is a former professional ice hockey player.Drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1985 as a high school senior, Paul chose to play for the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and was named an NCAA West All-American in 1988.He played his first NHL game in the 1991 season for the...
as Capt. Biddle - Robert Emmett O'Connor as Charlie Beaugart (as Robert Emmet O'Connor)
- William Tannen as Joseph
- Russell HicksRussell HicksRussell Hicks was an American film actor. He appeared in nearly 300 films between 1915 and 1956. His first appearance was an uncredited role in The Birth of a Nation . He often appeared as a smooth talking confidence man, as in the W.C. Fields film, The Bank Dick...
as Maj. Scanlon - Philip Van ZandtPhilip Van ZandtPhilip "Phil" Van Zandt was a Dutch actor of film, stage and television. He made over 220 film and television appearances between 1939 and 1958.-Career:...
as Herman (as Phil Van Zandt) - Frederick Worlock as Otto (as Frederic Worlock)