Atoll "K" (1952)

"It's like playing hooky." 

Directors

Léo Joannon

John Berry (uncredited)

Cast

Stan Laurel - Stan

Oliver Hardy - Oliver

Suzy Delair - Chérie Lamour

Max Elloy - Antoine

Suzet Maïs - Mrs. Dolan

Adriano Rimoldi - Giovanni Copini

Luigi Tosi - Lt. Jack Frazier

Laurel and Hardy's final film together, "Atoll 'K'" is also their first film in five years following their 1945 movie, "The Bullfighters." 

Having seen a large majority of Laurel and Hardy movies, mostly their short films, I have never seen their last one until recently.

I happened to find a copy at a Half-Priced Books in Omaha, Neb., for $2.50. I had to tap into my soda money to purchase this flick.

Back in the 1950s, "Atoll 'K'" went through production hell. And in the years of home video marketing, it has gone through distribution hell. 

This movie fell into public domain rather quickly.  

According to the book "The Final Film of Laurel and Hardy: A Study of the Chaotic Making and Marketing of Atoll 'K'" by Norbert Aping, a copyright for the film was never filed in the U.S. (p. 193)

"Atoll 'K'" becoming public domain resulted in the distribution of various poor-quality versions, which is what generally happens with public domain films. They're a quick and easy buck for home video companies. 

In a 2008 article called "The Final Film of Laurel and Hardy" writer Phil Hall points out that there's no true version of the movie "Atoll 'K'."

"Four very different versions were theatrically released: a 93-minute French-language version known as 'Atoll K,' a 97-minute Italian version called 'Atollo K,' a 96-minute English-language for British audiences called 'Robinson Crusoeland,' and an 82-minute U.S. release called 'Utopia'," Hall says.

The copy I have, under the title "Utopia (aka Atoll K)" is from Platinum Disc Corporation and is packaged with their 1939 feature film "The Flying Deuces." 

The quality of the overall picture and sound isn't very good. This is a letdown as the package claims the movie is digitally mastered. 

It seems poorly edited at times, too. I don't know if that's the distribution company's fault, or just the way the my cut of the movie happens to be like. 

Based on the run time of 82 minutes, I'm assuming the version I have is the U.S. cut. 

Still, there's a better quality version on YouTube. 

And one YouTube channel - a personal favorite of mine - called "Hats Off Entertainment" has a fan-made edit of the movie which runs a little over one hour, with better sound and picture quality. 

So, what's this movie about?

Stan inherits a boat, an uninhabited island, and a ton of cash from his rich uncle. However, thanks to piles of taxes and legal fees, his monetary inheritance is diminished considerably. He's left with the boat, the island, and a few bucks.

Miffed, Stan and Ollie decide to take the ramshackle boat and head out to the private island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. They decide they want to get away from taxes and laws.

They're accompanied with a nationless refugee named Antoine (Max Elloy), who works as a chef while on the boat. There's also a stowaway on board named Giovanni Copini (Adriano Rimoldi). 

During their voyage, they hit a terrible storm. While trying to navigate through the tempest, an atoll emerges from the water and saves them. 

The four of them decide this atoll is going to be their new home.

A nightclub singer named Chérie Lamour (Suzy Delair) finds her way onto the island in an attempt to run away from her jealous fiancé, Lt. Jack Frazier (Luigi Tosi). 

They welcome Chérie onto the island, and form their own Republic calling it "Robison CrusoeLand." 

They create their own constitution, form their own laws, declare that no one will be taxed, decide what roles each of them will play in governing their new land, and even work on making a flag to represent their nation.

(Left to right) Adriano Rimoldi, Oliver Hardy,
Max Alloy, and Stan Laurel.

Everything goes well until uranium is discovered on the atoll. This leads to other nations of the world going to war over who will claim ownership of the island. 

Greedy adventurers start arriving in boatloads, swarming the shores of the Robinson CrusoeLand.

Soon, the founders of Robinson CrusoeLand find themselves about to be lynched when, by some miracle of nature, an eruption sinks the atoll back into the ocean. 

A ship happens to be sailing along and rescues them. 

It takes Stan and Ollie to the real island Stan inherited. And their left with nothing but the consequences of not paying their taxes. It ends with Ollie's familiar catchphrase, "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into." 

"Atoll 'K'" is co-directed by John Berry and French writer/ film director Léo Joannon. Just this fact of the film's production is tainted in craziness. Berry's name is uncredited as he was blacklisted by the U.S. House Un-American Activities Committee for refusing to cooperate with their investigations into Communist infiltrations. Berry was one of several other Hollywood writers and directors who refused to cooperate. American filmmakers Edward Dmytryk and Frank Tuttle both claimed Berry was an alleged Communist. 

As a result, Berry exiled himself and his family to Paris. He was living in France when he was hired to co-direct "Atoll 'K'." 

"While Berry never acknowledged working on this film, [Norbert] Aping was able to get confirmation from leading lady Suzy Delair that he was, in fact, responsible for co-directing much of the movie" Hall says in his article. "Berry's presence was problematic, given that any word of his participation would have killed a U.S. theatrical release. It is unclear just who okayed Berry to be part of the film, and it is equally uncertain which scenes were his and which were directed by Joannon."

As "Atoll 'K'" was produced in France, some of the actors, especially Max Elloy, have their lines dubbed in English. It threw me off while watching it. I didn't know if that was an issue with the sound quality or not.

U.S. audiences didn't see the movie's release until 1954.

At first the film's scenario seemed odd for a Laurel and Hardy picture. But having watched it for the very first time a few days ago, and thinking about it, it really isn't an odd situation for the two considering all the short movies they've done together. 

They've played piano movers, police officers, prisoners, Rhodes Scholars, each other's sisters, Foreign Legion Soldiers, gypsies...the list goes on. So, being the founders of a republic on a small island in the middle of the ocean makes just as much sense. Yet, it's still a film that's unique among all their other pictures.

Stan's appearance in "Atoll 'K'" says a lot about the pair. In all respect, he looks old and unwell. Evidently, he was sick during the production of movie. Sadly, it shows.

Ollie, too, was ill. According to imdb.com, he was suffering from cardiac fibrillation and the flu.

No wonder Stan and Ollie don't have the same gusto and energy like they used to in the 1920s and 1930s. This makes their appearance feel more like a novelty than as comedians to laugh at. Again, I say that with all reverence to these guys. 

That's not to say the movie is void of comedy. It's there.

One scene in particular had me laughing. All the guys are sitting around the table eating when Cherie walks in. They subtly try to see if she's single or not. Stan asks an indirect question, and Cherie mentions she has a fiancé. Soon, all the guys at the table are sobbing uncontrollably. 

In another scene when Oliver is elected the president of Robinson CrusoeLand, he starts handing out governmental positions to the others in their small group. 

Stan, of course, is left out. When he asks Ollie what his government position is going to be, Ollie replies, "Why Stanley, you're the people." 

Stan objects, not wanting to be "the people."

So, Ollie tells him there's more of him than there are of the them - the leaders.

Despite the flaws, Laurel and Hardy made as best an effort as they could to make something different from what they made before with new routines, a new story line, and an original scenario. 

Whether they knew this would be their last movie or not, they certainly accomplished something that stands out in their filmography. 

It's a shame that the movie received poor reviews at the time of its release. 

It showcases new gags, such as Stan leaning out of the boat's porthole, trying to calm the storm and crashing waves with a small can of oil, and actually succeeding.

Also, as a running gag, Stan adopts a pet lobster which he names Oscar. He takes care of Oscar like a true pet, gives him his own lobster house, and even burps him like an infant. 

Though Laurel and Hardy didn't make any more films together after "Atoll 'K'," they did return to the stage in a European tour a few years after the movie's release. And they did rather well on this final tour of theirs. It's the subject of the 2018 biopic "Stan & Ollie" which I thought was a great movie.  

Still, being their last film, the creativity to make something unlike what they've done before is very present. Despite all the hell "Atoll 'K'" has been through, Laurel and Hardy deserve applause for this movie, as well as a nod, and a heartfelt "Well done, boys!" 

Check out my first review on this blog - Pack Up Your Troubles