Plot
In the trenches of World War I, Pvt. Laurel, Pvt. Hardy, and their fellow soldiers prepare for combat. However, Stan is relegated to trench duty while his comrades proceed into battle. Subsequently, the film fast-forwards to 1938, revealing Stan still at his post, as shown by the accumulation of empty cans of beans and the well-worn path of his patrol. His accidental discovery prompts a hero's welcome upon his return home, where he reunites with Ollie, who is now married.
Upon visiting Stan at the Soldiers' Home, Ollie jumps to a wrong conclusion about Stan's physical condition. The duo embarks on a tumultuous journey to Ollie's apartment, encountering various obstacles and engaging in heated exchanges along the way. Domestic chaos ensues upon their arrival, exacerbated by Stan's inadvertent destruction of Ollie's property and an awkward encounter with the neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert. At the height of the hectic confusion, Mrs. Gilbert is trapped in Ollie's apartment, and tensions escalate with the arrival of Mrs. Hardy and Mr Gilbert. The narrative culminates in Stan and Ollie scrambling for safety, with the shotgun-wielding husband in hot pursuit.
Reception
Block-Heads had no plot to speak of -- just an hour of gags and situations -- and critical reaction in the trade review was mixed: some found Block-Heads enjoyable and others found it mediocre. Boxoffice led the cheers: "Infinitely better than their last effort (Swiss Miss), Laurel and Hardy turn in a job which should be a field day for their fans and at the same time deliver value received in abdominal guffaws for all customers. The past masters of slapstick return to the tried and true tricks in which they formerly specialized and, additionally, give out with a fair measure of bright, new gags." Film Daily agreed: "Those who like the Laurel and Hardy type of slapstick comedy will find this 55 minutes [sic] of enjoyable fun. The boys have made two-reelers like it, but this offering has a greater number of gags. As a pleasant piece of diversion on the program, it should take care of its spot nicely."
Among the naysayers was Robert Joseph of the Hollywood Spectator, who liked Laurel and Hardy but despaired of the absence of a storyline. "[The five writers'] combined efforts to infuse a little comedy in a lot of chatter and some bad, stale gags went a little sour. I am a Laurel and Hardy fan, and I have a lot of fun when I see one of their shorts, but it seems that Hal Roach should have learned that you cannot stretch a two-reel comedy into 10 reels [sic] of feature without something thinning out somewhere. There is no plot, of course." Columnist R. W. Dana of the New York Herald Tribune noted that the jokes were familiar and "Laurel and Hardy, as a comedy team, are becoming inevitably gray. Block-Heads is a laugh parade, with reservations."
Variety, oddly enough, was itself split, publishing reviews from different correspondents. The New York office thought "Block-Heads is an awful letdown for [Laurel and Hardy]. Its audience value is negligible. The picture is one of those shorties the exhibitors have been complaining about, but although it runs 58 minutes, it's still a lot of taffy stretched to the breaking point." The Hollywood bureau differed: "For those who like the Laurel and Hardy brand of hearty comedy, Block-Heads will be a refreshing dish. Slapstick team are more nearly in their old top form than they have been in some of their more recent offerings. The gags are for the most part new and novel, and click the laughs in a steady barrage."
Contemporary response has been much more favorable. Leonard Maltin was enthusiastic: "Stan's been marching in a trench for 20 years—nobody told him WW 1 was over! Ollie brings him home to find he hasn't changed. Top L&H." Leslie Halliwell gave it three of four stars: "The last first-class Laurel and Hardy comedy is shapeless but hilarious, a fragmented reworking of earlier ideas, all of which work beautifully. Gags include encounters with a tip-up truck and an automatic garage, and a brilliantly worked out sequence up and down several flights of stairs."
