A fascinating and underappreciated comedy

I just saw this movie thanks to TCM, and I'm so glad that I did. It was a wonderful viewing experience for me on many levels.

First and foremost, it was amazing for me to see Oliver Hardy in a film without Stan Laurel, and Mr. Hardy proved that he possessed an enormous comic talent and film presence even without Stan Laurel to work with. His scenes were terrific, and I loved how he worked with the great Billie Burke. While I adore every Laurel and Hardy film performance, it's almost a shame that Oliver Hardy didn't take (or wasn't offered) more opportunities to work solo. His performance is reason #1 to watch this movie, and by itself, it is certainly reason enough.

It is also interesting to think that in the year this film was released, 1939, the so-called greatest year in Hollywood, Billie Burke also appeared in "The Wizard of Oz", and Hattie McDaniel appeared in "Gone with the Wind". How busy were they! I wonder if they appeared in "Zenobia" before or after they made those more famous films? My guess is "before".

I was interested, though very uncomfortable, watching the performance of the actor known as Stepin Fetchit. I'd always heard of him, of course, but this was the first film that I actually saw him perform. I wasn't shocked at his portrayal of a dim-witted servant - in fact, his performance and comedic timing was excellent, and I have to admit that he made me laugh - but this was the epitome of the worst stereotype of African Americans in film, and it did make me wince a little bit. Even his character's name, "Zero", implied that his character was a "nothing". By contrast, the little servant boy's recitation of the Declaration of Independence, in a clear, articulate voice, was rather moving and, in hindsight, hints at the progress in race relations yet to come in the 20th century, though it was a little heartbreaking to see him despair that he himself wasn't white. Oliver Hardy's dialogue meant to assuage the youngster's despair was comforting without being overly-patronizing.

I like watching old and classic movies for how they reflect the times in which they were released. For me as a film history hobbyist, these films are interesting time-capsules which never cease to enlighten me. A movie like this not only shows me a bit of insight as to how the writers, directors and actors saw themselves and their own times, but how they regarded the times they were portraying.

I can highly recommend this film to anyone looking for an entertaining comedy to pass 90 minutes with, especially for Oliver Hardy and Billie Burke fans, but please keep in mind that this is a film made in 1939 but set in 1870's Mississippi. I give it a solid "7".