Economic necessity, as well as a bit of public demand, drove Laurel and Hardy into the making of feature films. Stan probably would have been content continuing to make nothing but short subjects, calling it "a mistake" when they moved to a features-only policy, but even he was pleased with the quality of many of their longer films. 

     All fourteen features Laurel and Hardy made between 1931 and 1940 have merit. Some, such as SONS OF THE DESERT, WAY OUT WEST and BLOCK-HEADS rank among their best-ever work. Some of the lesser features, like SAPS AT SEA or PARDON US, stand are solid entertainment whose shortcomings only seem glaring when placed against the context of the classic shorts that preceded them. Even the worst ones have at least one or two scenes that make an occasional viewing worthwhile. In any event, the world is certainly much better off with Laurel and Hardy's Roach feature films than without them.