And though most of the established movie comedians from the Thirties were still in high demand and vogue and being booked for regular gigs come the time the 1940s ushered in, the fashions in comedy were surely changing. The much-trumpeted Laurel and Hardy boasted a new brand of comedy, The Flying Deuces (1939) was below their usual standard and showed the lack of Hal Roach's guidance. However, Laurel and Hardy's rapid return to Hal Roach behooved the duo and 1940's A Chump at Oxford in which Stan plays Lord Paddington, sufferer of a severe bout of amnesia after a firm blow to the neck - was far better received by their public. The subsequent Saps at Sea (1940) had Ollie replete with his very own malady -'hornophobia,' and seeking rest to no avail all thanks to Stan's cacophonous trombone playing.
The pair left Hal Roach once again - this time for 20th Century Fox Stan and Ollie embarked on a six picture contract that essentially put an end to their career. Great Guns (1941) despite its flawless direction by fellow funnyman Monty Banks, was an in vain attempt to mold Laurel and Hardy into another version of Abbott and Costello. The army plot was all but a carbon copy of the younger duet's hit Buck Privates made earlier the same year. High-octane was never Stan and Ollie's style and their methodically slow pace was deemed well too old-fashioned by Forties standards. As more and more of their traditional impishness was cut from their films, their appeal was now waning. Wisely the old gentlemen decided to retire with their coda moment MGM picture. Nothing But Trouble.