1943 STAN & BABE The Lost Color Film

THE TREE IN A TEST TUBE, a low-budget one-reeler produced by the Department of Agriculture, was a lost and forgotten film until Richard Bann discovered the existence of a copy of it in 1967. For many years, published sources stated that the film was made and distributed in 1943; Bann's later research, however, determined that Laurel and Hardy's footage was filmed on November 29, 1941, eight days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The purpose of the short was to promote all the wonderful products made from wood, which was easily adapted into a plea for wartime conservation when the film was assembled for distribution. Shot on 16mm Kodachrome stock, THE TREE IN A TEST TUBE is notable for being the only existing footage of Stan and Babe in color, save for some home movies from the '50s and a few short clips from the long-lost THE ROGUE SONG. Laurel and Hardy's contributions are silent, as they rummage through their belongings to find wood-based products while narrator Pete Smith makes wisecracks.