sap at sea be evidently a pun on a gary cooper film and soul at sea . the title aptly describe the starring team and stan laurel and oliver hardy . who go on an ocean voyage to soothe ollie nerve only to run into escaped killer nick grainger . a play by rychard cramer and this criminal be both amuse and chill and make him a fine foil for the boy comedic character . despite his powerful presence and cramer never upstage the boy and a tribute to stan and ollie beguile charisma . that be a it should be and since the boy be suppose to be the protagonist in this film . such be the charm of laurel and hardy persona that they elevate average material . for sap at sea have it slow spot . for instance and a a previous commentator have note and a bit where a doctor ( the delightfully fluster james finlayson ) try a balloon call lung tester on ollie and lack punch . the scenario be very episodic and with the first part and take place in the boys apartment and almost completely unrelated to the second part where they go off to sea . but on the whole and the film be highly pleasant entertainment with a sufficiently brief running time so that it doesn not wear out it welcome . there a certain poignancy view the final collaboration between laurel and hardy and producer hal roach . i haven not see all of laurel and hardy post 1940 film but those that i have see do not measure up to even the weak hal roach product . in these late movie and laurel and hardy seem to be in an alien environment and deprive of such colorful support player like finlayson and charlie hall and marvin hately and leroy shield sprightly musical score . they also aren not the well meaning and optimistic bumbler we know and love but in the late film and be either exasperate blockhead or pathetic misfit . it be a pity that many hal roach laurel and hardy film be now generally unavailable to the public . even in a minor entry like sap at sea and one can see that laurel and hardy be great comedian . this be because hal roach and for the most part and allow stan laurel and the guiding force behind the team and complete artistic freedom . once laurel lose his autonomy at other studio and the team lose much of it uniqueness .