Cyrus Brittle, played by James Finlayson, wakes up one morning and finds out from his butler (Oliver Hardy) that he has gotten married during the previous night. His bride (Charlotte Mineau), her daughter (Edna Marian), and menacing brother (Noah Young) await downstairs in his house. Brittle's new wife would separate from him if he pays her and her family $50,000, but he tries to stop this by calling his lawyer (Stan Laurel). When the lawyer arrives, the brother exhibits his rage by using a loaded gun and Cyrus and his lawyer and butler escape to a seaside hotel. A bit later, when the unwelcome family arrives at that hotel, the three escape to a nearby amusement park with the family still following them, as well as a suspicious policeman on their trail. Cyrus and his associates are chased by the family through the assorted rides at the amusement park and manage to flee them.

Sugar Daddies is the first Laurel & Hardy film to be released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (M-G-M), but still very much like their earlier pre-teaming films released by Pathe. Laurel, Hardy, and Finlayson are a definite trio in this film, which often occurred in their pre-teaming films. Some of the mature Laurel & Hardy style can be spotted in this film, though. For instance, there is a scene in which Stan arrives at Finlayson's door and knocks. Oliver opens the door, which Stan doesn't notice and proceeds to knock again, hitting Oliver on the head. Another humorous scene is when Oliver, as the butler, wants to take Stan's hat against his wishes. So in the next scene, Stan enters and starts talking to Brittle and at the same time taking his hat off whenever Oliver grabs for it. Overall, Sugar Daddies is a typical pre-teaming film, but not far behind is the work which cemented Laurel & Hardy on the screen and as one of the greatest comedy teams of the movies.

Stan plays Canvasback Clump, the world's worst prizefighter, who is fighting a tough opponent, "Thender-Clap Callahan" (Noah Young, in another menacing role with The Boys). Oliver plays his manager. After a few comic moments in the ring, Callahan clobbers Canvasback. In the next day, the boxer and his manager encounter an insurance salesman (Eugene Pallette) and Oliver takes out an insurance policy against the fighter being injured. The manager then tires to get his boxer hurt by placing a banana skin in front of him so he'll slip, but instead, a pie delivery man (Charlie Hall) falls for it, and a pie throwing scene is started between them. A pie truck in the street provides the ammunition and other people and passers-by are involved in the fight, creating a huge incident of pie fighting hysteria.

The film is truly the first real Laurel & Hardy film, with the delightful duo acting as their familiar characters and getting into situations and fights that the mature Laurel & Hardy characters would get into. Despite the fact that an uncountable amount of pies were thrown, this film also was made to parody the Mack Sennett style of pie fights instead of imitating it. The Battle of the Century is one of the team's funniest and most popular silent films; it is a sad fact that almost half of the footage of the film is missing (mostly the insurance salesman scene). The pie fight is left intact, taken from a Robert Youngson documentary that included the scene. Also in the film is a moment with Anita Garvin playing a bit part in which she falls on a pie and tries to stand up while maintaining her honor that is played brilliantly by the terrific comic actress.

See a full-length review written by Yair Solan that was featured in a monthly Charley Chase movie review column, Movie Night, for his web site, The World of Charley Chase.

After singing "You Are the Ideal of My Dreams", Oliver tells Stanley that he is in love with "Jeanie-Weanie" (played by a picture of Jean Harlow). Following some funny dialogue concerning this, Ollie gets a telegram saying that his girlfriend doesn't want to see him any more and he is devastated. Oliver tells Stan to go with him where "we can forget", which is the Foreign Legion. The both join the Legion but then decide that they want to leave, which the Commandant (Charles Middleton) says that they can't do. They stay reluctantly and during a march, they get lost and separate from the others during a sandstorm. They arrive at Fort Arid, which is under Riffian siege and really needs soldiers. The Boys fight the Riffs there and manage to make everyone surrender after they hurt some shoe-less Riffs by throwing tacks at the ground. At the same time the other soldiers arrive, and the Riffs surrender.

Beau Hunks is the longest short subject Laurel & Hardy ever made -- a full four reels. The plot was used again in their 1939 feature, The Flying Deuces, made at RKO. Despite some weak spots, the film has some very funny comic business, especially in the beginning with Stan and Ollie's conversation about Jeanie-Weanie and the word "levity". A running gag in the film is that almost every soldier in the Foreign Legion has a picture of Jeanie-Weanie, as do the Commandant and the leader of the Riffs. Speaking of the Riffian leader, he was played by the film's director, James W. Horne, who directed Laurel & Hardy quite frequently as well as Buster Keaton's College and several Charley Chase films, notably Whispering Whoopee.