JEST POINT? Funnymen Laurel and Hardy make ''Wooden Soldiers'' a holiday must-see

March Of the Wooden Soldiers: Kobal Collection

March of the Wooden Soldiers

Also known as ''Babes in Toyland,'' this Laurel and Hardy favorite crosses the Victor Herbert operetta with characters out of Mother Goose. Santa Claus makes a cameo, ordering 600 one-foot-high soldiers from toymakers Stannie and Ollie. (Thanks to Stannie's mix-up, they make 100 six-feet-high soldiers. Oops.) For all its child-friendliness, the movie contains a strong element of horror, in eminently hissable villain Barnaby (Henry Brandon) and his hideous army of troglodyte bogeymen. Plus, there's a drag wedding, with blushing bride Stannie, that's as ribald as the finale of ''Some Like It Hot.'' Many fans prefer the colorized version; indeed, if ever a movie cried out for Technicolor, this peppermint-candy toy box is it.