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Helpmates Released by MGM, 23 Jan 1932 - 2 reels Mrs. Hardy is away. Mr. Hardy had a huge party in her absence and now the house is a shambles and she is returning. Mr. Laurel is drafted to help Mr. Hardy clean the place up before she arrives and, of course, succeeds in making the place even more of a shambles. The ending involves Stan's ineptness causing the Hardy home to burn to the ground. Many L&H buffs call this their best short and I agree that — at least until its conclusion — it's Stan and Ollie at their creative and performing peak. I'm afraid the final gag never struck me as funny and has always left a bad lingering aftertaste. (I've always been skeptical of reports that the Roach crew actually built a house on a city street and burned it down to shoot the ending, but folks who've had access to studio records insist that's what was done.) Any Old Port Released by MGM, 5 Mar 1932 - 2 reels The Boys are sailors on shore leave who check into a ramshackle hotel. There, they get involved in the lives of tough guy Walter Long and a girl friend who he's practically holding prisoner because she won't agree to marry him. Because of Stan and Ollie, the girl gets away...which enrages Long and prompts our heroes to flee the hotel. Now, worse off than they were before, they look for some way to make a little money...and Hardy winds up signing Laurel up to fight in a boxing contest. This wouldn't be a terrible idea except that Stan's opponent turns out to be — surprise, surprise — Walter Long, who relishes the chance to get his hands on Laurel. Stan's unique boxing style is enormously funny but it isn't enough to lift Any Old Port from the lower ranks of their best two-reelers. As with many of their films, there's a certain disjointed feeling that makes one suspect (accurately, in this case) that a lot of cutting, discarding and rearranging took place in the editing room. As originally filmed, the boxing match occurred earlier in the picture and The Boys returned to the hotel to help Long's former girl friend connect with her real true love. Apparently, that seemed anti-climactic after the fight so much footage was jettisoned and some new scenes were filmed to restructure the story. The seams show. Laurel and Hardy were at their best when they took a simple idea and followed it through, start to finish. The next short is the perfect example.
The Music Box Released by MGM, 16 Apr 1932 - 3 reels Often hailed as their best short by L&H fans (and by Laurel, himself), The Music Box is just about perfect in construction and comedy. As everyone knows, it's involves The Boys hauling a piano up an endless flight of stairs, having to start over time and again before finally delivering it to the piano-hating Gilbert. It won the Academy Award for the Best Short Subject (Comedy) of 1932 — the only time one of The Boys' films was so honored, though many others were most deserving. Scholars have likened their long haul, carting the piano up the stairs, to Sisyphus eternally attempting to push a giant rock up a mountain, but that seems to me a real reach, especially considering that Stan and Ollie actually do get the piano to the top and that it isn't the nature of their burden that takes so long. It's their own stupidity. The famous stairs, also seen in Hats Off, of which this is a partial remake, can still be visited at 923-27 Vendome in the Silverlake area of Los Angeles. The Chimp Released by MGM, 21 May 1932 - 3 reels This was the last and weakest of the "let's hide this animal from the landlord" trilogy. The Boys are working for a circus that goes under, and they collect their closing "paycheck" from ringmaster Finlayson in the form of acts. Stan is given the flea circus, which you just know is going to wind up in Hardy's bed or pants. Oliver is given the trained chimpanzee, which they must take back to their boarding house and conceal from, in this case, Billy Gilbert. To work in another recurring Laurel and Hardy plot element (the jealous husband who thinks his spouse is cheating on him with Stan or Ollie), the chimp is named Ethel and so is Gilbert's wife, and he overhears them talking about hiding Ethel in their room. It's all pretty familiar territory and while repetition sometimes worked well for The Boys, here it's a matter of comedy that's predictable without being all that funny. I'm also one of those people who thinks that a guy in an ape suit always looks like a guy in an ape suit, which gives it all a certain element of phoniness. So this is not one of my favorite films. County Hospital Released by MGM, 25 Jun 1932 - 2 reels Stan visits Oliver in the hospital and then attempts to drive him home. The first half of this film is very funny, in part because of Billy Gilbert's performance as an exasperated (and with good reason) doctor. Alas, the second half, in which Laurel (groggy from an accidental dose of anesthetic) drives Hardy in his car is a disappointment, owing to a poorly-done rear screen projection that goes on forever. It's a perfect example of how bad special effects — an occasional occurrence on the Roach lot — can sink a movie. The studio was reportedly going through an economy drive at the time, and that may have been the culprit here. Scram! Released by MGM, 10 Sept 1932 - 2 reels The Boys are vagrants, ordered by a stern judge to get outta town. As they are attempting to do this, they encounter Arthur Housman. Mr. Housman spent most of his film career portraying a drunk and he is tipsy as usual in this one, attempting to get into what he thinks is his house. Stan and Oliver attempt to assist him...and when it seems like he has lost his keys, they volunteer to break in. Yes, you see where this is going: It's not only not his home, it's the dwelling of the judge who sentenced them. By the time His Honor gets home, The Boys have met and begun sharing alcohol with the judge's wife, getting thoroughly plastered. A very funny short. Towed in a Hole Released by MGM, 31 Dec 1932 - 2 reels They're fish salesmen in this one, driving around, hawking seafood. In one of their all-time funniest dialogue scenes, Stan comes up with the notion that they should eliminate the middle man and catch the fish, as well as sell them. To this end, they pour their savings into purchasing a dilapidated boat and attempt to make it seaworthy. Unfortunately, if predictably, everything Mr. Laurel does causes damage and pain to Mr. Hardy, who finally has to lock Stan in the ship's hold to keep him out of the way. Even from there, Stan finds a way to botch things up. Finally, somehow, the ship gets finished, only to be destroyed by another bright idea of Mr. Laurel's. One of their best. Their First Mistake Released by MGM, 5 Nov 1932 - 2 reels Actually, it's by no means their first mistake...or their second or their third or their ninetieth. Ollie's marriage to Mae Busch is rocky and Stan comes up with maybe the worst suggestion he ever had in a career full of bad ideas. He suggests that what the Hardys need is a baby to bring them closer together. So Oliver, who spent his career following Stan's bad suggestions and paying the price, goes out and adopts one, only to return home and find out from a process server that Mrs. Hardy has left him and is suing for divorce. The rest of the film is actually rather charming as two inept men, who know nothing of taking care of a baby, take care of a baby. It's a funny premise, though it's odd that The Boys would choose to do it then. This short was released only two months after their feature, Pack Up Your Troubles, which was also about them getting stuck with taking care of, in that case, a slightly older little girl. Taken on its own though, Their First Mistake is a warm and funny little film. Twice Two Released by MGM, 25 Feb 1933 - 2 reels Stan and Ollie play each others' wives in what is, in this author's opinion, their poorest talkie for Roach. The "joke," such as it is, is worth about two minutes but throughout, the stars are encumbered by freakish get-ups, voices dubbed by actresses, and — in some scenes — by the special effects. Apparently, in light of the success of Brats, someone couldn't resist the gimmick but it ain't the same: Stan and Ollie were like little children; their screen characters did not make them like each others' wives. (In fairness, when we screened this one time at a film festival, the audiences howled...but it was mainly at how ridiculous The Boys looked when playing The Girls.) Me and My Pal Released by MGM, 22 Apr 1933 - 2 reels It's Mr. Hardy's wedding day but he can't seem to get to the ceremony, mostly due to a jigsaw puzzle purchased by his Best Man, Mr. Laurel. It consumes the attention of all who come near it and no one can budge until it's completed. This was one of the quietest, least-slapsticky films The Boys ever made for Roach but, in many ways, one of the cleverest, with an outstanding performance by Jimmy Finlayson. (After completing this short, which was shot after The Devil's Brother but released before, "Fin" left the U.S. for almost two years. He was greatly missed.) One of my favorite gags is in this short. It's where Hardy listens to Laurel being quoted in a radio interview about the Hardy nuptials and can't resist throwing in the non sequitur comment that the motion picture industry is still in its infancy. This was apparently quite a cliché in the business at the time. The Midnight Patrol Released by MGM, 3 Aug 1933 - 2 reels The Boys are policemen. Just how they became policemen is probably a funnier story than the one in this short, which is basically a switch on Night Owls but nowhere near as good. They ineptly investigate prowler calls and wind up bursting into the Police Chief's home and fearlessly arresting...the Police Chief. As always, there are moments of brilliance but as was too often the case, there's an abrupt, gruesome ending. I'd put this one way down on the list. Busy Bodies Released by MGM, 7 Oct 1933 - 2 reels Here's the plot summary: The boys work in a saw mill. End of plot summary. A lot of messy and painful actions ensue, many involving Sandford as a burly foreman, most of them quite funny. But it's one of those shorts that really doesn't build to anything and it was once cited by Roach himself to justify his occasional claim that Laurel was unmatched at gags but weak at the story end of things. There may have been something to his assertion that audiences of the time — the ones for whom this film was made — craved a bit more plot with their slapstick. Today, a genuine storyline with beginning, middle and end seems like unnecessary frosting for a Laurel and Hardy comedy — sometimes nice to have but there's plenty to enjoy without it. What Busy Bodies lacks in narrative, it more than makes up for with not only first-rate gags but wonderful interplay 'twixt Stan and Ollie. The finale — in which their car is bisected by a buzzsaw — is a terrific topper to it all. Wild Poses Released by MGM, 28 Oct 1933 - 2 reels Laurel and Hardy make the briefest cameo appearance in an Our Gang comedy about a door-to-door baby photographer. The Boys are seen for about ten seconds, dressed as babies and posing with an oversized chair possibly left over from Brats. (Or maybe, some have theorized, this was old test footage for that film.)
Dirty Work Released by MGM, 25 Nov 1933 - 2 reels They're chimney-sweeps in this one, so right off you know Ollie will be falling off the roof and/or down the chimney. Their client is a crazy old professor who is trying to perfect a "fountain of youth" potion which, as he demonstrates, can turn a duck back into an egg. The end gag, which I won't give away here, is what becomes of Ollie after Stan accidentally knocks him into a large vat of the serum. It's a pretty good gag, capping off a pretty good little short with some of Hardy's best reaction shots. Some of the rooftop antics are especially clever. Oliver The Eighth Released by MGM, Feb 1934 - 3 reels The Boys are barbers...a pretty funny concept, in itself. (Would you let those guys take a razor to your throat?) They come across a classified ad wherein a millionairess is advertising for a companion and both decide to respond. Ollie avoids mailing Stan's reply and, when he receives his invitation to meet the lady, he says farewell to his partner and heads for the mansion of his bride-to-be. Stan happens across his unmailed letter and hurries to the mansion on his own. In the meantime, Hardy finds that his intended is a few reels short of a feature film. She is beautiful but mad, having once been jilted by a man named Oliver. She is now devoted to slitting the throats of any man named Oliver...and guess who is in line to be her eighth? A funny short, marred only by a disappointing ending. Going Bye-Bye! Released by MGM, 23 Jun 1934 - 2 reels The Boys testify in court against hoodlum Walter Long, who swears revenge on them. Deciding to flee town, they seek out a traveling companion to share expenses and hook up with Mae Busch who wants to bring her boy friend along. Her boy friend is — you can smell it coming a block away — escaped prisoner Walter Long. If you can buy that coincidence, then it's smooth sledding with Stan and Babe thrust into a truly funny situation, and a great, scenery-devouring performance by badguy Long. At one point, he hides in a trunk and gets locked in. (People hiding in trunks were always bad luck for Stan and Ollie. See Unaccustomed As We Are.) The end gag is one of those "freak" cartoon gags that sometimes seem grotesquely out-of-place in a Laurel-Hardy...but this one plays pretty well. It's infinitely superior to the later feature, The Bullfighters, which put The Boys in a not-dissimilar dilemma. Them Thar Hills Released by MGM, 21 Jul 1934 - 2 reels Hardy's doctor (Gilbert) recommends a visit to the mountains but, when the boys get there, they run into (a) a supply of drinking water that has been spiked with moonshine and (b) a bickering couple, played by Charlie Hall and Mae Busch. In Hall's absence, The Boys and Busch get tipsy, which leads to a bout of "reciprocal destruction" when her husband returns. This was an enormously popular short at the time...so much so that it led to a sequel (Tit for Tat) but on the whole, it's a disappointment. The back-and-forth destroying of property had been done to death in earlier films, as had the Jealous Husband bit, and both seem to come out of left field here, given that the movie started out to be about getting away to the mountains. But the main problem for me is that Charlie Hall's playing the husband. Mr. Hall was fine in bit roles as delivery men and such but he lacked the range to handle a larger part, hitting the same annoyed note over and over. Worse, he's a short guy, so when Laurel and Hardy tangle with him, it's two big men ganging up on a little one. When The Boys did this bit with Finlayson, it was two-against-one but Fin wasn't that short, and he had a fiery energy that made him a more formidable opponent. Alas, he was out of the country when this short was made. The Live Ghost Released by MGM, 8 Dec 1934 - 2 reels Walter Long is the captain of a ship that is rumored to be haunted. This makes it hard for him to recruit a crew, so he hires Stan and Ollie to help him shanghai some sailors, and then brings them along for good measure. Captain Long forbids anyone to mention the rumor about his craft and informs all that if anyone dares say it, he'll twist their necks so far around that "when he's walking North, he'll be looking South." Later, The Boys get mixed up with what they think is a ghost (the eternally-inebriated Arthur Housman, drenched in whitewash) and after the expected panic, they blurt out about ghosts in the presence of Captain Long and...well, you can guess what happens. Before we get there though, we have what is probably the best of the "scared silly" comedies.
Tit For Tat Released by MGM, 5 Jan 1935 - 2 reels A sequel (of sorts) to Them Thar Hills. Stan and Ollie open an appliance shop and find themselves next door to Charlie Hall and Mae Busch, playing the same characters they'd encountered in the earlier film. Again, a bout of "reciprocal destruction" ensues over a misunderstanding...but the ritual seems stale and goes nowhere, Hall isn't very funny and again, it all comes down to two big guys beating up on a little guy. At least they added in the element of the law (James Morton) observing but not, until the end, intervening in the proceedings. I once showed this as the second of three shorts to a very large, otherwise-appreciative audience. They howled at every moment of Busy Bodies before it, and The Music Box after. But the only laughs for Tit For Tat came from the pure, easy slapstick — Hardy getting his nose burned, Hall having lard dumped on his head, etc. The gag where the chandeliers are smashed is one of those awkward gags where the special effects (wires, in this case) are so obvious that they kill the joke. The Fixer-Uppers Released by MGM, 9 Feb 1935 - 2 reels Stan and Ollie are greeting card salesmen who get mixed up in the romantic problems of a sultry customer played by Mae Busch. Her husband, she thinks, no longer loves her, and Stan comes up with one of his get-Ollie-in-trouble suggestions: Ollie should kiss her so that her husband will see it and realize how much he loves her. Incredibly, Hardy and Mae think this is a good idea so they do it...and the husband (Charles Middleton) is so upset that he challenges Ollie to a duel. This film, a loose remake of the silent Slipping Wives, gives Hardy some wonderful scenes but overall, it's quietly unsatisfying. Thicker Than Water Released by MGM, 16 Mar 1935 - 2 reels Jimmy Finlayson returned from overseas in time to be a part of The Boys' last starring short. Hardy inadvertently squanders all his money on a grandfather clock which is then destroyed. The loss of cash does not sit well with Mrs. Hardy, who puts her hubby in the hospital. An average short, it is most interesting for some clever "wipes" between scenes and for the end gag, wherein Stan and Ollie receive blood transfusions from each other, turning Laurel into Hardy and vice-versa. On The Wrong Trek Released by MGM, 18 Apr 1936 - 2 reels The Boys put in a fast cameo appearance in this otherwise-typical Charley Chase comedy. Chase, his wife and mother-in-law are on a hapless vacation trip and in one scene, they pass a number of seedy-looking hitchhikers — including Our Boys. Charles Parrott was the pseudonym Charley Chase sometimes used when he worked as a director. After this film, he made one more short for Roach before ending his long association with the studio and moving over to Columbia Pictures as a performer and director. The Tree in a Test Tube Produced in 1941 by U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service - 1 reel - COLOR A short public service film about the many uses of plastic. A week before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Laurel and Hardy shot their brief, wordless bit on the Fox lot. The narration for their scene was provided by Pete Smith, who was then producing and narrating very funny short subjects for MGM Only interesting because, as long as The Rogue Song remains lost, it's the only extant film The Boys made in color. |
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© 2007 Mark Evanier Hosted by Dreamhost |
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