Runtime: 65 minutes
Directed by: William A. Seiter
Starring: Laurel & Hardy, Charley Chase, Mae Busch, Dorothy Christy
From: MGM
This month on TCM they are showing a decent amount of Laurel & Hardy films, both shorts and feature length. As I haven't viewed much of this classic cinematic duo & this is arguably their most famous work... at least on Letterboxd it is the most highly regarded.
The plot is not too terribly complex: our duo are members of a fraternal lodge obviously modeled on The Shriners; their original name was the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. This is why both wear fez hats and their leaders dressed in stereotypical Arabic person garb. Anyhow, there's an oath to attend their annual convention in Chicago. Laurel & Hardy can't go because their spouses won't allow it. They don't fit entirely into the “nagging wives” stereotype... for starters, one of them had a scheduled trip “to the mountains.” Via subterfuge, they concoct a ruse where they go anyway. Of course, the ladies discover they were lied to; this leads to a comedy of errors from the boys once they return to SoCal.
Personally, this worked like gangbusters. In a little more than an hour, there is no shortage of humor... puns, slapstick, one-liners, absurd situations, visual gags, comedic bits that could go on for a few minutes, malapropisms, characters acting drunker than Cooter Brown due to them having “some of the bubble water”, and I don't mean Bubly... I laughed often. Besides the leads being an incredible duo because of their impeccable timing w/ each other, the rest of the main cast brought their A-game. Both Busch and Christy (the wives) were funny in what could have been shrill roles and Charley Chase-a silent star who is mostly forgotten now-played his part right as a very maddening intoxicated lodge member.
Later in the month it is all but guaranteed that I'll see more from this duo.
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