Der Prinz im Fahrstuhlschacht

"Must" viewing for all Stan and Ollie fans, as they make short shrift of an upscale hotel. It's also worth viewing for what is surely the only erotic moment in a Laurel & Hardy fan, as Stan causes Jean Harlow to inadvertently lose her dress. In R-rated terms it's nothing, but for 1929, it's pretty darn

I just rewatched two versions of this Laurel & Hardy comedy short: the original silent one on YouTube with an organ score and the sound-dubbed one on VHS with Chuck McCann providing the voices from a script (of which one of the lines is perhaps one of the earliest instances of Ollie saying "Here's another nice mess you've gotten me into") by Al Kilgore mostly matching the lip movements of the players and music provided by Miles Kreuger (with of course Marvin Hatley's L & H theme of "The Cuckoo Song" mixed in). Both are pretty hilarious whichever version you watch especially when the tit-for-tat shenanigans come in. And what a great scene when the about-to-become-legendary star Jean Harlow makes her appearance and then has her dignity almost shattered! Actually, her first take was supposedly even more revealing but I've yet to see any evidence of that. Oh well! Unlike later entries when Stan usually accepts some of Ollie's abuse, he gives it as well here which is often refreshing to see. Also providing a good turn is usual L & H nemesis Charlie Hall as a taxi driver who gets more than enough of Ollie's whistle. I also liked Tiny Sandford as a policeman and especially Captain John Peters as the von Stroheim-like Prince who was actually his double in his movies. About the voices: Chuck got Mr. Laurel's right but is a bit off concerning both Mr. Hall's and Mr. Hardy's, especially concerning the latter's laugh. Still, like I said, both versions of Double Whoopee is highly recommended.

For years there has been a half-truth among Hollywood lore that Howard Hughes "discovered" Jean Harlow when he cast her to star in HELL'S ANGELS. While this may have been her first big role, she'd already appeared in quite a few shorts for the Hal Roach Studios. This film, in fact, was the second Laurel and Hardy film in which she appeared (the other being LIBERTY). While her role is not huge, it's very clear that this is Jean--though her 1930s trademark looks are not present in DOUBLE WHOOPEE.

Aside from Jean, it's pretty much an average to below average Laurel and Hardy film. I think most of this is because while funny, the chemistry isn't quite right here, though it's hard to exactly put my finger on it. It just didn't seem quite like a Laurel and Hardy film--and by 1929 the style and format of their shorts was pretty much established.

The boys play employees that are sent by an agency to work at a nice New York hotel. At the same time, a rich European prince arrives and the folks at the hotel mistake Stan and Ollie for the prince and his Prime Minister. After finally discovering the mistake, they put the boys to work.

There are two main "big gags" in this film. The first involves a contrived bit involving an incredibly unsafe elevator. Through no fault of Stan and Ollie, the Prince keeps falling down the elevator shaft. This bit was a bit over-used and also had me wondering if they really made elevators like this. If so, then I am surprised that most Americans weren't killed! The second is a series of bit like you'd see in other Laurel and Hardy films such as TIT FOR TAT and TWO TARS. A small argument escalates and Ollie and a tough guy (Charles Hall--in a very typical role for him) start destroying each other's clothes--and Stan joining in for good measure. This bit is reprised later inside the hotel with the other hotel employees and soon everyone is fighting and destroying each other's outfits. Both gags are reasonably funny to watch but also seem amazingly contrived if not impossible--making the humor just a bit forced. Still, it's not a bad film at all, though one that is best remembered for a small part played by a young and relatively inexperienced Jean Harlow.

Laurel and Hardy are the new doorman and footman at a Times Square hotel. The agency thinks there's some rason to believe they are competent. Oviously, they've never met the Boys.

There are also a motley assortment of hotel guests, including Jean Harlow before she was anything more than a stunning blonde, and Erich von Stroheim's double doing a deadly imitation of Von.

You can see that they;'ve already made the shift to sound shorts with UNACCUSTOMED AS WE ARE, which was released two weeks before this. Not only are there plenty of sound effects, but the titles for dialogue are the sort of lines they would speak, reflections of their screen personalities. There's no shortage of laughs in this one.

Nothing too remarkable just some good old fashioned entertainment.

The story of this movie is definitely not the strongest and is quite simple as well as formulaic, especially in the beginning. Luckily the movie later turns into a more slapstick like filled silent comedy shorts, with as a result some memorable funny sequences.

There are certainly some good comical sequences in this movie, which help to distinct this movie from other early Laurel & Hardy silent comedy shorts. Also the characters are fun and deliciously over-the-top. I especially liked the prince and his prime minister, for who at first our two boys were mistaken. The moments with them were the one's that made me laugh the most, despite the fact that it mostly was just nothing more than a constantly returning continuity joke.

The famous Jean Harlow also plays a part in this movie. Her presence works uplifting for the movie and also probably help to make this movie more of a memorable one than it in fact truly is on its own.

Not the best or most interesting Laurel & Hardy silent comedy shorts but enough things present to make this movie a better than average one.

7/10

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