Laughing Gravy

Laurel and Hardy sneak their dog, Laughing Gravy, into their room, despite the 'no pets' policy of landlord Charlie Hall.

The Boys seem to have been fond of the movie they could make about pets in boarding houses. They had already done ANGORA LOVE with a goat as their last silent movie, and would make THE CHIMP later, as well as dealing with gorillas, elephants, and Oxford undergraduates in their features. Here, they've got to deal not only with a desprately cold night, but Charlie Hall, like Stan, a graduate of the Fred Karno troupe.

The boys rent an apartment from Charley Hall, who always seems to be angry. They take in a dog and call him Laughing Gravy. Of course, there is a "no dogs allowed" policy in the place and this puts the crabby landlord to the test. Stan and Ollie try so hard to keep the dog without disturbing the landlord (actually without letting on that the dog is there). This leads to incredible physical demands on the two guys, who even end up on the roof at one time. It's touching to see how much they care, but they are not very wise in their choices of action. This is another one of those episodes which are shown over and over. I guess there are lots of dog lovers.

This is probably one of the more well-known of Laurel & Hardy's shorts. I remember when I was a kid this one was shown all the time – although without that extra reel, which wasn't re-discovered until 1985. They don't seem to show Laurel & Hardy shorts on TV anymore which is a real shame; there's a whole generation growing up knowing little about the duo.

In this one they try to conceal their little dog Laughing Gravy (possibly the only dog in cinema history to have a film named after him rather than the other way around) from their pint-size landlord, the permanently grumpy Charlie Hall. Of course, they're unsuccessful and when the landlord pitches the dog out into the snow, Ollie braves the elements to smuggle it back in. As always, the boys complicate things by attempting to haul Ollie up the side of the building using a couple of sheets tied together – with inevitable results. Although the snow is obviously fake and the location is a set, the film really does succeed in making you feel the cold as the boys slide around on the roof in their nightshirts.

There isn't that much dialogue in this film – or at least in the first twenty minutes – nearly all the humour is physical, punctuated by a number of long despairing looks into the camera from Ollie. Stan stares at the camera too on occasion, but you can tell there isn't much going on inside his character's head. He looks at the camera and you can almost hear the cogs creaking as they turn.

The laughs are pretty solid and arrive at fairly regular intervals until that final reel when things change entirely. It's not difficult to see why it was cut from the original because it just bears no relation to the rest of the film other than the fact that it is a protracted build up to a decent punch-line involving the dog.

Laughing Gravy (1931)

*** (out of 4)

2-reel version

Laurel and Hardy try to hide their pet dog from the landlord. I wouldn't say this short is overly funny but there's enough fun moments to keep it entertaining. All the stuff with the landlord is good but the stuff with the dog doesn't work as well. Hardy falling in a barrel of water is certainly the highlight.

Laughing Gravy (1931)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

extended 3-reel version

Foreign markets got this extended version with an extra reel, which really hurts the film. Nothing in this added reel is funny so it's no wonder why it was cut out in most places.

Laurel and Hardy are still together despite having one empty pocket book between them. They have a reasonable room in a hostel but have to keep their dog, Laughing Gravy, hidden from the landlord else they'll be put out on the street. One winter's night, Gravy's constant barking threatens to expose them so they take action to keep him hidden – with limited success.

As always, the Laurel and Hardy shorts are perhaps less important for their plot than they are for the often wonderful sequences that the plot device allows for. Here the plot device is an `illegal' (in terms of contract) dog. The ways they try to hide the dog and the consequences of their actions are funny without being wonderful. As usual Hardy's (and a lesser extent, Laurel's) looks to camera make it all better than it actually is.

Unusually for their shorts, the conclusion of the story allows for a scene of touching honesty between the two, as Hardy becomes quite vulnerable with Laurel. This was a refreshing addition to the mix which, while not tear jerking, was unexpected. As always (for me anyway) Hardy steals the show with his looks to camera but Laurel is as subtle as ever. Charlie Hall is making a bit too much effort but is OK.

Overall this isn't the greatest of their work but it is a good example of everything I love about them as a duo. Their talents make this short better than it probably should be.