Going Bye-Bye!

If you're a Laurel and Hardy fan, you know that anything with Mae Busch is a howl. GOING BYE BYE is filled with gags and one liners, exceptionally directed by Charley Rogers. He may have just let he cameras roll and had the boys improvise their material, which was the key to their success.

Stan and Ollie's testimony have locked away tough guy Walter Long --for LIFE. Of course, Long declares somehow, someway he'll get out of prison and wrap their legs around their necks! The boys decide to get outta' town fast and advertise for a companion to pay expenses. Who else but Mae Busch --Long's gal pal? As can be expected, he crashes out of the big house and there's trouble ahead.

Lots of goofy stuff; Long is locked inside a trunk and the boys try to get him out --not knowing who he is. By the way, watch the room fall apart during an explosion. The production folks were very creative.

Interesting footnote, mentioned many times; Stan Laurel liked using Walter Long as a heavy, because --as he put it --he had no comedic ability. Best as a bad guy with NO smiles.

Mae Busch is a stylish dresser in this one, looking just fabulous.

This short is one of a handful that was colored for vhs back in the 1980s and 90s, but the old black and white prints have never lost their charm. Also remastered dvd and blu ray. Thanks to both METV and MOVIES Net for running these gems daily.

This is so very funny. Walter Long plays Butch, a murderer who Stan and Ollie have helped convicted. With that stern, ugly, threatening smirk, Butch tells them in court that he will escape, catch them, and tie their legs around their necks. He goes off to prison, but, of course, he escapes and the fun starts. The boys leave town but they need some financial aid and advertise for a travelling companion. It turns out to be Mae Bush, who is Butch's girlfriend. The arrive a her apartment shortly after Butch, who hides in a steamer trunk. The boys are take with Mae who is quite voluptuous in a 1930's kind of way. Butch realizes he can't get out of the trunk and much of the episode involves the duo trying to get him out, not realizing they are about to seal their fates. Tremendous character acting by Long and a really great plot.

"Going Bye-Bye !" shows the screen's greatest comic double-act in brilliant form. It is in fact their last short comedy film classic - another five more two-reelers followed followed (though only one of these - "Them Thar Hills" - approaches the standard of this one). Long is at his fearsome best, and the dialogue ("Excuse me, I have milk in my ear"), characterisations and slapstick are wonderful. This is up there with Stan and Ollie's best. A must.

Doing their civic duty for once, Laurel and Hardy are witnesses in a case that sees a violent felon go down for life. The criminal swears bloody revenge and Laurel and hardy decide it's best for them to leave town. Needing help with the gas money they advertise for a travelling companion and their luck is in when a lady replies. Meanwhile the criminal escapes jail and heads to his girlfriend's house for shelter – just before our heroes arrive to pick her up as their travelling companion.

Despite the dark starting to this film it turns out to be very funny. The film worried me a little as it appeared to be slightly violent in it's threats etc at the start but it soon feel back into routines and slapstick that they do so well. The later routines with the trunk were a little disappointing as they were uninspired but still quite funny – in fact once the criminal turns up in the flat it all had an air of inevitability about it that sapped the film's energy a bit.

Nevertheless it is still funny and Oliver and Stan are on good form in the early scenes with both good physical work and nice dialogue based routines between the two. It isn't one of their best that I've seen but even them on an off day is very funny and well worth a watch.

The critic in me says that the entire film is structured for the sole purpose of the sight gag with which the film ends. But, OH, WHAT A SIGHT GAG!

I saw this the other night at a local arts club screening, but available nowhere else. Why isn't this (or for matter, their masterpiece "The Music Box") on video?