They Go Boom!

Sometimes the simplest of situation comedies work the best, and so it proves with THEY GO BOOM! Essentially, Ollie's suffering from the sniffles and Stan tries to cure him, and that's all there is to it. But what a journey unfolds over the 20 minute running time here! The gags start out on familiar ground before becoming more and more elaborate as they go on, and each of the boys seems to be subjected to endless injury and physical peril. Of course, it all builds to an explosive scenario at the climax that the title hints at, and as usual the sheer amount of stunts, physical destruction and sight gags make it a delight.

"They Go Boom" is a typical example of how Laurel and Hardy could achieve comedy gold via the most simple means. They never needed extravagant production values or generous filming schedules in order to be very funny. The comedy flowed very naturally and resulting from needing a few simple props and basic sets. "They Go Boom" is one of them. The laughs come so thick and fast, I have to hold my sides together! The setting is a rooming house and the comedy all takes place in one room - ideal. Ollie is in bed with the flu and as if that isn't bad enough, Stan attempts to cure him...... Poor Ollie is sneezing away as Stan creates so much havoc in his sincere efforts to help his friend. Charlie Hall plays the rather surly landlord (who else?) and soon makes his feelings known after being awoken in the night. Don't miss this classic!

Ollie has a late night cold and Stan tries to help him get over it, much to the annoyance of the irritable landlord.

I am endeavoring to work my way through the new release of "The Essential Laurel & Hardy" which finally gives the boys the DVD treatment they deserve in the United States. I have seen all of their films many times over the years, but now I have the opportunity to finally watch them in chronological order. That, perhaps, was not a wise choice. I always found a number of their early talkies weak, and I regret having to report that here in my reviews. "They Go Boom" is another example. The staging of the film feels claustrophobic, and the situation simply doesn't offer enough opportunities for comic inventiveness. There are some good moments scattered throughout, but it overall concept is better executed later in the film "Laughing Gravy."

Not a classic. For fans only.

Laurel and Hardy made a ton of comedy shorts so it was inevitable that they'd have a few disappointments. While this film is watchable and mildly amusing in spots, it is certainly not a very good film by their standards. The problem was the script. It was incredibly mundane and unexciting and was later remade in much funnier ways. For example, the same basic plot and landlord (Charlie Hall) return for LAUGHING GRAVY. It wasn't a huge improvement, but adding the dog and allowing some of the action to take place outside really helped to pick up the pace. But with THEY GO BOOM!, it's all contained in their small apartment and the entire movie revolves around two unfunny gags--Ollie overreacting after he gets a cold and Stan mucking up the attempts to alleviate Ollie's sneezing as well as a rather lame joke about over-inflating the air mattress. It's worth seeing, but there are so many better Laurel and Hardy films I recommend this one to devoted fans only.

These guys work in two modes. The mode I like is brilliant, when Stan basically looks at the camera in gasping anguish for what punishment is upon him. It is the first example of direct dialog with the audience while keeping in character.

The other mode is this, which is the same basic gags that dozens of others were up to: The flypaper joke. The feather joke, the blowing up the fat guy joke.

Go elsewhere if you want to see better comedy. But look at this if you have any illusions about them portraying borderline homosexuals. Its not just a matter of passing interest because much of Laurel's manner became adopted by later portrayals of gays and thus "stuck" to the subculture.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.