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It seems like manna from heaven when Stan and Ollie are sitting by the river with Laurel dropping in a line for some dinner and Ollie messing it up for a change. Then Ollie finds a stray newspaper with an advertisement for the relatives of the late Ebenezer Laurel to meet at the usual grim old mansion.

But it ain't for a will reading it's the police wanting to sort through the relatives over who might have murdered the old guy for his loot.

After that it's a series of haunted house gags that the boys go through, the highlight being a bat in a bedsheet that everyone thinks is a ghost. Laurel is even willing to give up his possible riches.

In the end the boys find it all really doesn't matter.

This is one of the most original films Laurel and Hardy made together. In so many of their wonderful shorts, there is a tendency to repeat the same themes again and again, so I was thrilled at this film. Now it isn't the funniest film they ever made, though it is better than average and provided some excellent laughs. The film begins with Stan and Ollie in their usual situation--they are hungry and don't have a job. However, Ollie sees a classified ad seeking to disburse a fortune to a man who Stan happens to be related to! However, just before they walk in to claim the fortune, the police announce that the uncle was murdered and everyone--including Stan and Ollie, are suspects. The rest of the film are the to be expected haunted house gags, but they are done very well. And the conclusion is also done excellently. The film is a nice departure and one I strongly recommend you see if you want a laugh.

This is another L & H short that deviates in some way from the general pattern of them; but this time, the central tennet is drastically different: the boys are implicated in a frankly absurd murder case. Dell Henderson's wonderfully creaking, slow turn, is a comic parody of horror movie 'housekeepers' and butlers before Universal horror really took off. I like the way an authority figure is sent up (as often in L & H); this time a bumbling, melodramatic detective, the actor hamming it up for all it was worth. There's barely a bone in this film's skeleton that isn't light and giddily brittle; only the early scene of Ollie musing on his friendship with Stan, the two of them sitting by the waterside, really seems like a typically L & H scene. And beautifully played and written it is too. It has that comic pathos that is entirely relinquished by the film from then on.

The remainder of this picture spirals off into the most obvious, overplayed silliness; but I loved it. Laurel and Hardy in a creaking, almost chuckling set, standing in for a haunted house; absurd, devilish do propagated by a leering, comatose housekeeper; predictable gags; a bat or two. Just bring it all to mind, and smile... give it a viewing some day, and I'm sure you'll be amused. "The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case" is a wonderfully enjoyable short; and a refreshing variant within their very consistent, fine work during this pre-feature length era.

Rating:- ****/*****

A little longer and more slow-paced than most of their short features, "The Laurel & Hardy Murder Case" combines the duo's usual comedy gags with some old-fashioned gloomy-old-house atmosphere. When Stanley reads in the paper about the death of a rich man named Laurel, he and Ollie head to the house for the reading of the will, hoping that Stanley will inherit something. Instead, they are soon caught up in a murder mystery and a series of spooky/comic events. The attention paid to the ominous house and occupants slows things down, and makes this a lot less frantic than their best comedies, but it is still entertaining, and has a couple of hilarious sequences.

The Boys read that the heirs of Ebenezer Laurel should present themselves at his mansion for a reading of the will. Naturally, Mr. Hardy sees riches in front of his eyes, which he will share with Mr. Hardy. However, there is no will. It's a set-up by the police, in the form of perpetual dumb cop Fred Kelsey to trap the old man's murderer.

It's pretty elaborate for Laurel and Hardy, with an immense cast; they were quite capable of making a great short with just the two of them, and Charlie Hall to fight. Because of that, the cast takes up too much time, with too little of the boys being scared out of their.... well, they never had much in the way of wits before.

***SPOILERS FOR EMILY***

This is one of Laurel & Hardy's weaker short film entries from Hal Roach Studios. It suffers from a repetitive script and an ending that feels so tacked-on that I can't help but wonder if the crew realized they were filming a mess with no good resolution.

The byplay between Stan and Oliver is the bright spot, though some of the gags in the bedroom scene are a little too hokey to get much of a laugh - that has to be the fakiest fake bat I've EVER seen in a movie.

The opening scene, with the Boys fishing off the pier, contains most of the movie's funniest material. You can always find something good about even the weakest Laurel & Hardy film.

As a spoof of murder-mystery movies and plays this movie is great fun. It has all the clichés from that genre in it and perfectly spoofs those clichés and characters in this movie. The movie has the usual suspects in it and a police inspector (Fred Kelse) who tries to solve the case. Yes, like I said before, it perfectly spoofs some of the murder-mystery clichés. As a spoof it sill applies today.

The 'spooky' elements of the movie are also a welcome addition and provides the movie with some fun moments. Seeing the boys being chased by a white-sheet is a pretty funny sighting. Frank Austin is also perfectly spooky as the stereotype old butler.

Too bad that the pace of the movie isn't the best at times. The movie is dragging on for too long at times, which makes some of the jokes feel stretched out a bit too much.

It overall does have its moments, especially when it spoofs the murder-mystery genre but it's a bit too much dragging movie to find it a hilarious one, or a must-see for the Laurel & Hardy lovers among us.

7/10

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A LAUREL & HARDY Comedy Short.

Hoping to inherit the $3,000,000 left by the murdered Ebenezer Laurel, the Boys find themselves spending a terrified evening in haunted Laurel Mansion, full of things that go bump in the night & the usual (disappearing) suspects. Who will be left to solve THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE?

An elaborate little film, somewhat longer than usual, with lots of fine Gothic touches. It's a shame it has such a weak ending. Highlight: the bat under the sheet. That's Frank Austin as the creepy butler & Fred Kelsey as the police detective.

One of my favourite's of their shorts. I actually found this short pretty creepy not only as a 8 year old but still now at 16, like the scenes with the butler and the chair. The gags are pretty good as well like the bat under the sheets. The plot involves Stan and Ollie paying a visit to the home of Stan's distant relative; the great Ebenezeer Laurel to hear the reading of his will. What they don't realise is that the Ebenezeer was murdered. At the house L&H are forced to stay by a pretty grumpy detective as he suspects one of the relatives to be responsible and the plot carries on from that. Overall a great spoof on the 'old dark house' genre and definitely a must for not only L&H fans but of the classic horror/mystery genre.

The only problem I have with the Laurel and Hardy shorts is that the memory cheats a little , that is watching many many years after I first saw them as a child they`re not as funny as I first remembered due to the technical aspects of film making of the time . The shorts are rather stagey , slightly stilted . But if you can forgive that you`ll have no problem enjoying Stan and Ollie.

And I consider MURDER CASE to be just about the best L&H short . Classic moments are the bat hidden in the bed sheet , the picture illuminated on the wall , and the tailors dummy , scenes that had me laughing out loud. The only weak point is - as many reviewers have noted - the cop out ending which I suppose may have been fresh in 1930 but has been done to death by too many lazy writers since then

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were comedic geniuses, individually and together, and their partnership was deservedly iconic and one of the best there was. They left behind a large body of work, a vast majority of it being entertaining to classic comedy, at their best they were hilarious and their best efforts were great examples of how to do comedy without being juvenile or distasteful.

Although a vast majority of Laurel and Hardy's previous efforts ranged from above average to very good ('45 Minutes from Hollywood' being the only misfire and mainly worth seeing as a curiosity piece and for historical interest, and even that wasn't a complete mess), 'The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case' is nearly one of the best and funniest Laurel and Hardy short films up to this point of their output, one of their best from their overall early work and very nearly one of my personal favourites of theirs. Their filmography, apart from a few bumps along the way, was getting better and better and 'The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case' exemplifies this.

It does though have the odd sluggish moment but the only real fault here for me was the ending which like others have said felt very tacked on.

'The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case' is non-stop funniness all the way, with one of the better first halves for any Laurel and Hardy effort at this point of their output. There is insane craziness that doesn't get too silly, a wackiness that rarely loses its energy and the sly wit is here, some of the material may not be massively innovative but how it's executed actually feels fresh and it doesn't get repetitive. On top of the comic touches, there is genuine spookiness and suspense as well as a great Gothic atmosphere.

Laurel and Hardy are on top form here, both are well used, both have material worthy of them and they're equal rather than one being funnier than the other (before Laurel tended to be funnier and more interesting than Hardy, who tended to be underused). Their chemistry feels like a partnership here too, before 'Two Tars' you were yearning for more scenes with them together but from that point and in 'The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case' we are far from robbed of that.

'The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case' looks good visually with some nice Gothic touches, has energy and the direction gets the best out of the stars, is at ease with the material and doesn't let it get too busy or static. The supporting players are solid.

Concluding, great. 9/10 Bethany Cox

It seems like every comedic team has to have at least one go at the "spooky old house in a dark and stormy night" genre, and this is Laurel and Hardy's turn. Unfortunately, the film is too sluggishly paced and suffers from a poor ending, though there is one good gag involving a bat and a bedsheet. I actually think the police inspector is funnier than the boys in this one! ** out of 4.

The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case (1930)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Laurel and Hardy have been out of work for nearly a decade when they read the paper and see that their luck might have changed. The relative of Laurel's has died and is leaving his estate of three million dollars. The two dimwits find themselves at the will reading and learn that the relative was actually murdered and they're going to have to spend the night.

THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE is really a spoof of those "old dark house" movies that were so popular during the silent era and would remain popular throughout the 1930's. This really is a terrific spoof as the two comic legends are in fine form and the screenplay perfectly pokes fun at some clichés like the creepy butler and the fainting woman. The first fifteen minutes mainly has dialogue jokes and some pretty good ones but it's the second half of the film that really comes to life as we get some terrific physical gags including a hilarious one dealing with Laurel sneaking back under the covers. Best dialogue:

Hardy: Is your uncle alive?

Laurel: Nope, he died of a broken neck. Fell through a trap door.

Hardy: Was he building a house?

Laurel: No, they were hanging him.

Since my favorite type of screwball comedy is a mixture of horror and laughs, THE LAUREL HARDY MURDER CASE fits that bill nicely. After a beginning where the boys are penniless living on a pier, they hear about an inheritance when Stan's rich uncle dies. Off they go to a very haunted looking mansion where anything can happen--and does.

It's really a spoof of all the old haunted house stories, while a heavy thunderstorm rages outside. The spooky butler is played by FRANK AUSTIN, a frightful looking man who makes the most of his butler role.

But all of the laughs come courtesy of headliners Laurel and Hardy, especially good at looking straight at the camera after a misfired gag, or performing physical stunts while they think they're being chased by a white sheet (actually a bat has entered the house and flown under their bedsheets).

Good horror atmosphere throughout and plenty of sight gags that should keep fans of the duo happy enough.

"The Laurel and Hardy Murder Case" suffers from a lack of really good gags and weak dialogue. The film still has quite a good atmosphere, given the storyline. Stan is led to believe that he has inherited part of his late uncle's estate. As it happens, his relative was supposedly murdered but this is never really covered in the script. A bit of a disappointment but the best talkie films were still to come!

Laurel & Hardy were sufficiently established as a team by 1930 for this film to actually carry their name in the title.

Far from their best, it's one of their silliest films - complete with a prologue with emphatic whoops and peeps on the soundtrack - and compares badly with the superficially similar 'Oliver the Eighth' (which employs the same - SPOILER COMING - framing device) in parodying silent murder mysteries like 'The Cat and the Canary' set in a spooky old house, presumably a standing set, atmospherically lit by future director George Stevens.

As in all the best murder mysteries the house is populated by a memorable collection of ghouls, notably Frank Austin as a tombstone-faced butler who looks even scarier when he smiles; while Fred Kelsey makes his only appearance with the boys as the obligatory dumb cop.

The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case is another subversive Laurel and Hardy short because it takes the principles of horror and etches them into the structure and formula of comedy, using two of the biggest comedy stars at the time and giving them a truly unique piece of work to play with. The short opens with Laurel and Hardy sitting dockside, unemployed and waywardly fishing, when Hardy notices in the paper a man by the name of "Ebeneezer Laurel" has died and left a $3 million fortune to his heir. Despite Laurel not being able to recall any of his family members (or birthplace for that matter), the two venture to the late Laurel's mansion to hopefully claim such a lofty fortune that would result in the two never having to work again.

At that point, the brazen comedy of the Laurel and Hardy short is just about over, with only sporadic one-liners interjecting themselves in to break the tension of the short. When Laurel and Hardy arrive at the mansion, they discover Laurel was murdered and that the entire family is reuniting to try and pinpoint who committed the crime. In the meantime, the mansion's eerie butler (Frank Austin) forces them to spend the night, where Laurel and Hardy are kept awake by frightening houseguests and startling portraits and statues plastered all over the home.

Consider the scene where the mansion's butler informs Laurel and Hardy they'll be spending the night; notice the way he careens over edge of the door, with his elongated hand grabbing the side of the door panel while staring at both Laurel and Hardy. Before disappearing behind the wall, the man looks as if his teeth are escaping outside of his mouth, with the boys looking at the man in an understandably fearful way before he just leaves the frame entirely. It is one of the creepiest, most unsettling scenes in a black and white film that I have ever seen, especially in a comedy.

Director James Parrott and writer H.M. Walker create an atmosphere for The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case, taking a lofty idea, filling it with dread and unpredictable circumstances, and splicing the tension with pleasant diversions in the form of comic genius from two men capable of delivering it and then some. The film works wonderfully on both horror and comedic levels, and provides for one of the most unique additions to the shorts of the 1930's that I have yet to see.

Starring: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, and Frank Austin. Directed by: James Parrott.

While sleeping as Stan is fishing, Ollie is awakened not only by Stan's fish wiggling under his posterior but also by a newspaper page hitting his face. On that page, Ollie sees an item that says to go to the Ebenezer Laurel mansion for the reading of the will. So Stan might be in for some money, eh? When they arrive, the police detective says Ebenezer was murdered and he wants all relatives to stay put including Stan & Ollie. I'll stop there and say while there's plenty of funny stuff during the fishing scene, it's a little less so in the haunted house one though the atmosphere there is chillingly compelling so there's that. Having said that, The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case was pretty entertaining. So that's a recommendation. Next, I'll go from Stan maybe not getting his possible inheritance to Lou Costello possibly getting his in Comin' Down the Mountain.

THE STORY & (Pseudo)GENRE -- This is a "scare-comedy" with a cop-out ending.

THE VERDICT -- Actually very funny. There's no reason why anyone should scowl while watching.

FREE ONLINE -- Yes, in both b/w and later colorized versions. Officially this is 30 minutes long, so you'll have to check speed or content versus 29-minute videos found online.

If you love Laurel and Hardy, you'll like this! Not only is it witty, but clever as well. By this I mean to say the two silly boys show their cleverness in getting themselves out of some very witty situations. How did this pudgy-faced minstrel and his awkward looking partner ever become so popular anyway? Oh well, no matter. We shall continue to enjoy their outrageously hilarious short subjects for many more years to come. Don't miss this remarkable true story about two vagrant bums who dream up a scheme to murder their rich uncle Alfred in order to collect the insurance money. All this and more. It's an excellent film, and everyone ought to see it.