Laughing Gravy

"Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy stuck together through thick and thin; one pocketbook between them - always empty." - The opening title card of Laughing Gravy.

Laurel and Hardy's comedy short Laughing Gravy is probably the funniest thing in film that ever dealt with the ideas of hypothermia and suicide, let alone those two topics together. In a humorous and well-spent twenty minutes, we see Laurel and Hardy as roommates in a small apartment, housing their dog they nickname "Laughing Gravy" against the landlord's policies. After the dog's incessant barking wakes up the landlord, along with Laurel and Hardy breaking their bed and having the plaster on the wall crumble on top of him, the landlord (Charlie Hall) finds the dog and proceeds to throw him out the window. This leads to a series of comedic improvising by Laurel and Hardy to get the dog back as soon as they can, as well as not waking their landlord up from his slumber.

Laughing Gravy is simplicity well done, as the general bulk of Laurel and Hardy shorts are. The most evident issue here, however, is that this is an early talkie short, so you get the feeling that writer H.M. Walker, at that time, wasn't totally sure of how to structure dialog for a short/feature-film. As asinine as that sounds, after we've been graced in America with films with sound for over eight decades, it's easy to overlook that idea. However, the lack of distinguished dialog and conversation in Laughing Gravy had the ability to make me forget I was watching a short with sound half the time, as music constantly plays in the background.

Other than that, there's little else to say about Laughing Gravy other than the situational comedy in the picture works for a surprising twenty minutes, and that the ending, as unexpected as it is, finds ways to be darkly funny in a way I would've never expected an American short from the early thirties to be. The short is a simple, effective piece of early-American comedy, but not on par with the numerous other fantastic shorts of Laurel and Hardy, or the ones directed by James W. Horne.

Starring: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Charlie Hall, and Harry Bernard. Directed by: James W. Horne.

The humor of Laughing Gravy operates on the premises that 99% of the audience are pet lovers. Therefore anything that Stan and Ollie do to keep their little pooch Laughing Gravy from being tossed out to the elements of winter is absolutely justified. Even if landlord Charlie Hall has a no pet rule in his establishment.

And so most of the film is spent with them trying to get the little guy past the watchful eye of Hall. Remember this is the dead of winter with snow falling on the ground. Best moment in the film is poor Ollie in his nightshirt falling into a rain barrel partly frozen over. I get susceptible to pneumonia just looking at him.

The last part of the film also has Laurel getting $1000.00 inheritance from his uncle providing he severs all connection with Oliver Hardy who has held him back for years. Funny thing is that those are precisely the words Ollie said about Stan.

The World Court in The Hague would have a problem deciding on the merits of counter lawsuit has to who held back who. You be your own judge.

Stan and Ollie do prove that friendship can survive a lot.

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.

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.

This is a very typical Laurel & Hardy short. It's filled with some typical and very well executed slapstick humor. This is a great example of how a Laurel & Hardy movie should be.

It's no secret that Laurel & Hardy made their best picture together in the early '30's. This movie is definitely one of their greatest and most enjoyable ones.

The first halve of the movie is mostly filled with slapstick comedy. It's most definitely the best part of the movie. The comical slapstick moments are typical and amazingly funny, mostly due to the fact how well executed and timed they are. The second halve of the movie drags on for a bit too long and doesn't rely anymore so much on its slapstick and visual humor. If only the movie would had been about 10 minutes shorter, how great than it would had been. Not saying that it isn't great or enjoyable enough now but yet the movie had more potential of becoming truly one of the greatest or most memorable Laurel & Hardy shorts.

Their mishaps with Laughing Gravy the dog are funny and provide the movie with its best moments. Also good are the comical moments with the landlord played by Laurel & Hardy regular Charlie Hall, who of course doesn't like the boys having living a dog around in his house. Still it makes me wonder why they didn't gave James Finlayson the part and why didn't Arthur Houseman played the drunk in this one? I missed the both of them in this movie and I had the feeling that the movie would had been even a more fun one with them.

A near perfect slapstick comedy, that more or less falls short of greatness in its second halve, which prevent this movie from being the best or most memorable Laurel & Hardy comedy short but nevertheless it's one of their most fun and typical comedy shorts around.

8/10

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