The Music Box

The Music Box was the first programme on TV that I saw my daughter really laugh at, aged 14 months in 1981, when the piano dragged Ollie at speed down the steps yet again. Probably also the first thing I laughed at too and at the moment the last in the latest of hundreds of times! Well, Laurel & Hardy shaped my and millions of others' senses of humour so I like to think hers was as well. Kids today who get the chance to see this and who can't get past the pre-digital black & white images to the gold that lies within are not only missing a treat but are probably also making an crucial life-choice too. All of the human condition is contained herein, therefore making it essential viewing also for extra-terrestrials!

They have to deliver a piano to an address - all kinds of catastrophes follow thick and fast. The gags are so perfectly written and executed, and are as utterly relentless as Stan & Ollie's drive to deliver the piano come Hell or pond-water. High-class slapstick disasters follow each other every minute of the 27 (un-remastered version), usually happening to Ollie - although Billy Gilbert's cosy little love-nest was looking a little dishevelled by the climax! The steps have been a Los Angeles tourist attraction for many years now, maybe the most fitting monument to L & H that there could be - if you like this little film that is!

All in all and probably predictably my favourite L & H outing, notwithstanding the similar brilliance of Sons Of The Desert, County Hospital, Thicker than Water, Busybodies, Below Zero etc etc etc.

Put simply, this is the funniest movie of all time. I cannot believe that there is anyone in the world who can watch this film and not be in hysterics by the last scene. Laurel and Hardy provided the template for all (and I mean all) comedy films that followed, and this was their absolute best.

Mr Laurel and Mr Hardy, a piano and a house right at the top of a flight of steps. Sounds like a recipe for success, and it is.

'The Music Box' sees our dysfunctional heroes as delivery men who have to take a large, heavy piano to the house of the von Schwarzenhoffens (the mad professor and the twittery wife, typically staple characters of comedy shorts). First they have to get it to the house (up a lot of steps!), then they have to get it inside, installed, and working.

A small supporting cast of tiny cameo roles includes Lilyan Irene as a giggly nursemaid, Billy Gilbert as the blustering Professor, and Charlie Hall as the smart Alec postie. The delight of 'The Music Box' is watching Laurel and Hardy themselves, consummate comedy performers, with their slapstick and their engaging personalities.

This is one of the great classics of comedy, with Laurel & Hardy at their very best. It has a wealth of good material, and also shows their ability to extract every possible laugh from a relatively simple situation. It also includes appearances by Billy Gilbert and Charlie Hall, two of their best supporting players.

Stan and Ollie are delivering an old-fashioned player piano (or music box) to a house at the top of a hill. They encounter one difficulty after another getting it up to the top, and when they do, their troubles are just beginning. They use the situation to set up a lot of creative gags, all delivered with excellent timing.

There isn't any description that could really do justice to this hilarious short film - if you enjoy classic comedy, you will want to see "The Music Box" for yourself, so that you can enjoy two masters of comedy at their best.

I've got to be honest and say that I haven't seen many Laurel and Hardy shorts, but when I do see one, I usually find myself laughing uncontrollably and this is definitely the best one I've seen. This short sees everyone's favourite bumbling workmen trying to haul a piano up a huge flight of stairs. Of course, everything goes to plan and they get the piano to the top of the stairs without any trouble whatsoever...ahem. Naturally, Laurel and Hardy encounter all manner of trouble during their plight, which leads to a number of hilarious situations. Laurel and Hardy works because the humour is so good-hearted and blends together with various different styles magnificently. Obviously, slapstick is the order of the day; but there's also more than enough dry wit and irony to keep everyone happy. There's a number of highly amusing sequences, too many to mention and I recommend simply watching the film. It's a must see anyway.