Metti i pantaloni a Philip

Although the slight premise limits what it can do, this earlier Laurel and Hardy comedy has some very funny moments. The whole feature depends on just a couple of very simple comedy ideas, but Stan and Ollie are able to get good laughs out of lesser material than that. The goofy nature of the material would probably have led to a flop with most other performers, so this feature really depends on its stars to make it work.

Laurel plays a young Scot coming to the USA, wearing a kilt and bringing an overly enthusiastic eye for women, while Hardy plays his unfortunate uncle who has to keep an eye on him. Laurel successfully fits his style in with the premise, blending his familiar screen persona with that of a red-blooded Scot. Hardy has to play the straight man for much of the movie, but his expressions in the part work well, and he also gets a couple of chances to take the spotlight for himself.

The comedy writing in this one is, honestly, not that great. After a while, it just keeps coming back to the same couple of gags, and only the lively presence and fine comic timing of the two stars makes it work. But it still offers some good laughs that make it worth seeing.

Stan Laurel regarded PUTTING PANTS ON PHILIP as the first ‘true' L&H film. THE SECOND HUNDRED YEARS was the first 'official' L&H film, but this was the one where Stan completely resigned himself not only to performing (he had signed on with the Hal Roach Studios as a director and 'gag-man', before certain situations - among them Oliver Hardy's accident with a leg of lamb leading to Stan having to replace him; and the extra money that performing would provide for himself and his new wife, Lois - brought about his historic return to performing, as well as writing, directing, editing and involvement in other areas of production), but also realised the fact that he was part of a team that worked well together. This, therefore, is an historic and very important film in the history of comedy.

It is also a surprisingly funny little silent film; rather different from what Laurel & Hardy would become known for and from what they are more immediately associated with today. The characters of 'Stan & Ollie do not appear - Scottish Stan Laurel plays the nephew of Oliver Hardy, a respectable man about town who is reluctant to be seen with this strange-looking fellow with a kilt and the habit of chasing pretty girls. There are some very funny moments in this well-made, charming little movie, and the performances of these two Kings of Comedy are spot-on - watch Stan's little 'scissor-kick' and smile that says, "Well waddaya know?" when he sees girls, or the hair-ruffling scene at the airport, for instance. Hilarious.

Watch this film if you can, with backing music from The Beau Hunks Orchestra (available on the VVL video releases) which enhances the 1920s feel and is very, very pleasant to listen to. It's a brilliant and underrated little film, which is why I said it was 'surprisingly' funny.

I'll not question the authoritative voice of Stan Laurel who says he considers this the first official Laurel and Hardy film. They were both separate players signed to Hal Roach contracts when Roach decided to team them. The idea was genius, but the separate contracts would cause some problems for the team and for Roach about a dozen years later.

But for now Putting The Pants On Philip has a bit of an unusual situation for the guys. Hardy is an older middle aged man and Laurel his nephew come over from Scotland. Being a true Scot Stan wears proudly the tartan kilts of his clan and he has a libido in this that Harpo Marx would envy. Keep him away chasing girls says his mother to her brother Ollie.

But a Scot in kilts is catnip to those flapper girls of the 20s and Ollie sees his duty, he has to get the nephew into pants so he won't be so conspicuous.

Most of the humor revolves around the mystery of whether the Scot wears undergarments with his kilt. In Laurel's case he does and he doesn't.

The last bit was something I think Stan might have heard about involving that famous story of Sir Walter Raleigh and his cape. Ollie climaxes the film with an unexpected surprise there. One of the great sight gags that so typified Stan and Ollie's work.

I really can't fault this movie too much for being a rather sub-par Laurel and Hardy short. After all, the team still wasn't exactly a team. Despite starring in quite a few films together in 1927, they were still a brand new pairing and the chemistry we all have come to expect still hadn't developed completely. In light of this, it's not surprising then that Ollie and Stan are playing such unusual roles.

In this case, they are NOT friends nor do they know each other when the film begins--a highly unusual situation for any of their films. Plus, Ollie appears to be a successful man--a big departure from his usual role and Stanley a nephew visiting from Scotland. Talk about a different Laurel and Hardy plot!! The rest of the film concerns the hilarity (?) that occurs when Ollie takes his kilted nephew through the city. Again and again, huge crowds gather to laugh at the sight of a guy in a kilt. While as an American I do find the idea of a man in essentially a skirt funny, it certainly was not as funny as the film tried to make it seem and was certainly not enough to sustain an entire comedy short! Now there were some funny moments here and there, but laughing at a kilt and laughing as Stanley chased women (much like Harpo Marx in later films) just isn't that thrilling. As a result of this and the bizarre chemistry, I think this one earns a 6. For devoted fans of the team like myself, it's a must--for most others its a film best not seen until you see their better films, as this one might give you the mistaken impression that their films weren't that funny.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy had been circling each other at the Roach lot for two or three years by the time this, the first official Laurel & Hardy movie was made. In fact, their first movie together had been in 1919, when Hardy played a bit in Laurel's starring vehicle LUCKY DOG. They don't even act like a team here, being in constant opposition to each other, and Stan's character as a naive Scotchman is nothing at all like the Mr. Laurel we know and love.

Mr. Hardy, on the other hand, is clearly himself. If you look at his earliest surviving shorts from 1914 and 1915, you can see bits and pieces of his slow, pompous character as he begins to put it together.

It's a Laurel & Hardy short, and it's funny, even if it's not Stan and Ollie yet. Even so, Hal Roach and his team knew they were onto something.