Non abituati come siamo

Considering this was the boy's first talkie the title of this short is quite cute and the film itself is pretty good. There's certainly not that much evidence that L&H were embarking on what was essentially a new career in sound. It must have been a real bonus for their fans to discover how well suited each one's voice was suited to their character. The film's plot is a familiar one of marital spats and misunderstandings culminating in L&H trying to conceal their comely semi-naked neighbour (a sexy Thelma Todd) from Ollie's shrewish wife (Mae Busch) and Todd's jealous husband (Edgar Kennedy).

There's some interesting experimentation with sound here. Hardy and Busch's dialogue overlaps as they argue and it's oddly compelling - as well as funny. The physical comedy is still there too, with numerous pratfalls and a couple of explosions. All in all, an accomplished sound debut from the boys..

Early on while watching Laurel & Hardy's "Unaccustomed As We Are" I figured out that the plot was going to be similar to their later "Block-Heads", with Ollie bringing Stan home, only to have his wife get angry at his expectations of her (the later movie expanded the plot). This 1929 short has the guys doing their usual stuff, and in some scenes I could predict what was about to happen. Predictable though some of it may be, the whole thing is a fun romp. It's not their best, but I recommend it.

Noticeably absent is James Finlayson, whose annoyed grunt inspired Homer Simpson's catchphrase.

Laurel and Hardy are enjoying a game of pool, when Mr Hardy tells Laurel all about his wife's cooking and decides to invite him round to get some food. However the expectation of food is too much for Mrs Hardy and she refuses leaving the duo to cook for themselves. After a bad start a neighbour offers a little help which only leads to more trouble.

The title refers to the phrase used by after dinner speakers `unaccustomed as I am to public speaking etc' and is used as, in terms of their shorts, the duo were unaccustomed to it as this was their first `talky'. As such the sound quality is pretty poor and at some points the dialogue doesn't flow very well because it sounds like it is being said very deliberately so as to be clearly heard. This slows the action down which is a bad thing because the comedy isn't as to the fore as usual.

There are still some funny scenes but it didn't totally work for me. Hardy didn't do as well as he usually does, although Laurel was as good as I'm used to him being. The support cast are amusing and do better with the dialogue than Hardy (not sure why) but it is more Laurel's film than before.

Overall this is a good short in that it has several good scenes that are funny, but, because they are just starting out with sound on film here, they are not as good as they quickly become.

Laurel & Hardy getting in trouble with one or both wives has got too be the most used plot line in the long series of Laurel & Hardy movies. In this movie Oliver Hardy gets into trouble with his wife when she is fed up with cooking for every friend that her husband takes home.

The story sounds simple and so is the movie. It's simple but effective. The comical situations work out well and it makes this movie a worthy first 'talkie' for the two boys. It's not their best or most original movie but it serves its purpose. The plot line for this movie was later reused for the other Laurel & Hardy picture; "Block-Heads", which to be honest is better executed in that movie and it's a more superior movie in general.

Nothing remarkable, just another fine executed and timed enjoyable comical short from Laurel & Hardy, with also the Laurel & Hardy regulars Thelma Todd, Mae Busch and Edgar Kennedy in it.

7/10

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'Unaccustomed As We Are' is another comical short where Laurel and Hardy argue with Hardy's wife...again. The duo are back with Thelma Todd, Edgar Kennedy and Mae Busch. It starts off with an Hardy bringing Laurel home to dinner and he's very excited about introducing him to his wife. Throughout the entire twenty minutes, the kitchen burns down thrice, the sensual neighbour has to disrobe and hide herself in a box, a policeman is involved...and lots of hilarious silly adventure. The short is quite well executed. I'm not much used to see Laurel and Hardy talk (and this apparently is their first talkie) so this was quite different from their usual work that I'm more acquainted with. Yes somehow I still prefer their silent films. While this may not be the best of the classic comic duo, it still remains entertaining thanks the the actors' impeccable comic timing even though it's now almost 80 years old.