There's a reason why Should Married Men Go Home? isn't as well known as some of Laurel & Hardy's other silent comedies: it isn't one of their best. It's pleasant enough, and provides a few chuckles along the way, but never rises to the inspired heights of Two Tars or Big Business. The first portion is set in the home of Mr. & Mrs. Hardy, eager to enjoy an afternoon of quiet domestic bliss together. Instead, Mr. Laurel arrives and the Hardys' peace is shattered. Once they've (reluctantly) welcomed him inside, Stan accidentally ignites an entire box of wooden matches and, for an encore, knocks down a window blind. When Stan asks to play a record Ollie insists on putting it on himself, but -- predictably -- makes a botch of the job. At Mrs. Hardy's angry behest the boys leave the house and head for the golf links. There they hook up with a couple of cute girls, and attempt to treat them to cherry sodas on their limited funds. Ultimately, the peace of the entire golf course is shattered when a mud fight ensues and all of the golfers are gradually sucked into the escalating chaos.
It's nice to see Stan & Ollie looking so young and fit in this early collaboration, and it's always a pleasure to watch them interact with the Hal Roach Studio's stock company of supporting players, but somehow this short never quite clicks. By the time the boys reach the golf course we're ready for action, but the mud fight finale feels unmotivated, even a little desperate, and the film ends on a rather flat note with an anticlimactic closing gag. Still, for Laurel & Hardy buffs there are several elements of interest. Two amusing routines found in this film were later reworked to better effect with sound: the opening where Mr. & Mrs. Hardy pretend they're not home can be found in Come Clean (1931), and the drugstore bit, where Stan doggedly foils Ollie's attempt to stretch their limited resources, would be repeated in the early talkie Men O' War in 1929. The latter routine, introduced on stage by the comedy team Weber & Fields, is largely verbal and plays far better with sound.
Like all of the Roach films photographed by ace cameraman (and later director) George Stevens, Should Married Men Go Home? looks great; and so does Viola Richards, an actress whose disappearance from the movies soon after she worked in this short is to be lamented even now, for during her brief appearance here she absolutely lights up the screen.
