Uma Boa Ação

The comedy short One Good Turn stars Laurel and Hardy as victims of The Great Depression, more specifically, poor beggars trying to live life in the middle of nowhere. They cook their own poorly-prepared food, they wash the two pairs of clothes they have, and they simply try to make it to the next day alive and well. The two manage to muster up the courage to ask a friendly old lady for some food, and she kindly provides food for the both of them. While inside, eating at her kitchen table, Laurel and Hardy overhear the woman talking to the landlord, who threatens to throw her out of her home if she cannot pay her mortgage. However, the lady was robbed and doesn't have the funds to pay for overdue bills. Feeling the need to repay the woman for her kindness, Laurel and Hardy attempt to sell their automobile in town square.

One Good Turn functions more like a Three Stooges skit than one featuring the comic talents of Laurel and Hardy, featuring more of an emphasis on slapstick humor than verbal wit and situational escalation. This is especially surprising given the presence of director James W. Horne, who finds inventive ways to conjure up situations for Laurel and Hardy to haplessly fall into. The humor of One Good Turn is present on occasion, but one finds it treading far too close to familiar territory that is often explored by the aforementioned comedy troop. Our senseless heroes are always fun to spend time with, but here, it feels as if they are forcing themselves into a box they can't quite fit into.

Starring: Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Directed by: James W. Horne.

A nice Laurel & Hardy movie where they are victims of the depression. After Laurel has burned their tent and lost their food and clothes they get something to eat from a nice old lady. They overhear the woman when she is talking to a man. He says she will be thrown out of her house because she can't pay the 100 dollars she owes him. Laurel & Hardy want to help the lady because she helped them. They still own a car and they try to sell it for the 100 dollars they need.

There are some pretty funny moments in this short movie, especially near the end. Another fine one by the two comedians.

One Good Turn (1931)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

L&H set out to raise $100 when they overhear an elderly woman say she's going to be evicted. Not too many laughs in this one outside the opening sequence in the woods.

Leave 'Em Laughing (1928)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Laurel is suffering from a toothache so Hardy takes him to the dentist who accidentally fills them with laughing gas. The early gags of Hardy trying to pull the tooth are funny but the ending with the cars goes on a bit too long and gets rather tiresome.

They Go Boom! (1929)

*** (out of 4)

Hardy has a cold so it's up to Laurel to try and find a cure so that they can get a good night's sleep. Highlights include the mustard bath and the exploding mattress.

Thicker Than Water (1935)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Laurel and Hardy waste $300 on a grandfather clock so Hardy's wife hits him with a frying pan and sends him to the hospital. Again, not too funny and the worst part is the ending where the two change personalities. This here should have been a lot funnier than it turned out.

The 1931 comedy short film "One Good Turn" is without a doubt a classic Laurel and Hardy movie, and I am glad that I had the opportunity to sit down and watch it here in 2022.

The storyline told in this movie is straight forward, and certainly is one of the more enjoyable storylines in all the Laurel and Hardy movies I've seen so far, especially since there is an aspect of being a good samaritan to it.

Of course you have all the usual witty banter and funny slapstick comedy, and that is one of the major ingredients that make these classic comedy movies so enjoyable. And it was something that Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy had managed to get to work in perfect unison.

I had some genuinely good laughs throughout the 20 minutes that "One Good Turn" ran for. And if you enjoy comedy, then you definitely have to sit down and watch "One Good Turn".

My rating of "One Good Turn" lands on a seven out of ten stars.

For the first 90% of this Laurel and Hardy short, there wasn't a whole lot to distinguish it from any other. In fact, the plot seemed a bit "schmaltzy" (i.e., sappy), as Stan and Ollie try to help out an old lady who they mistakenly think is about to be evicted by an evil landlord. Instead of the usual Laurel and Hardy hi-jinx, the film tends to be a nicer and gentler side to the boys--thus, to me, it's a tad dull! That is, dull until the very end of the film! At this point, in a HUGE contrast to the usual relationship between Stan and Ollie, Stan has had enough and proceeds to chase Ollie about trying to beat the stuffing out of him!! And, in the process, they destroy much of the nice old lady's home! The scene is a lot of fun to watch and quite spectacular, so the film is definitely worth seeing. Just don't expect it to be among their better films--at least until the end.