Sauce piquante

Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde (1925)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Stan Laurel plays the respectable Dr. Pyckle who starts messing around with various chemicals and turns himself into the silly Mr. Pride. Naturally this is a take off on the Jekyll and Hyde story but it really hits close to the 1920 John Barrymore version. This isn't a classic by any stretch of the imagination but it manages to be fairly entertaining in its short running time. Laurel does a very good job in the role and there are several instances where he does a good impression of Barrymore performance from the earlier film. There aren't enough laughs to keep the movie going but there are a couple sprinkled throughout.

I've only seen a few of Stan Laurel's pre-Ollie movies and, truth be told, the ones I've seen aren't that great so I wasn't expecting much going into this one. However, this parody of John Barrymore's 1920 turn as the famous Dr. Jeckyll is fairly amusing. Laurel actually does a good imitation of Barrymore in monster mode, and wrings plenty of laughs out of the fact that his 'evil' deeds mostly consist of childish pranks. Laurel seems to be a good example of a talented actor needing to find the single role that's right for him in order to be successful. He's good here, but he isn't particularly memorable as an actor or comedian in his own right. It's sobering to think that, had he not been teamed with Oliver Hardy, Laurel's name might have been consigned to cinema's forgotten history along with the likes of Larry Semon and John Bunny.

Dr. Pyckle is a fine example of Stan Laurel's comedy prior to his lifelong teaming with Oliver Hardy. It demonstrates a comedic breadth and a range that was coming to the fore. It seems that it took Stan a bit longer to shed vaudeville's trappings. He had to learn to play for the camera and not for the 'house'. His comic timing and his invention in "Dr. Pyckle" (1925) are surpassed only by his antics in "The Sleuth" (also 1925). The timing of his sight gags takes on a cartoon-ish quality, but they work very well, and are enough to bring the viewer to convulsive laughter. This is--after all- comedy. And it is slapstick, though Laurel's ideas and gags are polished. It is clear that he is setting the stage for bigger and better expectations. It all comes about several years after these films, solidifying his place in comic history with the rotund Ollie. They dilly dally their way into the pages of cinema history. I strongly recommend viewing "Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pride" and "The Sleuth". They are very, very funny films.

It is really an amazing parody of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Stan Laurel at his best plays the goofy professor Dr. Pyckle who terns to Mr. Pryde! Mr. Pryde “terrorizes” the society by doing all kinds of evil deeds, like stealing Ice Cream from little kids and pulling lots of other pranks! The world is not safe from Mr. Prydes evil mischiefs. People will try to put an end to his games and bring back piece to the society. Can he really be stopped though? Or the world will never be a safe place again? Stan Laurel gives a great performance in this silent piece of comic art. Although it is only 20 min, it is enough for Stan Laurel to put Jekyll and Hyde in a new comic perspective. All this years I never had the chance to see Laurel alone. I only knew him from the Laurel and Hardy movies. I am really glad that I got the chance to see him perform alone and I must say I could't stop laughing. So if you are a fan and you manage to get your hands on this movie, by all means don’t be reluctant and give it a shot. You might be in for a surprise by the scary Dr. Pyckle!

As an avid Laurel and Hardy fan, I have always been somewhat disappointed in the early solo comedies of both Stan and Ollie. They are just too much a throwback to the early films of Sennett and co., one physical gag heaped upon another with no attempt to vary the frenetic pacing or establish character. So it was with unexpected delight that I watched Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde on the new Kino collection of Stan Laurel solo shorts. Once we dispense with the first ten minutes of generally desultory humor as he mixes his concoction, things get really funny. Laurel's transformation into the naughty Mr. Hyde is priceless. Hopped up (literally) on his potion, he gleefully runs amok, stealing ice cream from children, scaring women with popping paper bags, etc. He isn't the truly malevolent Hyde of Stevenson's story, but merely an unrepentant prankster…a naughty little boy. Later, when his dog laps up some of the spilled potion and starts nipping at Stan's backside while sporting the same fright wig as Mr. Hyde…well, you have to see it to truly appreciate it.