This is without a doubt one of my favourite Laurel and Hardy films of all time. I have watched all of their films countless times, and this one never, ever fails to make me laugh. Stan and Ollie play themselves as well as each others' wives. They are dressed in drag, while their voices are provided by Carol Tevis and May Wallace. The dubbing of the voices is absolutely spot on. There isn't a syllable out of synch, and yet the voices are spoken with such fluidity and full of character.
As usual, the acting is also spot on. When Stan's sister cries out: "I haven't got a big mouth have I?" she immediately goes from crying her heart out to angrily nodding her head. This drastic change in emotions and facial expressions completely matches those of a child. Once again, Stan Laurel demonstrates his genius in acting by showing how accurately he can mimic a child.
When Ollie's sister is told that Stan wants to speak to her on the phone, she immediately curls up her hair, as if Stan would be able to see the difference through the phone. It is only a subtle gesture that not many would notice on their first viewing, but that goes to demonstrate Ollie's expertise in comic timing. Not a moment is wasted. He fills the gaps between gags with tiny gestures that are equally as brilliant as the writing itself.
The editing also deserves a special mention. This film was made in 1933, and they were able to split the screen so that it looked like Stan and his sister were on the same shot together, even though Stan played both. Bert Jordan and Stan Laurel worked together to edit the Laurel and Hardy films, and Roy Seawright was the special effects technician. It is possible they all worked together to achieve these shots, which help the film flow and make more believable.
The attention to detail in this film is remarkable, and yet even though they had so much to think about to avoid making mistakes, the attention was never taken away from the comedy itself. As always with any Laurel and Hardy film, the comedy was the main focus and the inventive gags keep coming one after the other. When the cake falls off the table and lands on Ollie's sister, it falls in such a way that it looks like the queen depicted in the painting. Stan blows water through the telephone line to spray Ollie, and when Ollie attempts to blow ink back at Stan, guess who receives it?
The film is pure Laurel and Hardy comedy gold throughout. I definitely recommend it to any person who has a sense of humour.
Review by Mad MattyBlockedParent2018-05-24T21:06:25Z
This is without a doubt one of my favourite Laurel and Hardy films of all time. I have watched all of their films countless times, and this one never, ever fails to make me laugh. Stan and Ollie play themselves as well as each others' wives. They are dressed in drag, while their voices are provided by Carol Tevis and May Wallace. The dubbing of the voices is absolutely spot on. There isn't a syllable out of synch, and yet the voices are spoken with such fluidity and full of character.
As usual, the acting is also spot on. When Stan's sister cries out: "I haven't got a big mouth have I?" she immediately goes from crying her heart out to angrily nodding her head. This drastic change in emotions and facial expressions completely matches those of a child. Once again, Stan Laurel demonstrates his genius in acting by showing how accurately he can mimic a child.
When Ollie's sister is told that Stan wants to speak to her on the phone, she immediately curls up her hair, as if Stan would be able to see the difference through the phone. It is only a subtle gesture that not many would notice on their first viewing, but that goes to demonstrate Ollie's expertise in comic timing. Not a moment is wasted. He fills the gaps between gags with tiny gestures that are equally as brilliant as the writing itself.
The editing also deserves a special mention. This film was made in 1933, and they were able to split the screen so that it looked like Stan and his sister were on the same shot together, even though Stan played both. Bert Jordan and Stan Laurel worked together to edit the Laurel and Hardy films, and Roy Seawright was the special effects technician. It is possible they all worked together to achieve these shots, which help the film flow and make more believable.
The attention to detail in this film is remarkable, and yet even though they had so much to think about to avoid making mistakes, the attention was never taken away from the comedy itself. As always with any Laurel and Hardy film, the comedy was the main focus and the inventive gags keep coming one after the other. When the cake falls off the table and lands on Ollie's sister, it falls in such a way that it looks like the queen depicted in the painting. Stan blows water through the telephone line to spray Ollie, and when Ollie attempts to blow ink back at Stan, guess who receives it?
The film is pure Laurel and Hardy comedy gold throughout. I definitely recommend it to any person who has a sense of humour.