Another Fine Mess (1930)

Director:

James Parrott

Writer:

H.M. Walker (dialogue)

Release Date:

29 November 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Short

Tagline:

Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy have many ups and downs -- Mr. Hardy takes charge of the upping, and Mr. Laurel does most of the downing.

Plot:

Two homeless vagabonds hide out in a vacant mansion and pose as the residents when prospective lessees arrive and try to rent it.

Plot Keywords:

Trolley | Mistaken Identity | Lease | Sight Gag | Big Game Hunter

Cast

Stan Laurel	...	Stanley
Oliver Hardy	...	Oliver

Runtime:

28 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Hal Roach Studios Inc.

Trivia:

Based on a 1908 sketch written by Stan Laurel's father.

Goofs:

Lady Plumtree refers to her husband variously as "Leopold," "Ambrose," and "Leopold Ambrose" due to two different versions of the script.

Quotes:

Lord Leopold Plumtree: [to Stan who is dressed as the maid] Pardon me, are you of any relation to the butler?
Ollie: Oh, yes, yes, they're twins. You see, one was born in Detroit, the other in Mee-a-mee.
[Laughs]
Lord Leopold Plumtree: I don't quite understand.
Ollie: Oh, that's all right. Neither do they.
[Laughs]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)

An Enjoyable Remake

This is an enjoyable remake of the silent feature "Duck Soup", which had played such an important role in establishing Laurel and Hardy as the great comic duo that is now so well- known. This feature follows the same story setup, and expands it slightly while adding in a number of new gags that would not have worked as well on the silent screen.

Once again, Stan and Ollie find themselves forced to impersonate an absent homeowner and his servants, while hosting a prospective renter. The main story is also framed by a brief opening sequence and an interesting, nearly surreal finale. In the main part of the movie, they get a lot of mileage out of the basic situation, and Laurel plays his multiple role in an amusing fashion. James Finlayson gets a couple of good moments near the end, although he does not get as much to do as he did in some of their earlier features.

It packs a lot of material into a little under thirty minutes of running time, and there are a handful of moments when you can just tell that it was an early sound-era movie. But, as this example shows, Laurel and Hardy had little difficulty in successfully adapting their style to the new era.