Laughing Gravy (1931)

The humor of Laughing Gravy operates on the premises that 99% of the audience are pet lovers. Therefore anything that Stan and Ollie do to keep their little pooch Laughing Gravy from being tossed out to the elements of winter is absolutely justified. Even if landlord Charlie Hall has a no pet rule in his establishment.And so most of the film is spent with them trying to get the little guy past the watchful eye of Hall. Remember this is the dead of winter with snow falling on the ground. Best moment in the film is poor Ollie in his nightshirt falling into a rain barrel partly frozen over. I get susceptible to pneumonia just looking at him.The last part of the film also has Laurel getting $1000.00 inheritance from his uncle providing he severs all connection with Oliver Hardy who has held him back for years. Funny thing is that those are precisely the words Ollie said about Stan. The World Court in The Hague would have a problem deciding on the merits of counter lawsuit has to who held back who. You be your own judge.Stan and Ollie do prove that friendship can survive a lot.

LAUGHING GRAVY Aspect ratio: 1.37:1Sound format: Mono(Black and white - Short film)During a heavy blizzard, boarding-house tenants Stan 'n' Ollie hide their dog from an unsympathetic landlord (Charley Hall) who threatens to evict them if they don't follow the rules. Chaos ensues...Archetypal L&H comedy, played and filmed to perfection, as the boys' efforts to protect 'Laughing Gravy' meet with disaster at every turn. Ollie's attempts to get back into the house without being noticed by the sleeping landlord is only one of the film's many highlights, leading to a precarious rooftop episode (!) and a series of blunders and disasters. Fine comic timing, excellent set-pieces, great fun. Directed with typical gusto by L&H regular James W. Horne.The film exists in three separate versions: It played theatrically as a two-reeler, following the elimination of a third reel in which Stan comes into an unexpected inheritance. This material has since been restored to a second version which omits the original's ending. A third edition - which appears to exist only in colorized form - contains ALL extant material, including the inheritance AND the original ending.

Laurel and Hardy have some trouble with a landlord who does not allow their dog. The dog is names Laughing Gravy. When the landlord discovers the dog he throws him out on the street in the cold snow. Laural and Hardy have to rescue the dog and make sure the landlord doesn't find out. You can understand the mayhem they will cause.The typical Laurel and Hardy humor, which is quite amusing, is a little too predictable here. This short gets funnier near the end, but the first half wasn't that good. Well, one little surprise was funny in that first half. Still, I enjoyed it.

Laurel and Hardy are still together despite having one empty pocket book between them. They have a reasonable room in a hostel but have to keep their dog, Laughing Gravy, hidden from the landlord else they'll be put out on the street. One winter's night, Gravy's constant barking threatens to expose them so they take action to keep him hidden – with limited success.As always, the Laurel and Hardy shorts are perhaps less important for their plot than they are for the often wonderful sequences that the plot device allows for. Here the plot device is an `illegal' (in terms of contract) dog. The ways they try to hide the dog and the consequences of their actions are funny without being wonderful. As usual Hardy's (and a lesser extent, Laurel's) looks to camera make it all better than it actually is.Unusually for their shorts, the conclusion of the story allows for a scene of touching honesty between the two, as Hardy becomes quite vulnerable with Laurel. This was a refreshing addition to the mix which, while not tear jerking, was unexpected. As always (for me anyway) Hardy steals the show with his looks to camera but Laurel is as subtle as ever. Charlie Hall is making a bit too much effort but is OK.Overall this isn't the greatest of their work but it is a good example of everything I love about them as a duo. Their talents make this short better than it probably should be.