The Finishing Touch (1928)

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were comedic geniuses, individually and together, and their partnership was deservedly iconic and one of the best there was. They left behind a large body of work, a vast majority of it being entertaining to classic comedy, at their best they were hilarious and their best efforts were great examples of how to do comedy without being juvenile or distasteful.While not classic Laurel and Hardy, later films, short and feature, had stronger chemistry when fully formed and used their considerable talents better, 'The Finishing Touch' is a lot of fun. Before, Laurel was much funnier and more interesting while Hardy in most of the previous outings had too little to do. 'The Finishing Touch', along with 'Leave Em Laughing', is one of their first very good efforts, to me it's easily one of their best at this point of their careers and one of the first to feel like a Laurel and Hardy short rather than a short featuring them.'The Finishing Touch' does take a little too long to get going perhaps.Also found that the ending was on the slightly clumsy side.Laurel however is very funny, and sometimes hilarious. It is wonderful seeing Hardy having more to do and he is on Laurel's level and actually even funnier. The chemistry is certainly much more here than in previous outings of theirs, namely because there's more of them together and it was starting to feel like a partnership. Support is nice, particularly from Dorothy Coburn. A good deal of the humour is well timed, hugely energetic and very funny if not always hilarious, with everything going at a lively pace and there is a lot of charm and good nature to keep one going. 'The Finishing Touch' looks quite good still.In summary, a lot of fun. 8/10 Bethany Cox

THE FINISHING TOUCH, a silent short featuring Laurel & Hardy and shot in 1928, features one of my favourite gags ever put on film: Ollie insists on carrying a handful of nails in his mouth, with predictable results. Yes, it's entirely silly and doesn't even get close to realistic, but nevertheless the execution and acting on the part of Hardy make this one of the funniest things I've seen.Elsewhere, THE FINISHING TOUCH is a very good effort from the twosome. As in all of their best plots, they play a couple of workmen, here trying to build a 'dream home'; what transpires will surprise nobody. The gags are laboured, occasionally forced, and of the most basic slapstick, and yet they work, and work, and work. The only downside is that this is a silent, so it misses all of the crashing sound effects that would have added immeasurably to the experience.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are the most famous comedy duo in history, and deservedly so, so I am happy to see any of their films. Ollie and Stan are professional finishers who pull up outside an unfinished wood house. After stopping the truck from rolling away, the Owner (Sam Lufkin) says he'll pay $500 to finish the house by noon Monday, Ollie says they can finish by noon that day. They begin, and Stan causes Ollie to fall down a gap which would have had a walking board/plank across, and he snaps it when it's put back. While Ollie is chasing Stan, a Nurse (Dorothy Coburn) in the near hospital asks a Policeman (Edgar 'Ed' Kennedy) to stop the noise, which he does, but this quiet won't last for long. Ollie walks across a new bridge made by Stan, which snaps and he falls with his head going through the door he is carrying. The policeman is still there, and a long board appears in front of him, and at the eventually end is Stan, and when his takes this long board back, the policeman jumps seeing him again at the other end. Inside the house Ollie steps on a pile of nails, getting some in his shoe, so Stan comes in to clear them up, getting the bucket handle caught on the end of his shovel. Ollie treads on the nails again trying to help, and he throws his spare bucket out the window, hitting the policeman over. The nurse comes in to punch in the face to stop the noise, and she gets hit stepping over an angled plank, thinking it's Ollie she punches him in the stomach, making his hat spin, and Stan smiling gets it too, with his hat flying off. The nurse leaves before grabbing a hammer when Stan rips a bit of paper when she bends over, she obviously thinks it's her dress. So then they continue working, with Ollie putting a pile of nails in his mouth to use, swallowing it when he trips over with no step, and again when Stan tries to put up a window frame, the previous one fell apart. After kicking Stan, Ollie tries the step and it collapses on him, and the policeman's still snooping around, getting a punch in the face by the nurse still wanting quiet and respect. Ollie puts a walking plank on a window sill to walk on to reach the roof, and swallows yet another pile of nails in his mouth banging his head. Stan starts sawing this walking plank for a measurement, using a saw that keeps bending, and when it saws through and Ollie falls, so too does a glue can and pile of planks, all landing onto the policeman. Finally a strong walking plank is found to walk onto the porch, Ollie manages to walk on it safely, but the porch itself collapses. Eventually the house is finished, just in time for the Owner, but a bird lands on the chimney making it collapse, with a podium and two windows. They all quickly get squabbling for the money meant for payment, with glue and paint being used too, also for the policeman nurse too. The squabble leads to Stan and Ollie grabbing the large rock holding their truck, and it rolls into the house causing it to collapse. Filled with wonderful slapstick and all classic comedy you could want from a black and white silent film, it is an enjoyable film. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were number 7 on The Comedians' Comedian. Very good!

Sunday July 16, 12:30pm The Castro, San Francisco"If you must make noise – make it quietly."Stan and Ollie play bumbling carpenters attempting to finish a house across the street from a hospital. Edgar Kennedy plays the cop who keeps a close eye on their progress, and inevitable demolition of the house. In one shot, he stands and watches Stan walk past carrying the end of a board on his shoulder. As the board passes by for what seems like a very long time, Kennedy is surprised to see that Stan is also shouldering the other end! He is repeatedly hit over the head, doused in a bucket of glue, then covered with roofing shingles and later flung into a trough of wet plaster for his troubles. Ollie accidentally swallows the handful of nails he puts in his mouth, three times! The two have some fun with an irate nurse. Stan rips a sheet of sandpaper in half when she bends over, so of course she thinks … The finale includes a rock throwing fight with their boss and their large truck with faulty breaks rolling into and completely destroying the house.