Cast: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Billy Gilbert, Charlie Hall
Yay! My first Laurel & Hardy review! I decided to review this film now since it is on TCM later tonight and I've already seen it a thousand times anyways.
As most of you know, I'm a huge Laurel & Hardy fan. I am also a member of the Saps At Sea, the San Diego chapter of the Sons of the Desert, the international organization dedicated to preserving Laurel & Hardy's greatness.
This is how I first heard about Laurel & Hardy. Or at least, I think it's how I heard about them. I remember hearing The Music Box when I was a kid and somehow connected it with Laurel & Hardy. Deja vu, perhaps? Anyways...
THE PLOT: In this fun short, Stan and Ollie are delivery men ("Tall Oaks From Little Acorns Grow") delivering a piano to Mrs. von Schwarzenhoffen, who has ordered it a surprise for her husband Theodore (Billy Gilbert). Once they get to the place, they realize they have to climb up a bunch of steps. Stan and Ollie, always up for a challenge, try moving the piano up the steps unsuccessfully many hilarious times. They go down the steps only to be laughed at by an incredibly bitchy woman who Stan justifiably and rightfully kicks in the ass. She responds by socking him in the face and smashes Ollie in the head with a vase because he's started to laugh. What a bitch.
Anyways, later on, a policeman tells the Boys to come down, and Stan goes down only to the landing and yells "What do you want?" which makes Ollie yell at him more. Ollie finally comes down and faces the policeman's wrath (Stan's classic "Don't you think you're bounding over your steps?"). Afterwards, the Boys try again and are confronted by Theodore Schwarzenhoffen (A.D., L.D., F.L.D., F.F.F.F., among others) who politely waits for them to move, and when they don't, he becomes furious.
They reach the top of the stairs and Charlie Hall, ever the pessimist, informs them that they could've taken the road around ("Now why didn't we think of that before?")
Once they get into the house finally, the Boys do another one of their classic dance routines and deliver the piano (and also get chased out of the house by Billy Gilbert).
THE REVIEW: The Music Box steps are still in Hollywood somewhere, and I intend to visit them someday.
This film is the reason why I love L&H so much. The plot seems so simple, like an NES game, almost. But Stan & Ollie were so genius that they turned it into a full-blown comedy. This short is great fun and gets a 5 out of 5.
Full short
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