COME CLEAN

Written and filmed May, 1931. Released by MGM, September, 1931. Produced by Hal Roach. Directed by James Horne. Two reels.

Cast: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Mae Busch, Gertrude Astor, Linda Loredo, Charlie Hall, Eddie Baker, Tiny Sandford.   

STORY: Mr. and Mrs. Hardy look forward to an afternoon of romantic bliss, but their plans are ruined when Mr. and Mrs. Laurel pay a surprise visit. Stan insists on being treated to ice cream, which necessitates a trip to the local soda fountain by The Boys. On their way home, they save a woman from an attempted suicide. She is outraged at their heroism, and insists they take her home and care for her. Despite their efforts to escape, she follows them home. The Boys do their best to hide their unruly and unwelcome guest from their wives.


Commentary

JB: There is a really great gag at the beginning.  Ollie's wife has been complaining about "those Laurels" for the past five minutes, yet the moment Mrs. Laurel enters, Mrs. Hardy couldn't be happier to see her, as they walk off arm in arm laughing and chatting into the next room. Throughout the entire Laurel and Hardy ouevre (somebody shoot me please!) they spent a great deal of time expressing through gags and situations their view on the fickleness of the female species, but this is one of their most concise and on target comments.

      The rest of the short is equally good, if a trifle too loud for my tastes (thank you, Mae Busch). And there's a very bizarre wrapup gag where Ollie sends Stan for a trip down the bathtub drain.  Love it.

JL: This film has one of those one-of-a-kind Ollie looks. When Ollie sends Stan to the kitchen for a pitcher, and he returns with "a pit-cher" (picture), Ollie's face looks as if he's about to break into "No, no, no, no, NO!," then changes his mind and thinks "What's the use?", and pushes Stan out of the way with a look of mild disgust. Anger, exasperation, resignation, all registered in his face in the matter of a few seconds.

Copyright © 2012 John Larrabee, John V. Brennan

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