Topic: Hog Wild (1930) - Laurel and Hardy

[metaldams]

http://www.lordheath.com/index.php?p=1_229_Hog-Wild
http://www.laurelandhardycentral.com/hogw.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020979/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1p9603_laurel-and-hardy-hog-wild-1930_shortfilms

Watch HOG WILD in the link above



      Oh man.  HOG WILD.  I think the highest compliment one can pay a comedy is to say it made them laugh.  Well, I just watched HOG WILD, and I laughed like a friggin' lunatic.  I laughed so hard and so often I was afraid the neighbors would call the cops.  OK, OK, I'm sure the medicinal glass of red wine I was and am still currently partaking in added to my jovial mood, but even without my prescription, I feel I would have laughed just the same.  This is one funny film.

      HOG WILD starts out with a hysterical scene involving Ollie asking his wife where his hat is, screaming like a lunatic, when the hat's on his head the whole time.  The look on his wife's face, played by Fay Holderness, is absolutely priceless as he initially asks this.  If you click the www.lordheath.com link above, the exact shot is pictured in the casting picture.  A very funny scene, showing Oliver's stubbornness to admit any wrong doing.  Extra funny because I know people like that.  There is one great moment where Ollie breaks the fourth wall and sheepishly smiles to the camera after knowing the hat is on his head.  He admits his mistake to us, but not his wife. 

      Next we we Stan driving down the road with this most vacant look on his face, reminiscent of Harry Langdon.  Eventually he checks out some girl hiking up her dress to avoid a puddle, the distraction almost causing a car accident.  The fact a guy with such a blank expression could have the virility to appreciate a pair of legs is funny in itself.  The stunt legs, by the way, belong to Dorothy Granger of PUNCH DRUNKS, also the maid in this film.

       As for the rest of this film?  Stan and Ollie try to set up a radio on a roof the same way the Stooges set up a TV in GOOF ON THE ROOF.  Just imagine a higher budget, more natural surroundings, and a team just entering their prime as opposed to a team making arguably their last great moment.  It's all pure slapstick from here.  Lots of falling off the roof, lots of comic screams which are the best in the business, and lots of destruction.  The ladder on the car gag is unquestionably one of the great sight gags in all of film comedy history.  There's nothing more to say, it's slapstick/physical comedy employing the perfect combination of destructive gags and the right comedians.

      Bottom line is this - one of the funniest movies ever made.  If you watch this movie and still don't like Laurel and Hardy, simply don't bother anymore, they're not for you.  Now excuse me, the DVD set has not one, but two audio commentaries, I shall finish my wine and listen to them.

10/10

[Tony Bensley]

I absolutely love HOG WILD, even more so than THE MUSIC BOX, which is certainly no slouch!  This is probably my all time favorite Laurel & Hardy short subject! 

In my opinion, both Richard Bann/Rich Correll commentary tracks are fantastic!  For me, Rich Correll's unabashed enthusiasm really makes these must repeat plays!

I'm in agreement that anyone who doesn't enjoy this side splitter, probably (Have to allow for the pro SWISS MISS fan crowd! ) just won't like Laurel & Hardy, period!

10/10

CHEERS!

[Signor Spumoni]

This is gold.  Fay Holderness is perfect as Ollie's long-suffering and simultaneously overbearing wife.  Who wouldn't love the way Ollie plays the man of the house is his quest to find the hat his wife "hid?" 

There are so many gems in this short.  How can such a vacant looking man as Stan manage to drive a car at all, albeit hazardously?  How many windows must Ollie have broken in the past for FH to have so little reaction?  How can anyone imagine that a safe place to set a ladder is in a car?  Then there's Stan again, looking helpless as he searches for the place to connect the radio wire. 

The runaway car and ladder is a riot, and well done, too. I like the way Ollie's clothes dry instantly after he climbs out of the lily pond.  I also enjoy watching Stan and Ollie roll together, as one, right off the roof.

Loads of fun to be had, here...and even more fun if you watch it while sipping (medicinal) wine, a la Metal.

[metaldams]

Apparently, the house in this film is not a real house, but a special prop house made by Roach Studios so it can specifically be destroyed!  Not a bad job, I was fooled.

[Tony Bensley]

Apparently, the house in this film is not a real house, but a special prop house made by Roach Studios so it can specifically be destroyed!  Not a bad job, I was fooled.

About the only time it's sort of obvious is when Fay Holderness is looking out the window, there's a wall almost immediately behind her, as is pointed out on one of the Richard W. Bann/Rich Correll commentary tracks!

CHEERS!

[metaldams]

About the only time it's sort of obvious is when Fay Holderness is looking out the window, there's a wall almost immediately behind her, as is pointed out on one of the Richard W. Bann/Rich Correll commentary tracks!

CHEERS!

You're right about that shot.  That said, I'm the last guy in the world who would catch something like that without the audio commentary or someone else pointing it out. 

[Paul Pain]

      Oh man.  HOG WILD.  I think the highest compliment one can pay a comedy is to say it made them laugh.  Well, I just watched HOG WILD, and I laughed like a friggin' lunatic.  I laughed so hard and so often I was afraid the neighbors would call the cops.  OK, OK, I'm sure the medicinal glass of red wine I was and am still currently partaking in added to my jovial mood, but even without my prescription, I feel I would have laughed just the same.  This is one funny film.

      HOG WILD starts out with a hysterical scene involving Ollie asking his wife where his hat is, screaming like a lunatic, when the hat's on his head the whole time.  The look on his wife's face, played by Fay Holderness, is absolutely priceless as he initially asks this.  If you click the www.lordheath.com link above, the exact shot is pictured in the casting picture.  A very funny scene, showing Oliver's stubbornness to admit any wrong doing.  Extra funny because I know people like that.  There is one great moment where Ollie breaks the fourth wall and sheepishly smiles to the camera after knowing the hat is on his head.  He admits his mistake to us, but not his wife. 

      Next we we Stan driving down the road with this most vacant look on his face, reminiscent of Harry Langdon.  Eventually he checks out some girl hiking up her dress to avoid a puddle, the distraction almost causing a car accident.  The fact a guy with such a blank expression could have the virility to appreciate a pair of legs is funny in itself.  The stunt legs, by the way, belong to Dorothy Granger of PUNCH DRUNKS, also the maid in this film.

       As for the rest of this film?  Stan and Ollie try to set up a radio on a roof the same way the Stooges set up a TV in GOOF ON THE ROOF.  Just imagine a higher budget, more natural surroundings, and a team just entering their prime as opposed to a team making arguably their last great moment.  It's all pure slapstick from here.  Lots of falling off the roof, lots of comic screams which are the best in the business, and lots of destruction.  The ladder on the car gag is unquestionably one of the great sight gags in all of film comedy history.  There's nothing more to say, it's slapstick/physical comedy employing the perfect combination of destructive gags and the right comedians.

      Bottom line is this - one of the funniest movies ever made.  If you watch this movie and still don't like Laurel and Hardy, simply don't bother anymore, they're not for you.  Now excuse me, the DVD set has not one, but two audio commentaries, I shall finish my wine and listen to them.

10/10

I got to watch this one today.  I was laughing so hard I couldn't watch it.  I love how the ladder-on-the-car gag is built up over of the entire short.  This is the essence of Laurel and Hardy: drawn out plots.  I look forward to the features now.

Fay Holderness is absolutely fantastic here.  Her tears over the radio being lost is the ultimate conclusion... albeit we get treated to something just as memorable afterward.

metaldams summarized the rest; absolutely fantastic stuff here.

10/10

[Big Chief Apumtagribonitz]

Yes, yes, yes, yes, and, of course, yes.  As I mentioned, I got the Essential Collection for my birthday.  This was the first one I watched, and I mean immediately.

[Big Chief Apumtagribonitz]

And, by the bye, sipping wine medicinally is like sipping amoxicillin for the buzz.

[Umbrella Sam]

This one definitely met my expectations. I have to admit that I really enjoy these building comedies where the whole point is to do housework. It allows for a lot of opportunities as far as slapstick goes and is something I think a lot of viewers can relate to. Other good examples are Laurel and Hardy’s earlier release, THE FINISHING TOUCH, and, yes, for a good one that takes place mainly inside, the Three Stooges’ GOOF ON THE ROOF.

Hardy’s reactions in this one stand out a lot. Just seeing his face after looking in the mirror and realizing how useless his rant was is nothing short of amazing. Also got to love his face whenever he falls into the pond. Speaking of the pond, there’s another great moment where Laurel has to get some water. Rather than put the bucket in the water, he tries scooping it up in his hands and putting it in the bucket. Another moment I love is when they both fall off the roof. I don’t know why, but I got a huge laugh out of both of their screams when falling off. It felt more exaggerated than usual, but in a good way.

Then there’s the part with the car and the ladder. It’s like a smaller scale version of the ladder finale from IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD, and let me tell you, for me, that is an excellent thing. There’s just a certain charm to seeing these things going out of control, because they’re the last thing you’d think could cause so much destruction, yet in both of these films they work very well, even if it is shorter in HOG WILD and Hardy is really the only victim in this case. It also once again allows for a great reaction from Hardy at the end of it.

This is definitely one to check out if you’re a Laurel and Hardy fan.

10 out of 10

[Dr. Mabuse]

"Hog Wild" is two reels of slapstick perfection. In this brilliant early talkie, Stan and Ollie attempt to install a rooftop antenna with predictably hilarious results. James Parrott provides expert direction — highlighted by memorable sight gags and a wild runaway car finale.

10/10

[HomokHarcos]

This one of those films that make you realize outrageous slapstick can be done as well in live-action as in animation. The whole falling off the roof, and Ollie getting in trouble in a ladder are things you would expect from a Disney or Fleischer cartoon. The beginning was also memorable where Ollie is arguing about where his hat is, even though he is wearing it! You might wonder how could that happen, but there have times when I was looking for my glasses and it turned out I was wearing them. It's great seeing all the destruction that can be caused by setting up a home radio. It's as good as Goof on the Roof.