http://laurelandhardycentral.com/fixup.htmlhttp://www.lordheath.com/menu1_232.html Tell me where you heard this one before. A couple of card salesman go door to door and run into an attractive lonely woman who says her husband is not giving her enough attention. It is then decided if one of the card salesmen kisses the wife as the husband walks in he will be jealous, realize he loves the wife and needs to give her more attention and the couple will live happily ever after. In reality, the husband gets jealous but instead of embracing the wife, wants revenge on the card salesmen. If this sounds like BOOBS IN ARMS, you'd be correct. THE FIXER UPPERS uses the same beginning plot done five years earlier. Here the husband's revenge is by duel and the comics try to get away, only to be led by back a nice plot twist. With The Stooges, they join the army and run into the husband who tries to make their life Hell, so we get plenty to distract from the jealous husband thing, unlike here and at that point, becomes a completely different film than this.
The reason why THE FIXER UPPERS works is the casting, plain and simple. After watching all those Keaton Educationals I can't help but wonder how Keaton would have fared working with Mae Busch versus some pretty yet barely out of high school inexperienced actress. It makes all the difference in the world. Mae Busch has been around for decades at this point and can balance the drama and comedy needed for a role like this - she is excellent here and worldly enough to pull off this role. Still plenty attractive enough too.
Stan and Ollie are wonderful as well and Oliver Hardy especially so. When Mae is upset, Ollie plays it genuinely sympathetic and straight when enquiring about her troubles. The great camera work and editing during the kissing scene is also top notch. Cutting back and forth between Stan's confused face - as he's in a catatonic shock like he's never kissed a woman before, and Ollie's fourth wall breaking reactions is another brilliant touch. I am usually not a fan of jealous husband comedies, that and scare comedies have to be done really well for me to enjoy them. God knows how many of those Columbia Shemp solo shorts go to the jealous husband thing and they don't work nearly as well as THE FIXER UPPERS. It is the subtle things and great casting which makes all the difference in the world.
Just a personal preference, I'm a sucker for the atmosphere on the snow covered stone streets in old fashioned poor neighborhoods much like in BELOW ZERO. So yeah, overall I really like THE FIXER UPPERS. It's a plot that can be so cliched, but in the hands of the right cast and studio, be done well.