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Film & Shorts Discussions => Laurel and Hardy => Topic started by: metaldams on July 12, 2015, 05:39:29 PM
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http://www.lordheath.com/index.php?p=1_152_Unaccustomed-As-We-Are
http://www.laurelandhardycentral.com/unaccust.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020531/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x26g4az_unaccustomed-as-we-are-b-w-1929-laurel-hardy_shortfilms
Watch UNACCUSTOMED AS WE ARE in the link above
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/33/L%26H_Unaccustomed_As_We_Are_1929.jpg)
Getting through the Laurel and Hardy silents was a lot of fun, and there are a few classics there to be sure, but the creme de la creme of Laurel and Hardy are the talking shorts and features with Hal Roach from 1929 - 1940. This is certainly the body of work they are most known for, and I'm curious to see if a few different posters will be pitching in over the coming year.
Before discussing this particular film, a little background is necessary. While THE JAZZ SINGER kicked off the talkie craze in 1927 and 1928 was the year there was a ratio of half and half between silents and talkies, 1929 was the year talkies really took over and by 1930, one can name the silent films on perhaps one hand that were still being made. The irony is silent film died as it was peaking as an art form. By 1928, filmmakers had mastered storytelling, camera technique, and acting in the realms of silent film, then it suddenly died. Early talkies, more popular in their time, were also technically inferior. Static camera movement because of careful placement of boom mics and actors not knowing how to act towards the camera, acting like they are playing to the back row of a theater as opposed to the closeness of a film camera. This is the environment UNACCUSTOMED AS WE ARE was made in.
All things considered, UNACCUSTOMED AS WE ARE is a good short. Laurel and Hardy eased into sound film pretty quickly, but this is their most self conscious effort as far as sound goes. Even the title of this short is a hint they are in territory they are unaccustomed to. The talking gags, while a fascinating relic of their time, do come across as a bit forced. The whole "Mr. Hardy - Mrs. Kennedy" thing being repeated constantly in the beginning, Mae Busch and Ollie talking over each other, Ollie playing the record player over Mae Busch's ramblings only have her yell in synch rhythmically with the record, Mrs. Kennedy smashing objects on Mr. Kennedy only being heard off camera as Stan, Ollie, and Mae Busch are shown - these are all gags of the Hal Roach crew blatantly experimenting with sound. The general public at the time supposedly found humor in just about every little noise, Harold Lloyd even commenting he was in a theater and commented an audience cracked up at the sound of bacon and eggs frying. The last things I'll say about the sound aspect is that Stan Laurel, never the most verbal comedian, is even more silent here than usual, as if he as still getting used to the new medium. Ollie is Ollie right away. Also, the new sound technology did not always capture Mae Busch's voice well, as some lines of her are hard to understand.
The story of this short is perfectly fine and would be used much later on in the classic 1938 feature, BLOCK-HEADS. Visually, Ollie being blown up out of the kitchen is done much better in the latter film, though it's not bad here. Still, the pure explosiveness of the latter gave me one of the hardest belly laughs I've ever had, and I don't think Hal Roach Studios could pull off that visual trick as well this early in the sound game.
This is also the Laurel and Hardy debut of Thelma Todd. Perhaps it's just my first time noticing it, but when she says "Mr. Hardy," I notice her Massachusetts accent in this short. It's like watching Jerry Remy on NESN (to those of you who get that, what a rough year). But yeah, Ms. Todd acts more innocent here than normal, usually she's vamping somebody up. Well, maybe she's not so innocent after all, judging by what she's wearing underneath that dress (Metaldams takes his wine glass, toasts, and has a sip). I think watching the same gag with a different lady in BLOCK-HEADS and comparing what they both wear is a nice visual comparison of pre-code versus code era Hollywood.
As far as Stan and Ollie go, Ollie, for the first time, asks, "Why don't you do something to help me?" A classic catch phrase for sure, and Stan, even though he had the face for his cries in the silent era, can now be heard, and it never fails to make me smile. It's so funny how childish he seems doing it in front of Edgar Kennedy, who almost doesn't know how to react...the perfect reaction.
This is a fun film overall and a bit fascinating due to its dated quality. Laurel and Hardy get used to this sound thing quicker than the rest of Hollywood, though, as by the end of the year, there is vast improvement already.
8/10
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Well, my birthday present arrived yesterday, the Laurel and Hardy Essential Collection. Trouble is, my birthday isn't until almost Labor Day. If I were a weaker man, that would drive me nuts.
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Well, my birthday present arrived yesterday, the Laurel and Hardy Essential Collection. Trouble is, my birthday isn't until almost Labor Day. If I were a weaker man, that would drive me nuts.
I had the same wait for a few months after this came out, exact same reason. It will be worth it.
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Does anybody know why a silent version was made for Unaccustomed As We Are? Was the silent version and sound version both shown in movie theaters at the same time?
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Does anybody know why a silent version was made for Unaccustomed As We Are? Was the silent version and sound version both shown in movie theaters at the same time?
The silent version existed for movie theaters who at the time were not yet equipped to show sound films. As far as I know, that's the only reason a silent version exists. Think I'll watch that version now, should be interesting.
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Too many dialogue cards in the silent version, I've read.
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...and just a theory, but perhaps a silent version was made for foreign markets as well. I'm not sure if the idea of releasing versions where foreign language versions were simultaneously filmed was thought of this early. Laurel and Hardy didn't do it until 1930.
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Too many dialogue cards in the silent version, I've read.
I'm in the middle of watching it now, and you hit the nail on the head. This was clearly made to be a talking picture.
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I think you hit most of the points, but you left out the best of all: Edgar Kennedy. He is incredible here and almost seems to click with things right off as Ollie did. When he sees Thelma Todd, the 30 seconds that follow are some of the best facial expressions one will ever see. He is almost... realistic... here, and he pulls it off well. He also does a very nice whistle when he is pounding the heroes.
The rest of the short is rather awkward and a bit forced, although the acting is good. Stan is a bit obsessed with his "Nuts" at the start. Ollie's wife does a nice sync with the record. Ollie always seems to brace himself before getting his head bashed.
The negatives...
When Ollie's eife is yelling, she gets REALLY shrill, and the lack of volume control on the cameras makes it so I need my volume set to 2 here lest I go deaf while I need it at 20 the rest of the short. Also, and this a peeve, it seems unfair how the plots always involve Ollie getting the brunt of the trouble, as in this one with only Ollie getting slugged by Mr. Kennedy with our only satisfaction being the off-camera stair-dump for Stan. This kind of pattern prevails, based on my watchings of the so far reviewed shorts and readings on future ones.
7/10
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Stan does take his share of punishment in the future (the ending gag of BELOW ZERO instantly comes to mind), but the fact is Stan Laurel is best as the dumb nitwit, which is used to greater effect in future shorts, and Ollie is the master of taking abuse. They compliment each other perfectly. Oliver Hardy has the best screams of pain and fear in all of comedy, and can take a pratfall for a big man as well as two other comedians, Fatty Arbuckle, and believe it or not, Joe Derita. Yes, you read that right. The one thing I praise Curly Joe on, other than keeping the act going all those years, is his ability to take a good fall.
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They've also shared abuse as well, good friends they are.
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Spaghetti and coffee! Yum?
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Spaghetti and coffee! Yum?
I'm more a hard boiled eggs and nuts guy myself, but that will do.
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Almost as good as a PB&J with a gin and tonic.
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Almost as good as a PB&J with a gin and tonic.
I literally, a few hours ago, read a story online how supposedly on the set of SONS OF THE DESERT, Stan sat down on a chair and grabbed what he thought was a cup of water. As he drank it, he found out it was Charley Chase's gin.
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Depending on the time of day, that could be either gross or mighty refreshing.
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I literally, a few hours ago, read a story online how supposedly on the set of SONS OF THE DESERT, Stan sat down on a chair and grabbed what he thought was a cup of water. As he drank it, he found out it was Charley Chase's gin.
Imagine how much of a crap these directors would be if they were NOT drinking gin on the set?
Stan does take his share of punishment in the future (the ending gag of BELOW ZERO instantly comes to mind), but the fact is Stan Laurel is best as the dumb nitwit, which is used to greater effect in future shorts, and Ollie is the master of taking abuse. They compliment each other perfectly. Oliver Hardy has the best screams of pain and fear in all of comedy, and can take a pratfall for a big man as well as two other comedians, Fatty Arbuckle, and believe it or not, Joe Derita. Yes, you read that right. The one thing I praise Curly Joe on, other than keeping the act going all those years, is his ability to take a good fall.
I was hoping you more or less also note my comments on Edgar Kennedy [pie]
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Imagine how much of a crap these directors would be if they were NOT drinking gin on the set?
I was hoping you more or less also note my comments on Edgar Kennedy [pie]
Edgar Kennedy is fantastic here, and I have nothing to add other than I agree with what you said and wait until PERFECT DAY for even more Edgar Kennedy stuff. You'll be testing your ears on this short.
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Well, my birthday present arrived yesterday, the Laurel and Hardy Essential Collection. Trouble is, my birthday isn't until almost Labor Day. If I were a weaker man, that would drive me nuts.
My birthday is a week and a half before Labor Day, and I wouldn't last. You will be stronger than Thunderclap Callahan if you can last that long!
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Cute nod in the title to the fact that it's their first talkie. I notice the first Our Gang talkie (SMALL TALK) has a similar wink in it's title.
Half the fun of this one for me is the fact that it's a historical document, as well as the fascinating dated qualities Metal mentioned. The sort of "forensic" analysis you can apply to these old films adds an extra layer of enjoyment. Btw Metals, nice job putting this one in its historical context. It's interesting to see how the new limitations of the sound filming process sort of grounded the final product here, compared the the more dynamic silent films they'd done up to now (and would do again once the technology limbered up a bit). The action in UNACCUSTOMED is limited to two rooms and a hallway, and lacks any elaborate slapstick setpieces like the ones they'd give us later (and gave us before), but that's probably just as well in a short that basically serves as a new introduction to the characters in their full vocal glory.
I'm curious as to whether Hardy had much experience with live vocal comedy prior to this. I think he'd done some singing on stage, but would this be the first time he had to deliver in-character comedy dialogue? If so, it's impressive how he nails it right out of the gate. His vocal mannerisms are pretty much fully formed right from the get go.
Have to admit the scene where Edgar Kennedy is beckoning Stan into the hallway for his pounding (after delivering Ollie's) always gives me empathetic chills. Induces flashbacks to childhood, and that horrible feeling of dread and inevitability when Dad would all my brother and me into the kitchen one at a time for paddlin's.
I've seen a lot of pratfalls in my time (pratfalls are the coin of the realm for slapstick), but for some reason Stan's tumble down the stairs after "clobbering" Kennedy got a big laugh out of me the first time I saw it. It was timed just right to deflate his moment of smugness, and was perfectly executed by Stan.
Always enjoy seeing Thelma Todd and Edgar Kennedy in these L&H shorts. It's fun to watch for that kind of supporting actor cross-pollination between the Marx Brothers movies and L&H shorts.
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Always enjoy seeing Thelma Todd and Edgar Kennedy in these L&H shorts. It's fun to watch for that kind of supporting actor cross-pollination between the Marx Brothers movies and L&H shorts.
Love your commentaries, look forward to hearing more.
There's some Stooge actors in Laurel and Hardy films, but not as many as I'd like. Still, Dorothy Granger, Billy Gilbert, Bess Flowers, Al Thompson, and others do appear. Amazingly enough, Bud Jamison never appeared in a Laurel and Hardy film (ON THE WRONG TREK doesn't count). Amazing because he was so prolific in this era and even appeared in other Hal Roach shorts.
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Love your commentaries, look forward to hearing more.
There's some Stooge actors in Laurel and Hardy films, but not as many as I'd like. Still, Dorothy Granger, Billy Gilbert, Bess Flowers, Al Thompson, and others do appear. Amazingly enough, Bud Jamison never appeared in a Laurel and Hardy film (ON THE WRONG TREK doesn't count). Amazing because he was so prolific in this era and even appeared in other Hal Roach shorts.
Thanks man, likewise. Always learn something I didn't know reading these threads. Looking forward to watching these shorts again too. It'll only be the second time I've seen them, after tearing through the original Essential set right after it came out.
Can you imagine James Finlayson in a Stooges short? If L&H had him going all pop-eyed, the Stooges would made his eyes pop right out of their sockets.
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UNACCUSTOMED AS WE ARE is a good enough sound debut for Laurel and Hardy. Starting with Laurel and Hardy’s speech, even from the beginning it was easy to see that they could talk clearly and would have no problem being understood. The actual sound quality itself, though, is a problem and Hardy’s voice seems unusually high, perhaps as a result of the quality of the microphones at the time.
Though I do like Laurel’s punchline at the end of the “Kennedy-Hardy” exchange, the rest of the routine is so slow and drawn out that it’s not nearly as effective as it could have been. I’m not expecting Marx Brothers-quality delivery, but at least something better than this. It doesn’t help that they try to repeat it later in the short.
What really made Laurel and Hardy thrive in the sound era, though, was that they continued to be a mainly visual gag team and for the most part they do continue to act in this manner. That sequence of Laurel and Hardy trying to set up dinner is timed very well and Laurel’s facial expressions are pretty good as well. Laurel and Hardy’s use of sound was often to enhance the visual nature of their films and while it’s still not perfect, they do have at least some idea of how to do this. They’re able to make funny sound gags out of both the oven and the fight between the Kennedys. Regarding the fight, we don’t see what happens, but the sound speaks for it instead. The payoff, of course, is seeing Kennedy when he returns to Hardy’s apartment. Both his appearance and expression make for a great gag that wouldn’t have been nearly as good without hearing how bad the fight was. Of course, I’ve got to give a shout-out to a fantastic supporting cast consisting of Kennedy, Mae Busch, and Thelma Todd.
UNACCUSTOMED AS WE ARE obviously could have been better, but surprisingly it actually is able to accomplish a lot as far as a sound experiment goes. If you can’t get past the obvious sound quality problems, I completely understand, but if you can get past that, it’s actually worth checking out. Not their best, but still a fun short regardless.
8 out of 10
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Spaghetti and coffee again, same as Twice Two. Was this a thing back then? Blechhh.
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The silent version existed for movie theaters who at the time were not yet equipped to show sound films. As far as I know, that's the only reason a silent version exists. Think I'll watch that version now, should be interesting.
Where can you find the silent version of the film?
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Where can you find the silent version of the film?
The silent version is on one of the out of print LOST FILMS OF LAUREL AND HARDY DVD volumes, although I don't recall which volume, at the moment.
It's also currently available for viewing on YouTube:
CHEERS! [pie]
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For me, the UNACCUSTOMED AS WE ARE (1929) silent version is a mixed bag. While the gag involving Mrs. Hardy (Mae Busch) and the phonograph is all but ruined (An untimely inserted dialog card doesn't help, either!), in my opinion, some of the other gags work just as well, if not better in the silent.
For several decades, up until the late 1970s, no playable copies of the soundtrack were known to exist, which meant that UNACCUSTOMED AS WE ARE only appeared on early television as a silent. Just ponder that fact for a moment!
I'm glad that both versions exist in some form! It's too bad that the existing silent version of their followup, BERTH MARKS (1929) has never enjoyed home video release, as I've read that for some viewers, it plays better than the sound version, especially during the lengthy and tedious upper berth sequence (I'd suspect the inserted cards might actually break up some of the monotony, in that instance? ;)).
CHEERS! [pie]
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Well, I just watched the silent version of UNACCUSTOMED AS WE ARE and thought I’d briefly share my thoughts. If I were to pick the silent film with the most annoying use of title cards, it would come down to this and THE PATSY with Marion Davies. I give them credit for trying to make certain theaters not feel left out, but when you start off depending so much on this new technology, the silent version is naturally going to come off as weaker. The phonograph is one example, along with the fight between the Kennedys, which feels very lacking without sound.
However, I do think Tony has a point when he says that some gags still work. Stuff like setting up the table, which doesn’t require sound to make it funny, still works fine and I also think that the whole “Mr. Hardy” and “Mrs. Kennedy” bit works better in this than the sound version, since it doesn’t feel as slow and drawn out. The only other difference besides the lack of sound is the editing. It’s edited to be a bit more fast-paced in order to both be more like a silent film and downplay the importance of the sound-based gags. For example, in the end of the sound version, when Laurel falls down the stairs, Hardy runs over and we hear what results from this, whereas in the silent version, it just ends with Laurel falling and we don’t see Hardy run over to the stairs.
I’m not going to give it a rating since it’s basically just a trimmed-down version of the sound version, but if I had to pick between the two, I’d still pick the sound version. The silent version is still alright though and is the version to pick if you can’t get past the sound quality in the other version.
It's too bad that the existing silent version of their followup, BERTH MARKS (1929) has never enjoyed home video release, as I've read that for some viewers, it plays better than the sound version, especially during the lengthy and tedious upper berth sequence (I'd suspect the inserted cards might actually break up some of the monotony, in that instance? ;)).
Monotonous title cards or the upper berth sequence from BERTH MARKS? Both are bad, but the title cards are the lesser of two evils.
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The silent version....don't have much to say except I agree it's the sound version minus the sound gags and was just made to be shown in theaters yet equipped with sound. In other words, 100% commercial, 0% art.
Umbrella Sam, if you're you're going to participate, I'll seriously consider doing the other Laurel and Hardy films when we finish Keaton. I'm definitely enough of a fan, it's just that participation was minimal before and combined with doing Stooge films at the time, it was too much work for too little feedback. The last film I did was THE MUSIC BOX.
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The silent version....don't have much to say except I agree it's the sound version minus the sound gags and was just made to be shown in theaters yet equipped with sound. In other words, 100% commercial, 0% art.
Umbrella Sam, if you're you're going to participate, I'll seriously consider doing the other Laurel and Hardy films when we finish Keaton. I'm definitely enough of a fan, it's just that participation was minimal before and combined with doing Stooge films at the time, it was too much work for too little feedback. The last film I did was THE MUSIC BOX.
Glad to hear you’ll consider doing them, and, yes, I do intend to participate if you do. Hopefully by then I’ll be all caught up with the other shorts.
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Suffering from the studio-bound stiffness that plagued many early talkies, "Unaccustomed As We Are" provides an agreeable vocal transition for Laurel and Hardy. The Boys' effortless charm overrides a static two-reel sitcom — bolstered by the classic presence of Mae Busch, Thelma Todd and Edgar Kennedy. Rather flat without dialogue, the silent version is worth a look only for historic purposes.
7/10
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Here we are with Laurel and Hardy's talkie debut. I've said before that the comedy film shorts have a much different feel from later TV sitcoms due to a heavier reliance on location shooting and physical comedy, but this short feels like it could have been easily filmed on a set to an audience like I Love Lucy. The whole film takes place in either the hallway, or one of the adjacent homes. Even the plot is more like a TV sitcom with the misunderstanding. Now with the sound: I did not expect Ollie's voice is be so deep at first, and Stan doesn't really say much at all. They can have good verbal routines, but oddly it seemed to be mainly used for sound effects and the other actors.
One thing Laurel and Hardy were great at is giving spotlight to the supporting cast. Thelma Todd, Edgar Kennedy and Mae Busch were all excellent. I've seen all of the Todd-Pitts and Todd-Kelly shorts, and I much prefer her supporting work. Mae Busch is memorable as the yelling and potentially abusive wife, while Edgar Kennedy is great as a cop. I liked the part where Edgar Kennedy was bragging about being with other women, where, unbeknownst to him Todd is right there listening. It's also great seeing Stan's smug look after Thelma beats him up and tries to act like it was all him, only to fall down the stairs. Usually, he's not on the receiving end of the slapstick.