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Film & Shorts Discussions => Laurel and Hardy => Topic started by: metaldams on September 27, 2015, 07:54:25 PM
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http://www.lordheath.com/index.php?p=1_103_The-Laurel-Hardy-Murder-Case
http://www.laurelandhardycentral.com/lhmurder.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021054
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x26gcpa_the-laurel-hardy-murder-case-b-w-1930-laurel-hardy_shortfilms
Watch THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE in the link above
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x26ghqz_noche-de-duendes-b-w-1930-laurel-hardy_shortfilms
Watch NOCHE DE DUENDES in the link above
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/5a/Thelaurelhardymurdercasetitle.jpg/220px-Thelaurelhardymurdercasetitle.jpg)
The Laurel and Hardy version of IF A BODY MEETS A BODY, fifteen years earlier. Fred Kelsey even plays the detective in both, and Dell Henderson also appears in both films. Stan Laurel, like Curly, has a long lost uncle who passed away leaving a fortune in a spooky house. A bunch of relatives show, a murder is suspected, Fred Kelsey makes everybody stay, and scare gags take place. The trap door behind the telephone gag even shows up in both. These are similar films. While neither film is great, I give the edge to Laurel and Hardy due to the lack of sick Curly factor.
While THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE is not great, it is at least good for a few reasons, mainly Stan and Ollie. The first five minutes when they are fishing are fine. I love the joke about the death of Stan's uncle (which I won't give away for those who have not seen this), and just the interplay between the two. Ollie wiping his grimy fish gunked hands on Stan's clothes, the little interview about Stan's family and birth, it's all very pleasant. I also enjoy the relationship exploring about Stan not wanting to share half the fortune with Ollie and Ollie being hurt by it. Again, this personal, human dynamic is something you rarely see with other major comedy teams. Whether that's a good or bad thing depends on your taste, but I like this about Stan and Ollie. This is also the first time Ollie utters, "Here's another nice mess you've gotten me into." An iconic line to be sure. Also the rainy, thunder sound and spooky atmosphere are great.
The weak stuff is there is not one great gag to be found and the supporting cast overplays, and not in a fun way. This was early sound horror acting before Lugosi, Karloff, Frye, and James Whale showed the world how it's done. Stan and Ollie are good with bad material, just imagine two weak comedians in their place handling the bat under the sheets as a ghost scare gag. (Shudders). The Spanish version is nothing to write home about, extended because we get the dreaded upper bunk scene from BERTH MARKS added in! (Shudders some more)
7/10
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Before I offer my observations and opinions regarding this short, I feel it's important I note that Laurel & Hardy are my all time favorite comedy team.
That said, THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE (The title itself was inspired by the real life Hall-Mills murder of 1922, and its subsequent 1926 trial!) is among my least favorite of their Hal Roach sound shorts, not least due to its ending! The upper berth scene in the Spanish version also features some really lousy dubbing, which may have unwittingly hailed the beginning of the end for the brief era of phonetically spoken/multiple filmed versions of the same (More or less!) screenplay!
Nevertheless, likely owing at least somewhat to the comedy duo's instant name recognition within the title of this, their first Three Reeler, THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE would be their all time highest grossing short subject!
One upshot is Fred Kelsey's iconic performance as the Detective, which was subsequently often imitated! I do look forward to eventually viewing his performance in A BODY MEETS A BODY, as I've been watching The Three Stooges shorts in their original release order on the excellent Sony DVD collection.
5.5/10 (Just about as bad as it gets with Stan & Ollie's sound shorts, in my opinion!)
CHEERS! :)
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Before I offer my observations and opinions regarding this short, I feel it's important I note that Laurel & Hardy are my all time favorite comedy team.
That said, THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE (The title itself was inspired by the real life Hall-Mills murder of 1922, and its subsequent 1926 trial!) is among my least favorite of their Hal Roach sound shorts, not least due to its ending! The upper berth scene in the Spanish version also features some really lousy dubbing, which may have unwittingly hailed the beginning of the end for the brief era of phonetically spoken/multiple filmed versions of the same (More or less!) screenplay!
Nevertheless, likely owing at least somewhat to the comedy duo's instant name recognition within the title of this, their first Three Reeler, THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE would be their all time highest grossing short subject!
One upshot is Fred Kelsey's iconic performance as the Detective, which was subsequently often imitated! I do look forward to eventually viewing his performance in A BODY MEETS A BODY, as I've been watching The Three Stooges shorts in their original release order on the excellent Sony DVD collection.
5.5/10 (Just about as bad as it gets with Stan & Ollie's sound shorts, in my opinion!)
CHEERS! :)
I wouldn't call this my least favorite of the Laurel and Hardy talking shorts, though it probably makes the bottom 5. The atmosphere and the main actors themselves lift a mostly dreadful script. Still, I can understand this being someone's least favorite. As for mine, if you need a clue, look at a very low rated Shemp short I just reviewed recently, think of a Laurel and Hardy short with a similar idea, and you'd guess correctly.
....and yes, this is Laurel and Hardy's highest grossing short. Wasn't SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK Keaton's highest grossing film? Well, it was up there, anyway. Never trust the public.
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I wouldn't call this my least favorite of the Laurel and Hardy talking shorts, though it probably makes the bottom 5. The atmosphere and the main actors themselves lift a mostly dreadful script. Still, I can understand this being someone's least favorite. As for mine, if you need a clue, look at a very low rated Shemp short I just reviewed recently, think of a Laurel and Hardy short with a similar idea, and you'd guess correctly.
....and yes, this is Laurel and Hardy's highest grossing short. Wasn't SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK Keaton's highest grossing film? Well, it was up there, anyway. Never trust the public.
Having found the low rated Shemp short SELF MADE MAIDS (1950), and without looking at the corresponding Laurel & Hardy talking short, my guess for your least favorite is TWICE TWO (1933). Not one of my favorites either, though there's at least one I'd rate lower, even than THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE!
Hint: Some stubborn Footwear is involved.
Yes, Buster Keaton's early MGM sound Features were among his highest grossing, though I suspect this had more to do with the MGM owned Loew's Theater Chain, and the dubious systems that were in place, rather than a duped public, per se! It was also within this same Theater Chain that Laurel & Hardy's wartime MGM release, NOTHING BUT TROUBLE (1944) became their all time highest grossing Feature Length Film! :P
CHEERS! :)
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Hint: Some stubborn Footwear is involved.
I honestly haven't watched TOO much L&H*, but as a fellow regular poster on the VoyForum for Dave Lord Heath's "Another Nice Mess" website, I don't have to do any digging (or pulling ;)) at all to know which one...
* (the sound doesn't work for me on DailyMotion after I downloaded a new Flash Plug-In; I promise though, I'll remedy the L&H situation soon!)
EDIT: 100th post!
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I honestly haven't watched TOO much L&H*, but as a fellow regular poster on the VoyForum for Dave Lord Heath's "Another Nice Mess" website, I don't have to do any digging (or pulling ;)) at all to know which one...
* (the sound doesn't work for me on DailyMotion after I downloaded a new Flash Plug-In; I promise though, I'll remedy the L&H situation soon!)
EDIT: 100th post!
Sorry to hear that you're having trouble with the sound. For me, I noticed that the video playback is very jerky. Thankfully, I have all of Laurel & Hardy's sound shorts on the excellent "Essential Collection" 10 DVD set!
Insofar as my least favorite L&H sound short, while the boys' specialize in milking a scene and do it amazingly well most of the time, in my opinion, the 13 minutes and 22 seconds devoted to repeated attempts to remove Ollie's Boot is several minutes too long! :P
Getting back to THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE, the background music that can be heard at the beginning of the opening scene at the Dockyard, has also been used in countless Laurel & Hardy silents!
Congratulations on your 100th post! :)
CHEERS! :)
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I had high expectations for this short, but they were not fulfilled. It seems to be a case where the concept exceeded the execution. A synopsis of the short certainly sounds funny...but it fails.
Again, this is a short where much, or even most, of it was really a silent movie with sound effects. The dialogue could really have been put onto title cards without much loss.
I like the "Bat! Bat!" scene, but probably because it wasn't another parrot in a sheet, as in the Stooges. Fred Kelsey is the best part of the movie, but it's a disappointment overall.
Tony, I didn't know this title was inspired by the Hall-Mills murder case. I love little bits of knowledge such as that - - thanks.
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I had high expectations for this short, but they were not fulfilled. It seems to be a case where the concept exceeded the execution. A synopsis of the short certainly sounds funny...but it fails.
I agree with your above assessment. The atmosphere for this three reeler was certainly there, also!
What really sinks this short for me, is the plot device that was used for the ending. In my opinion, it not only rendered the story line a complete waste, but the way in which it was executed didn't even make any sense, and I honestly can't explain just how without a spoiler!
Again, this is a short where much, or even most, of it was really a silent movie with sound effects. The dialogue could really have been put onto title cards without much loss.
Considering that some of the background score for this short has actually been used in many Laurel & Hardy silents that have been released on Home Video, this seems apropos.
I like the "Bat! Bat!" scene, but probably because it wasn't another parrot in a sheet, as in the Stooges. Fred Kelsey is the best part of the movie, but it's a disappointment overall.
This is one of my favorite parts, as well. For me, it's the one part of the film which has an atmosphere not unlike that of their 1928 silent, HABEAS CORPUS, and I could see this scene play really well with some spooky sounding organ music!
Tony, I didn't know this title was inspired by the Hall-Mills murder case. I love little bits of knowledge such as that - - thanks.
I believe that this was actually mentioned on one of the LAUREL & HARDY: THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION commentary tracks for their subsequent three reel comedy, ANOTHER FINE MESS (1930), which made references to THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE.
Regarding the Hall-Mills Murder case, I've recently read some of the information relating to it, that's available online, and I do find it rather intriguing. I would actually like to read some of the books that relate to the case, and those who were involved.
CHEERS! :)
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Been going through a rough patch lately... hopefully in the next few weeks I will be able to play catch-up here.
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Been going through a rough patch lately... hopefully in the next few weeks I will be able to play catch-up here.
Hope everything's OK. Look forward to hearing your opinions, especially on HOG WILD.
Thanks to everybody who's contributing to these, you guys are making some great insights and lending some cool facts. I used to view the Laurel and Hardy reviews as my solo album for creative stimulation to keep my main band/Three Stooges reviews fresh, but the Laurel and Hardy reviews are almost as popular. I'm pleasantly surprised.
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I just realized I forgot to post the Spanish link, so I edited it in above.
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Having found the low rated Shemp short SELF MADE MAIDS (1950), and without looking at the corresponding Laurel & Hardy talking short, my guess for your least favorite is TWICE TWO (1933). Not one of my favorites either, though there's at least one I'd rate lower, even than THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE!
Hint: Some stubborn Footwear is involved.
Yes, Buster Keaton's early MGM sound Features were among his highest grossing, though I suspect this had more to do with the MGM owned Loew's Theater Chain, and the dubious systems that were in place, rather than a duped public, per se! It was also within this same Theater Chain that Laurel & Hardy's wartime MGM release, NOTHING BUT TROUBLE (1944) became their all time highest grossing Feature Length Film! :P
CHEERS! :)
By the way, I forgot to comment on this. NOTHING BUT TROUBLE is the highest grossing Laurel and Hardy film? I double checked because I could not believe it, yet you are right. I'm starting to think if MGM filmed El Brendel reading the phone book, it would gross higher than SONS OF THE DESERT.
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By the way, I forgot to comment on this. NOTHING BUT TROUBLE is the highest grossing Laurel and Hardy film? I double checked because I could not believe it, yet you are right. I'm starting to think if MGM filmed El Brendel reading the phone book, it would gross higher than SONS OF THE DESERT.
In my opinion, based on MGM's owning the largest U.S. based Theater Chain, that's not at all unlikely! However, at the non Theater owned Columbia Pictures, it would have tanked! ;)
Hmmmm, El Brendel reading the phone book in his fake Swedish accent? Not the worst idea I've heard, actually. Just add fake Shemp dialing the numbers, reaching some "interesting" parties!
OK, back to THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE! Wasn't Del Henderson a scream dressed in drag?
CHEERS! :)
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Stanley Blystone is also in this film. I wonder if he and Kelsey have any scenes together.
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Stanley Blystone is also in this film. I wonder if he and Kelsey have any scenes together.
They do indeed around 6-9 minutes into the short!
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This was time in my life I will never get back. Not very funny... in fact, unlike the Stooge version, here we see most every person, except two officers (who left for help), the two villains, and Stan and Ollie, get murdered... for THAT CRAP! The first 15 minutes were bland and lifeless. They had an interesting short comedic horror film going until that dumb ending!
That's 30 minutes of my life I can NEVER get back!
5/10 for a crappy ending! 7/10 otherwise!
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This was time in my life I will never get back. Not very funny... in fact, unlike the Stooge version, here we see most every person, except two officers (who left for help), the two villains, and Stan and Ollie, get murdered... for THAT CRAP! The first 15 minutes were bland and lifeless. They had an interesting short comedic horror film going until that dumb ending!
That's 30 minutes of my life I can NEVER get back!
5/10 for a crappy ending! 7/10 otherwise!
Absolutely right about the lame ass ending. Nice to see you reviewing these. One thing that struck me about these Laurel and Hardy films is they never got on a consistent run like The Stooges did for a few years in the late thirties and early forties. Still, when Stan and Ollie were on, gut busting hysterical. If you want to watch a feature, check out BLOCK-HEADS.
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Absolutely right about the lame ass ending. Nice to see you reviewing these. One thing that struck me about these Laurel and Hardy films is they never got on a consistent run like The Stooges did for a few years in the late thirties and early forties. Still, when Stan and Ollie were on, gut busting hysterical. If you want to watch a feature, check out BLOCK-HEADS.
Nope. I'm going to play by the rules on this and catch up on the reviewed shorts I haven't watched yet. You've been asking "Why don't you do something to help me?!" with the reviews, and someone's helping now :)
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Nope. I'm going to play by the rules on this and catch up on the reviewed shorts I haven't watched yet. You've been asking "Why don't you do something to help me?!" with the reviews, and someone's helping now :)
Looking forward to your take on THE MUSIC BOX. That short getting no response is a crime.
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Honestly, I do think that this is a very good premise for a comedy, but unfortunately neither Laurel and Hardy or The Three Stooges were able to execute it as well as they should have, in the Stooges’ case because of Curly’s stroke and in Laurel and Hardy’s case probably because of the loss of Stan’s infant son. MURDER CASE is definitely the better of the two versions, though, and is still alright. If anything it’s just kind of underwhelming.
Yes, as metaldams mentioned, there is no standout gag in this, but it’s not entirely lifeless either. Some of the scare gags got some laughs out of me, like Laurel and Hardy running from the bat or when Hardy freaks out after seeing Laurel’s hand. Nothing great, but there is enough in there to say that it wasn’t a complete waste of time. In addition, we do get some nice performances from the detectives, especially Fred Kelsey.
Still, the short isn’t without its problems either. Frank Austin as the butler tries to be comedic and creepy at the same time, but ends up coming off as neither. I’m sure this guy has been good in other stuff, but here, he really felt out of his element. That weird smile he does after checking on Laurel and Hardy comes off as just that: weird. Additionally, the other suspects barely get to do anything in this film, and, yes, that ending was pretty stupid as well. Personally, I think that the ending of the three-reel version of LAUGHING GRAVY would have been pretty fitting here story-wise, since this already deals with a Laurel family member, even though LAUGHING GRAVY as a whole is a better film. Overall, I wouldn’t consider this the worst Laurel and Hardy film, but not much about it stands out and it’s a kind of comedy that’s been done better by others, notably Abbott and Costello. Part of me does wonder, though if this may have been better as a feature, since there would have been more opportunity to develop the characters of the other suspects...
Well, funny I should mention that, because the Spanish version, NOCHE DE DUENDES, is a feature film. Yes, this film is over forty minutes, so it technically qualifies as Laurel and Hardy’s first feature. Who knows? Maybe it could be even better than the English version...
So the film starts off basically the same as the English version, with Laurel and Hardy fishing at the dock. No major differences between the two versions at this point. So, after that, they...no. They can’t. No! Please! Anything but that! ANYTHING BUT THAT!
(sigh) Yes, it’s...the train sequences from BERTH MARKS.
(https://i.imgur.com/Zal8yVQ.gif)
This was such a pain to sit through again. Not only do they take out the opening at the station, which was the only part in the original I thought was decent, but I’m pretty sure that this is even longer than the train sequences in BERTH MARKS. I ranted enough about that short in that thread, so I’ll just add one more observation: I don’t remember if this was the case in the original or not (and I most certainly will not go back and check), but there are a lot of uncomfortable shots of Laurel and Hardy sticking their bottoms up close to the camera in this version.
After the train sequences finally end, the film pretty much plays out like MURDER CASE again. Rather than retaining Kelsey, this version instead retains Frank Austin. We see the exact same gags play out that were somewhat funny in the original, and play out pretty much the same here. Nothing more to add here: an already somewhat weaker entry is made almost unwatchable by using the abominable BERTH MARKS as filler. Definitely not a good feature film debut.
English Version: 6 out of 10
Spanish Version: 3 out of 10
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Just some observations:
I gave the rare German version a fresh viewing last night. For me, the most jarring part is the changeovers from the German-English-German versions when the detective is present, as it's an unknown actor (Who looks absolutely nothing like, nor is even dressed anything like Fred Kelsey!) playing him in the German version.
Is it just me, or does Art Rowlands bear a slight resemblance to Emil Sitka?
In observing Oliver Hardy speaking German, his foreign language delivery just seems more natural than Stan Laurel's.
I also saw the English version again, earlier yesterday. More than ever, I feel that the ending really sinks this three reel comedy on so many levels. How odd that both Laurel and Hardy's first and final three reelers have similar type endings, although in my opinion, it plays somewhat better in the latter one.
CHEERS! [pie]
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Just some observations:
I gave the rare German version a fresh viewing last night. For me, the most jarring part is the changeovers from the German-English-German versions when the detective is present, as it's an unknown actor (Who looks absolutely nothing like, nor is even dressed anything like Fred Kelsey!) playing him in the German version.
Is it just me, or does Art Rowlands bear a slight resemblance to Emil Sitka?
In observing Oliver Hardy speaking German, his foreign language delivery just seems more natural than Stan Laurel's.
I also saw the English version again, earlier yesterday. More than ever, I feel that the ending really sinks this three reel comedy on so many levels. How odd that both Laurel and Hardy's first and final three reelers have similar type endings, although in my opinion, it plays somewhat better in the latter one.
CHEERS! [pie]
Where did you get to see the German version? I've never seen it.
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Where did you get to see the German version? I've never seen it.
I received a copy from a friend some years back. It is currently available individually (Or as part of a massive set!) on a German DVD release. Not sure if it's Region Free, though. I should also note the print is rather rough looking, with lots of vertical lines, although still viewable:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dick-Doof-Spuk-um-Mitternacht/dp/B0032HC0OW
As posted on Dave Lord Heath's Another Nice Mess website: http://www.lordheath.com/menu1_728.html
CHEERS! [pie]
P.S. SPUK UM MITTERNACHT (1931) is also currently on YouTube, as it happens:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WrUoP6NWHdM
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I received a copy from a friend some years back. It is currently available individually (Or as part of a massive set!) on a German DVD release. Not sure if it's Region Free, though. I should also note the print is rather rough looking, with lots of vertical lines, although still viewable:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dick-Doof-Spuk-um-Mitternacht/dp/B0032HC0OW
As posted on Dave Lord Heath's Another Nice Mess website: http://www.lordheath.com/menu1_728.html
CHEERS! [pie]
P.S. SPUK UM MITTERNACHT (1931) is also currently on YouTube, as it happens:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WrUoP6NWHdM
The German version has a level of comedy the English doesn't have - watching them try to speak German. Wow, what a find.
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The German version has a level of comedy the English doesn't have - watching them try to speak German. Wow, what a find.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)
CHEERS! [pie]
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An uneven short that promises more than it delivers. "The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case" simply does not justify its three-reel length — there's plenty of "old dark house" atmosphere, but only sporadic laughs. One of the reasons why the ending fails so miserably is that a dream framework was never established. Stan and Ollie would have been better off with a "67 cents" finish that the Stooges later used in "If a Body Meets a Body."
6/10
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A lot of the comedy teams seemed to do at least one horror comedy that revolved around murder. Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff and If a Body Meets a Body are other examples. This is Laurel and Hardy's version. I'll admit, I love horror and horror comedies so I enjoyed this movie. My favorite part was the "you're wanted on the phone" sequence where people would answer the phone and then go disappearing. I don't think this needed to be three reels, the part of the fishing dock and at the spooky house could have been two different films. I don't like the ending completely scrapping the whole rest of the movie. This also feels a lot like Scooby-Doo. Stan and Ollie act almost exactly like Scooby and Shaggy.
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Insofar as my least favorite L&H sound short, while the boys' specialize in milking a scene and do it amazingly well most of the time, in my opinion, the 13 minutes and 22 seconds devoted to repeated attempts to remove Ollie's Boot is several minutes too long! :P
BE BIG is a lot better than people give it credit for. I'm not saying it is one of their best, though. At least it passes the "if I trimmed it down it's a better movie" test. Can't say the same for other shorts such as BERTH MARKS, TWICE TWO, and THE L-H MURDER CASE.
Getting back to THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE, the background music that can be heard at the beginning of the opening scene at the Dockyard, has also been used in countless Laurel & Hardy silents!
It's from WRONG AGAIN. Those "Lost" DVDs repeated the music for other shorts that originally didn't have a music and effects disc.
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Nevertheless, likely owing at least somewhat to the comedy duo's instant name recognition within the title of this, their first Three Reeler, THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE would be their all time highest grossing short subject!
I'm not exactly sure how the financials worked with shorts, but I thought Roach got a fixed amount regardless of how many people saw it. And how did they know if people came to see a L&H short as opposed to the feature it played with?
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Absolutely right about the lame ass ending. Nice to see you reviewing these. One thing that struck me about these Laurel and Hardy films is they never got on a consistent run like The Stooges did for a few years in the late thirties and early forties. Still, when Stan and Ollie were on, gut busting hysterical. If you want to watch a feature, check out BLOCK-HEADS.
I'm hoping your opinion has changed since you wrote this! :D
For talkies, from late 1930 to 1938, their features and shorts were mostly excellent. A few clunkers in the features, and a few in the shorts. BERTH MARKS, TWICE TWO and THE L-H MURDER CASE are the only shorts I'd tell someone to avoid if they are just starting to watch L&H.
For their silents, almost all of their shorts once they were a team are generally at least above average (but by the mathematical definition they would be average -- right? -- back to the point I've made before about ratings.)
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I just watched this again a few nights ago. I've seen it a million times, but there was something I had never thought of before. This contains the longest stretch without the boys on the screen than any of their shorts -- the sequence in the house before they show up.
I've heard that Dorothy Granger owned a copy of this film in 8mm. (BTW, she was gorgeous!)
Also, Stan had just lost his only son (an infant) around the time this was made.
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I'm not exactly sure how the financials worked with shorts, but I thought Roach got a fixed amount regardless of how many people saw it. And how did they know if people came to see a L&H short as opposed to the feature it played with?
I have no idea HOW the financial tallying for the short subjects worked. All I know is what I read or heard regarding THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE (1930) being Laurel & Hardy's all time highest box office grossing short. Now that I think of it, I believe this was referenced on one of the two commentary tracks for the short that followed in theatrical release order, ANOTHER FINE MESS (1930), most likely from the commentary track with Richard W. Bann. This would be from the LAUREL & HARDY: THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION 10 DVD set.
CHEERS! [pie]
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I have no idea HOW the financial tallying for the short subjects worked. All I know is what I read or heard regarding THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE (1930) being Laurel & Hardy's all time highest box office grossing short. Now that I think of it, I believe this was referenced on one of the two commentary tracks for the short that followed in theatrical release order, ANOTHER FINE MESS (1930), most likely from the commentary track with Richard W. Bann. This would be from the LAUREL & HARDY: THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION 10 DVD set.
CHEERS! [pie]
I need to research how the financials were done for the shorts. I know that when they were at Fox, Laurel always nagged the producers about making better pictures, his theory being than if the "bad" pictures they were making made money, then what would a "good" picture make? He was always told that it didn't matter, since the way the financials worked, they wouldn't make more money if more people went to see them. I've assumed that that's the way the shorts worked as well.
Apple states it was the highest grossing as well: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/laurel--hardy-the-laurel-hardy-murder-case/umc.cmc.6j6nrardvljdrtkoz3sifpyrn
It's hard, however, to take seriously any info that Apple put on that page since they put a still from OLIVER THE EIGHTH there. But it does make sense that because of the longer foreign versions, it made more money than their other shorts. I assume that does not necessarily mean more fannies were in the seats to watch it. Since it was a "feature", Roach must have gotten more money from M-G-M for it overseas. BE BIG and LAUGHING GRAVY were stitched together to make a "feature" for foreign language versions as well. I wonder how much that one grossed?
All this just proves how one can "lie" with statistics. ;D (A book was written with that title: https://www.amazon.com/How-Lie-Statistics-Darrell-Huff/dp/0393310728)
I'm sure that when Roach switched them strictly to features in 1935, the intent was to make more money.
TBH, I've never paid much attention to which of their films made how much money, etc.
BTW, this was not their first three-reeler; that honor goes to BLOTTO, although older filmographies erroneously list it as a two-reeler.
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It's probably also worth noting that unlike THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE (1930), ANOTHER FINE MESS (1930) wasn't filmed in multiple phonetic foreign language versions for the overseas market. Thus, fewer opportunities for increased revenue.
Of course, to muddy the waters even further, "Murder Case" was combined with "Berth Marks" in the foreign language versions, making it feature length, so if revenues from that combo are included in the financial tally, can it still rightfully be called Laurel & Hardy's highest grossing short subject, assuming that's even a thing? So many questions!
CHEERS! :)
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I'm hoping your opinion has changed since you wrote this! :D
For talkies, from late 1930 to 1938, their features and shorts were mostly excellent. A few clunkers in the features, and a few in the shorts. BERTH MARKS, TWICE TWO and THE L-H MURDER CASE are the only shorts I'd tell someone to avoid if they are just starting to watch L&H.
For their silents, almost all of their shorts once they were a team are generally at least above average (but by the mathematical definition they would be average -- right? -- back to the point I've made before about ratings.)
I think there are certainly more good than bad Laurel and Hardy films and the best ones are extremely good - like among the all time best. But there are some mediocre to bad films. BONNIE SCOTLAND is saved by two scenes and I absolutely loathe TWICE TWO. ANY OLD PORT isn’t so great either. The Stooges had their uninspired eras for sure, but from say 1939 - 1942 or 1943, not even Laurel and Hardy had a run like that. Basically when it was only Jules and Del directing. The greatest run in my opinion is Buster Keaton - his silent independent run, which took up almost the entire decade of the twenties, was incredible.
All that said, while not a classic, I’m a little easier on THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE these days than I was when I wrote this review.
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It's probably also worth noting that unlike THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE (1930), ANOTHER FINE MESS (1930) wasn't filmed in multiple phonetic foreign language versions for the overseas market. Thus, fewer opportunities for increased revenue.
Of course, to muddy the waters even further, "Murder Case" was combined with "Berth Marks" in the foreign language versions, making it feature length, so if revenues from that combo are included in the financial tally, can it still rightfully be called Laurel & Hardy's highest grossing short subject, assuming that's even a thing? So many questions!
CHEERS! :)
Yup -- like I said -- you can make statistics (in this case financial ones) say anything you want!
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I think there are certainly more good than bad Laurel and Hardy films and the best ones are extremely good - like among the all time best. But there are some mediocre to bad films. BONNIE SCOTLAND is saved by two scenes and I absolutely loathe TWICE TWO. ANY OLD PORT isn’t so great either. The Stooges had their uninspired eras for sure, but from say 1939 - 1942 or 1943, not even Laurel and Hardy had a run like that. Basically when it was only Jules and Del directing. The greatest run in my opinion is Buster Keaton - his silent independent run, which took up almost the entire decade of the twenties, was incredible.
All that said, while not a classic, I’m a little easier on THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE these days than I was when I wrote this review.
I, too, am a little easier on MURDER CASE than I used to be.
We'll have to agree to disagree on L&H not having a great run. I'd say the run was from 1927 - 1938. You could say to 1940 as well, but I feel the last 2 Roach pictures in 1940 were a step or 2 down, and FLYING DEUCES wasn't that great either.
There's bound to be a few clunkers, but the ratio of good-very-good-great to clunkers is extremely high. TWICE TWO is a real outlier, and I'm not convinced that it ruins the great run (like a hit that destroys a no-hitter.) They did have some weak ones at the dawn of talkies -- but just about every comedian (and dramatic actor, for that matter) ran into the same problem.
Regarding TWICE TWO, I've long held the belief that had they not dubbed-in those annoying voices for the "wives" (especially for Laurel), it would have survived as one of their better shorts. I've also long wondered if the soundtrack exists of Stan and Babe's voices for the wives before they were dubbed-in. (Ever notice that when voices are dubbed, it sounds like someone sitting in a studio in front of a microphone? -- which it is. Why don't they try to simulate the surroundings and acoustics of where the movie was filmed?)
Funny you mention ANY OLD PORT, since Skretvedt, in his L&H:THE MAGIC BEHIND THE MOVIES, says it resembles a Stooges short directed by Jules White! It's not one of their best, but I wouldn't call it a clunker. It has a good pace, and doesn't suffer from that "deadness" of a few of their early talkies, and TWICE TWO. I've always enjoyed it.
BONNIE SCOTLAND is not one of their better features, but if you cut out the unnecessary plot footage, there's some first-rate L&H in there! (IMO, more than just 2 scenes. I do wish that they had tightened-up the rooming house scene, and given it a bit more "punch." As it stands, it looks as if they were fiming one of their weakest 1929 early talkies. ) It's certainly better than SWISS MISS and PACK UP YOUR TROUBLES. Also, L&H were sorta "forced" into features, and I think I read somewhere that Stan would have preferred that they stuck to shorts. Artistically, they were a victim of their own success.
I've never liked to have comedians "complete" with each other, and I avoid saying this comedian was better than that one, etc. Yes, the Stooges had a great run that was interrupted, unfortunatley, by ill health and death a few times. But so did L&H, Keaton (as you mentioned), Chaplin, Our Gang, and Abbott and Costello. I love Charley Chase, but now having seen most of his Roach talkies, he had lots of clunkers. I love W.C. Fields, but he unfortunately never had a good long uninterrupted run, and his number of really great must-see films is somewhat equivalent to those of The Marx Bros, whom I also love.
It's really great that both L&H and the Stooges have such a large body of work to enjoy -- and each had their fair share of clunkers! [3stooges]