Review of On the Loose

At this site, but not in the film credits, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are listed as the stars. They aren't, although they finish the film in typical L&H fashion, to seal the point that the girls are sick of their dates dragging them to Coney Island. This is a Zasu Pitts and Thelma Todd comedy short, produced and directed by Hal Roach. This is one of a series of Zasu and Thelma comedies produced by Hal. Their dates, played by John Loder, and Claud Allister, are the male leads. I would list Dorothy Layton as a supporting actress, since she keeps popping up for a few seconds, getting tangled up with Claud in the various Coney Island amusements........ We begin with the irony that the 2 British chaps who bought them dresses to replace those that they splashed with mud, decided to take them to Coney Island.: exactly where the didn't want to go, having been there many times recently with other dates. But, they felt obligated to go, not putting up an objection. thus we get to experience some of the amusements at Coney at that time. Other players worth mentioning include: Billy Gilbert, as the dress maker and chooser. Also, Charlie Hall as the shooting gallery attendant, where Thelma demonstrats her impressive shooting skill, no doubt derived from lots of practice there. Otto Fries keeps popping up as Dorothy's boyfriend?, who is jealous of the fact that Claud keeps winding up clinging to Dorothy(if not himself). Finally, in the rolling tube, he wants to rough up Claude. But Thelma socks him on the chin, and he quiets down. ........I noticed that Zasu and Thelma were sleeping in the same bed, perhaps to facilitate their bedtime conversation. Also, on the street, they walked arm in arm. I suspect these scenes would have been censored a few years later.......If you are satisfied with a generally lowkey comedy, as opposed to the usual slapstick-filled L&H comedies, I can recommend it.