Towed In a Hole (1932) :
Brief Review -
Laurel & Hardy builds a ship of pre-code comedy that sails all the way in their regular form. 30s was the best decade for Pre-code comedies, especially the first half of the decade. Early 30s saw many great comedies in talkies era and few silent films also found a Praise. Laurel & Hardy did a lot of shorts than feature films, that's one thing which always makes me sad. Because they were almost a decade late for short comedies. Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloys started working in feature in early 20s only so obviously Laurel & Hardy's short in 30s was late. Anyways, everyone had different work mode and identity so let's not compare these comedy legends but yes, the same film in early 20s would have felt much better. Towed In A Hole is a trademark Laurel & Hardy story- A Fine idea going into mess. Although they are successful fishmongers, Stan convinces Ollie that they should become fishermen too - but making a boat seaworthy is not an easy task. Actually, it's bombed down already in the first scene when Stan mentions the idea but later makes sense when they start working on a leaking Ship. The situations are perfect and unintentional. It has got that sense of storyline which doesn't need over-the-top theories in comedy genre. That one thing has always remained just the same in every Laurel & Hardy film. Stan Laurel is little cheesy here but extremely innocent. Couple of times i felt sorry for him despite knowing that he's the one who is creating this mess. Oliver on the other side is smarter compared to Stan but not enough to make things right even if they are simple. Although I found this one less funny than many other L & H films i have seen, i must admit that director George Marshall has done an excellent job. He brought the conviction, he kept it engaging and that's the best any other director could have done with this story. Overall, another Nice comedy by master duo.
RATING - 6.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Laurel & Hardy builds a ship of pre-code comedy that sails all the way in their regular form. 30s was the best decade for Pre-code comedies, especially the first half of the decade. Early 30s saw many great comedies in talkies era and few silent films also found a Praise. Laurel & Hardy did a lot of shorts than feature films, that's one thing which always makes me sad. Because they were almost a decade late for short comedies. Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloys started working in feature in early 20s only so obviously Laurel & Hardy's short in 30s was late. Anyways, everyone had different work mode and identity so let's not compare these comedy legends but yes, the same film in early 20s would have felt much better. Towed In A Hole is a trademark Laurel & Hardy story- A Fine idea going into mess. Although they are successful fishmongers, Stan convinces Ollie that they should become fishermen too - but making a boat seaworthy is not an easy task. Actually, it's bombed down already in the first scene when Stan mentions the idea but later makes sense when they start working on a leaking Ship. The situations are perfect and unintentional. It has got that sense of storyline which doesn't need over-the-top theories in comedy genre. That one thing has always remained just the same in every Laurel & Hardy film. Stan Laurel is little cheesy here but extremely innocent. Couple of times i felt sorry for him despite knowing that he's the one who is creating this mess. Oliver on the other side is smarter compared to Stan but not enough to make things right even if they are simple. Although I found this one less funny than many other L & H films i have seen, i must admit that director George Marshall has done an excellent job. He brought the conviction, he kept it engaging and that's the best any other director could have done with this story. Overall, another Nice comedy by master duo.
RATING - 6.5/10*
By - #samthebestest.