After 32 silent and 40 short films with sound, Laurel and Hardy, on the advice of their producer Hal Roach, decided to end their two-reelers and focus on feature films where they already made six full-length movies. The pair's final short film was March 1935's "Thicker Than Water." Some claim the film's title derived from the scene where Ollie's wife, Daphne (Daphne Pollard), insists the two wash the dishes before going to see a ballgame. Laurel, following Oliver's instructions to put soap flakes in the sink, pours in an excessive amount of soap, creating suds that were 'thicker than water.' But the pair previously used catch-phrases for their film titles. In 1930 "Brats," Stan said "Blood's thicker than water." The bond between Stan and Ollie are tight in their last short, even though Oliver (in the movie) lost his life savings over a grandfather's clock because Stan insisted they put it down in the middle of the street to rest his shoulders. A truck then ran it over.
Under the direction of James Horne, there is a rare early editing wipe that has Laurel walking to the right edge of the camera frame, take hold of the margins and walk across the screen, carrying the wipe effect onto the next sequence. In the film's final scene, the two are leaving the hospital when Ollie says, "Wait a minute. I forgot something." He grabs the right edge of the screen and drags it across, showing the title "The End." Throughout Laurel and Hardy's filmography, Ollie had several actresses playing his spouse. In "Thicker Than Water," diminutive Daphne Pollard is the shrew commanding Oliver. The Australian-born former vaudeville actress was on stage for several years before transitioning to film in 1927 as one of Mack Sennett's 'Beauty Girls.' She had supporting roles into the early 1940s before retiring.
Producer Hal Roach had lost interest in the pair after his feud with Laurel over their previous film, "Babes in Toyland." Roach was still listed as the producer of the feature films, but Laurel shares the credit fo handling the production of their longer motion pictures and he took complete control of the pair's movies after "Thicker Than Water."
Under the direction of James Horne, there is a rare early editing wipe that has Laurel walking to the right edge of the camera frame, take hold of the margins and walk across the screen, carrying the wipe effect onto the next sequence. In the film's final scene, the two are leaving the hospital when Ollie says, "Wait a minute. I forgot something." He grabs the right edge of the screen and drags it across, showing the title "The End." Throughout Laurel and Hardy's filmography, Ollie had several actresses playing his spouse. In "Thicker Than Water," diminutive Daphne Pollard is the shrew commanding Oliver. The Australian-born former vaudeville actress was on stage for several years before transitioning to film in 1927 as one of Mack Sennett's 'Beauty Girls.' She had supporting roles into the early 1940s before retiring.
Producer Hal Roach had lost interest in the pair after his feud with Laurel over their previous film, "Babes in Toyland." Roach was still listed as the producer of the feature films, but Laurel shares the credit fo handling the production of their longer motion pictures and he took complete control of the pair's movies after "Thicker Than Water."