ME AND MY PAL

Written and filmed March, 1933. Released by MGM, April, 1933. Produced by Hal Roach. Directed by Charles Rogers and Lloyd French. Two reels.

Cast: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson, Eddie Dunn, Bobby Dunn, Frank Terry, James C. Morton.   

STORY: Bigshot businessman Ollie is to be married this afternoon. Best man Stan arrives at the Hardy home with a thoughtful wedding present: a jigsaw puzzle. The Boys, along with the butler, a cab driver, a cop and a delivery boy, become so engrossed in the puzzle, Ollie misses his wedding.

Commentary

JB:  A halfburner. What seemed like a great idea turned out to be one of those things that plays better in your mind. Sitting around doing a puzzle reveals itself to be pretty dull, even if you have two of the most brilliant film comics doing it. This is the kind of film that needs a lot of punctuation gags and little bits of business in between the puzzle-solving. Weak ending. Not nearly as involving as it should be. And yet, like so many of their shorts, it is enjoyable. Ollie's solo scene of listening to the radio steals the whole show for me. Who else but Oliver Hardy could make listening to the radio funny?

JL: Yep, the puzzle business blends together in my mind as a blurry whole, while the most memorable individual gags come before and after. Which is perhaps not a good thing when your main set-piece has less to offer than the throwaway gags.

Copyright © 2012 John Larrabee, John V. Brennan

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