The Fixer Uppers (1935) Directed by Charley Rogers

(Review originally written at 17 July 2006)

This movie has one main problem; It has too much talking and too little comedy situations. It makes "The Fixer Uppers" one of the lesser Laurel & Hardy comedy shorts.

Yes, it's definitely true that the movie gets better toward the ending but that was all too late for me. Basically the movie relies too much on just one comical situation and builds the entire movie around this. The comical situation itself isn't even original and the boys used it before in one of their first silent movies together; "Slipping Wives". The entire first halve of the movie is too boring and too little is happening, mainly because there is way too much dialog in it.

Of course the movie still has some well executed moments and it surely made me laugh at at least two occasions. It proofs that even the lesser Laurel & Hardy movies are still good enough to give you an overall good time and make you laugh, or at the very least amuse you.

Laurel & Hardy regular Mae Busch shows up in a quite big and significant role this time. She shows that she was a great comedy actress and entertains in her role. Another Laurel & Hardy regular in this movie is Arthur Housman, who yet again plays a drunk. It's a less significant and a too forced role unfortunately to provide the movie with some good memorable moments.

Weak first halve, too much talking and it relies too much on one comical situation. All the reasons why this movie is one of the lesser Laurel & Hardy comedy shorts that of course still entertains and amuses, especially its fans.

6/10