(Review originally written at 6 September 2006)
This is a very typical Laurel & Hardy short. It's filled with some typical and very well executed slapstick humor. This is a great example of how a Laurel & Hardy movie should be.
It's no secret that Laurel & Hardy made their best picture together in the early '30's. This movie is definitely one of their greatest and most enjoyable ones.
The first halve of the movie is mostly filled with slapstick comedy. It's most definitely the best part of the movie. The comical slapstick moments are typical and amazingly funny, mostly due to the fact how well executed and timed they are. The second halve of the movie drags on for a bit too long and doesn't rely anymore so much on its slapstick and visual humor. If only the movie would had been about 10 minutes shorter, how great than it would had been. Not saying that it isn't great or enjoyable enough now but yet the movie had more potential of becoming truly one of the greatest or most memorable Laurel & Hardy shorts.
Their mishaps with Laughing Gravy the dog are funny and provide the movie with its best moments. Also good are the comical moments with the landlord played by Laurel & Hardy regular Charlie Hall, who of course doesn't like the boys having living a dog around in his house. Still it makes me wonder why they didn't gave James Finlayson the part and why didn't Arthur Houseman played the drunk in this one? I missed the both of them in this movie and I had the feeling that the movie would had been even a more fun one with them.
A near perfect slapstick comedy, that more or less falls short of greatness in its second halve, which prevent this movie from being the best or most memorable Laurel & Hardy comedy short but nevertheless it's one of their most fun and typical comedy shorts around.
8/10
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