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(Review originally written at 9 December 2006)

The premise of the movie might sounds very simple and limited: Oliver is in the hospital recovering from a broken leg and his good old pal Stanley pays him a visit. Stan of course causes some serious and hilarious havoc during his visit. The comical ideas and jokes set in a hospital room, with one of the character lying in bed with his leg up, might sound very limited but its amazing what the boys came up with. With such a simple premise and limited room to move- and resources. In one hilarious sequence they even manage to have Oliver hanging on the ceiling of his hospital room, while the doctor is hanging out of the window, at the same time.

This movie basically features every visual comical aspect that makes a Laurel & Hardy movie so great. It's amazing, even such a simple thing as Stanley eating a hard boiled egg can work hilarious on the screen, even though very little is actually happening. But the movie also features some typical slapstick humor, as well as some over-the-top comical moments, such as the end driving sequence, that perhaps feels a bit out of place and is too fake looking to truly find it hilarious.

The characters are also great and hilarious. Aside from the boys the movie also features Billy Gilbert as the doctor and William Austin in a fun over-the-top role as Olivers' roommate.


The movie might not feel as fresh or fun as most other Laurel & Hardy shorts. Maybe it's because of the depressing atmosphere of an hospital, perhaps it's because of the limited room, perhaps it's because of the limited input of Oliver Hardy. Whatever the reason is, it is a fact but it however doesn't make this movie any less pleasant or hilarious, just a little bit different but that, in this case, is not a negative thing.


8/10

About Frank Veenstra

Watches movies...writes about them...and that's it for now.
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