Laughing Gravy **** (1930, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Harry Bernard) – Classic Movie Review 7523

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy evict their dog, Laughing Gravy, when their mean, dog-hating landlord (Charlie Hall) finds him and then spend the rest of the freezing night looking for him.

The boys come up with lots of good knockabout comedy action in producer Hal Roach’s and director James W Horne’s inventive 1931 slapstick short film Laughing Gravy, with good scripting by H M Walker, the stars on their best form and Hall very funny too.

There is also good support from Harry Bernard as the cop and Charles Dorety as a drunkard.

It played in cinemas as a 20-minute two-reeler, after the third reel in which Stan comes into an unexpected inheritance was cut. The restored version with the cut material back runs 30 minutes but omitting the original ending. Apparently there is also a colorised third version with all the existing material.

Later, dog-loving actor Charlie Hall adopted one of Laughing Gravy’s puppies.

Laughing Gravy (1931) is a remake of Stan and Ollie’s last silent film Angora Love (1929), and it is also reworked in The Chimp (1932).

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7523

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