Un año a la sombra

This is the one where Stan&Ollie are accidentally locked outside the prison, and Laurel angrily pounds on the gate to be let BACK IN;while Hardy gives the camera one of those unforgettable looks of disgust.

And the opening title card---"Neither Mr. Laurel or Mr. Hardy had any thoughts of doing wrong. As a matter of fact,they had no thoughts of any kind".

Enormous Tiny Sandford is given the chore of guarding the boys on the work gang, and he takes the brunt of the abuse(gooey soup poured on his shoes;but only after it's been overloaded with pepper).

Actually,putting rice in the radiator IS a good way to stop a leak----but science takes a back seat to laughs and loss of dignity.

And their first prison film wasn't this one,but 1927's THE SECOND HUNDRED YEARS.

This is an okay Laurel and Hardy film--about average overall. While the plot is a bit different than most of their films, the team did do several films where they were convicts (such as LIBERTY and PARDON US). And, of these films, this is perhaps my least favorite. It isn't because the film is really bad, but a lot of the humor isn't all that memorable and the rice throwing at the end seems very derivative--throwing pies, etc. is almost a cliché since it's been seen a lot already in older comedies. I just don't see why throwing food is funny--it just seems like a cheap laugh. If you are a die-hard fan, then this IS a film for you. For others who are not familiar with the duo, find another film first--this film isn't magical or a must-see film.

A LAUREL & HARDY Comedy Short. Stan & Ollie have finally gotten themselves thrown into THE HOOSE-GOW. Having failed miserably in an escape attempt, they find themselves assigned to a road gang - digging ditches. Creating havoc all around them, the Boys even manage to assault the visiting State Governor, eventually involving prisoners, guards & VIP's in a frantic free-for-all with handfuls of boiled rice.

This early talkie is rather unpolished in construction, but Stan & Ollie are always fun to watch. Slapstick humor abounds, especially in the finale. James Finlayson plays the Governor.

Everyone has heard that famous phrase. But what about imitating yourself? Is that still flattery? Laurel and Hardy recycle not one, but two recently-used comedy routines in this short.

Plot In a Nutshell: Two innocent bystanders (Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy) are swept up in a police raid and sent to prison, where they wreak their usual havoc.

Why I rated it a '5': Overall this is not among L&H's best efforts. When you recycle multiple gags in a 20-minute film, it speaks to a lack of imagination and hints at churning just to get in their quota of 10 shorts a year. For those not aware, the 'loose-top-on-the-salt-shaker' bit was already used in "You're Darn Tootin'" and the 'soggy rice fight' was already used (in the form of pies) in "The Battle of the Century."

Perhaps if you have not seen either of those earlier shorts, "The Hoose-Gow" may seem fresh; but once you realize this, however, one can't help but be less than impressed with this effort. Add to this is the fact that the soggy rice fight isn't particularly hilarious and it just kind of falls flat. Hey, it's still Laurel and Hardy, so it's not a total loss. But in their entire catalog of work, "The Hoose-Gow" is decidedly run-of-the-mill.

5/10. Would I watch again (Y/N)?: Probably not. They did much better work elsewhere.

The back-breaking labor! The cruel guards! Laurel and Hardy!

It doesn't take the Boys long to turn a visit from governor Jimmy Finlayson into absolute chaos, with a mud fight that recalls the pie-fight finale from BATTLE OF THE CENTURY. This doesn't add anything new to the franchise. It's simply a typically brilliantly executed series of fun.

The IMDb trivia for this short claims the song played at the start of this picture is "Ain't She Sweet." It's actually "That's My Weakness Now."