Son altesse royale

DOUBLE WHOOPEE is one of the last silent Laurel & Hardy shorts made before the advent of the talkie era. This one sees the pair taking up employment as doormen at a swanky hotel, where they fall foul of European royalty as well as glamorous actresses, policemen and irate staff members.

This short is effectively a tribute to the silent film era and there's much to recommend it, from the Eric Von Stroheim impersonator to the early appearance of Jean Harlow who's accidentally stripped by a clumsy Laurel. The focus of the short is inevitably on the slapstick, with characters blundering into accidents and a descent into farce as the duo's antics lead to widespread brawling.

As ever with these silent efforts, I miss hearing the sound of the famous pair, but DOUBLE WHOOPEE is good enough to make you forget the shortcomings of the era. It's also distinctive enough to be a worthwhile watch, even if it isn't one of their best works.

Double Whoopee (1929)

*** (out of 4)

Silent short has a Royal Prince showing up at a lavished New York City hotel just in time for Laurel and Hardy to start their first day on the job. This is a pretty good short that has a lot of great laughs, although the thing starts to wear out towards the end. The best gag is at the start of the movie when Laurel and Hardy are mistaken for the Prince himself, which leads to the boys welcoming their new fame even though they don't understand what it's all about. Another great gag involves Hardy's constant run ins with a cop (Tiny Sandford). A lot of fans won't watch these Laurel and Hardy silents, which is a real shame because the two were great comic actors even without the benefit of their voices. The two's chemistry is certainly easy to spot and the way the two have to use their facial gestures just adds more laughs. Jean Harlow has a important role towards the end of the film, although I guess it would be more fair to say she has important joke pulled on her when her dress gets caught up in the taxi door, which of course drives off leaving her in next to nothing.

Nothing too remarkable just some good old fashioned entertainment.

The story of this movie is definitely not the strongest and is quite simple as well as formulaic, especially in the beginning. Luckily the movie later turns into a more slapstick like filled silent comedy shorts, with as a result some memorable funny sequences.

There are certainly some good comical sequences in this movie, which help to distinct this movie from other early Laurel & Hardy silent comedy shorts. Also the characters are fun and deliciously over-the-top. I especially liked the prince and his prime minister, for who at first our two boys were mistaken. The moments with them were the one's that made me laugh the most, despite the fact that it mostly was just nothing more than a constantly returning continuity joke.

The famous Jean Harlow also plays a part in this movie. Her presence works uplifting for the movie and also probably help to make this movie more of a memorable one than it in fact truly is on its own.

Not the best or most interesting Laurel & Hardy silent comedy shorts but enough things present to make this movie a better than average one.

7/10

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"Must" viewing for all Stan and Ollie fans, as they make short shrift of an upscale hotel. It's also worth viewing for what is surely the only erotic moment in a Laurel & Hardy fan, as Stan causes Jean Harlow to inadvertently lose her dress. In R-rated terms it's nothing, but for 1929, it's pretty darn

When I first saw this short to be truthful I didn't like. It's not that I don't like Laurel & Hardy's comedy style, I think they are the greatest comedy team in history, but, something about the material didn't seem correct to me. It didn't play off as well as other Laurel & Hardy shorts. Right now I'm thinking of "The Music Box", "Brats", "Going Bye-Bye!" & "County Hospital". I also felt that the timing was missing. Well, I watched it one more time. I now feel I made a misjudgment. I can see now that there does seem to be some chemistry. The next short after this one would be "Berth Marks". I felt that "Marks" was sort of the one that "seal the deal". When the team became the two guys we expect them to be. "Double Whoopee" has "the boys" working in a hotel as a doorman and a footman. It just so happens that a prince is coming to the hotel that same day. A lot of mishaps happen. And the piece does have some laughs. I do not feel this is their best effort. But, is nice to add to one's collection of Laurel & Hardy movies. I would mostly recommend this to people who are already fans. "Double Whoopee" is noted for having a young Jean Harlow in it. And even she gets the Laurel & Hardy treatment. I managed to see this on the dvd "The Lost Films Of Laurel & Hardy Vol. 7" the version shown on there is not silent. It has been dubbed. Laurel & Hardy's voices ARE NOT heard on it. Many may find this to be annoying. But, if you can endure it I think you'll be pleased with it. Also of note is the fact that this was the last obscure Laurel & Hardy piece. After this one everything the team made is one all of their fans have seen. *** out of ****