The comedy duo of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy continued to see their popularity rise by Hal Roach Studio's short films in 1930. Their November 1930 "Another Fine Mess" demonstrates how the pair reworked old material and still made it appear fresh and hilarious.
Busily working on their first feature film, Stan and Ollie still had one short film to produce to fulfill a distribution contract. They reached up on the shelves of their previously silent films and selected their 1927 "Duck Soup," based on a play by Stanley's father, Arthur Jefferson, 'Home from the Honeymoon.' The reconstructed film, "Another Fine Mess," delivers for the first time one of Hardy's most famous lines, which has been misquoted because of this movie's title. Viewers misconstrue Oliver's quip to Stan whenever they get into trouble as, "Well, here's another fine mess you've gotten me into." WRONG! Hardy never said that-ever. What he does say is "Well, here's another NICE mess you've gotten me into."
"Another Fine Mess" is also the first film music composer Leroy Shields wrote his catchy Laurel and Hardy's distinctive title song as well as the insertion of special sound effects embedded in his score. Shields' work is recognizable in the 'Our Gang" series and other Hal Roach shorts for which he was busy composing at the time.
Producer Roach thought up a unique way of delivering the opening credits by having two female on-screen announcers read the credits instead of listing the titles. The twins Betty Mae and Beverly Crane, dressed in theater usher uniforms, were tasked in several Roach films between 1930-1931 to say the names of the production personnel and directors. This is the only Laurel and Hardy movie they appeared, but recent copies of "Another Fine Mess" have eliminated their announcements, going directly into the opening scene. Roach stopped the practice when theater owners complained their patrons were yelling back at the women, becoming quite rowdy during their intros.
"Another Fine Mess" solidified Laurel and Hardy's reputation for successfully making the transition from silent to sound. Motion Picture Magazine loved the two, proclaiming, "Right now, they are the funniest comedy team on the Talkie market, with no let down in sight."
The mansion the pair hide out in is still standing at 3500 West Adams Boulevard in Los Angeles. The 1910-built villa is now home to the Peace Theological Seminary & College of Philosophy.
