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Oliver the Eighth

  • 1934
  • Passed
  • 27m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
1.8K
YOUR RATING
Oliver the Eighth (1934)
Screwball ComedyComedyFamilyShort

Keen to climb the social ladder by marrying a rich widow, Oliver finds the nerve to cheat on his partner Stanley. What he doesn't know is that her favorite hobby is murder--and it looks like... Read allKeen to climb the social ladder by marrying a rich widow, Oliver finds the nerve to cheat on his partner Stanley. What he doesn't know is that her favorite hobby is murder--and it looks like he's next. Who can save Oliver the Eighth?Keen to climb the social ladder by marrying a rich widow, Oliver finds the nerve to cheat on his partner Stanley. What he doesn't know is that her favorite hobby is murder--and it looks like he's next. Who can save Oliver the Eighth?

  • Director
    • Lloyd French
  • Writers
    • Jack Barty
    • Charlie Hall
    • Oliver Hardy
  • Stars
    • Stan Laurel
    • Oliver Hardy
    • Mae Busch
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    1.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Lloyd French
    • Writers
      • Jack Barty
      • Charlie Hall
      • Oliver Hardy
    • Stars
      • Stan Laurel
      • Oliver Hardy
      • Mae Busch
    • 25User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro

    • Photos54

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    Top cast4

    Edit
    Stan Laurel
    Stan Laurel
    • Stan
    Oliver Hardy
    Oliver Hardy
    • Oliver
    Mae Busch
    Mae Busch
    • Mrs. Fox - Widow
    Jack Barty
    Jack Barty
    • Jitters the Butler
    • Director
      • Lloyd French
    • Writers
      • Jack Barty
      • Charlie Hall
      • Oliver Hardy
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews25

    7.31.7K
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    Featured reviews

    10alain-james

    Masterful

    Jack Barty is hilarious and performs one of the best pantomime scenes I have ever seen.

    Stan, Ollie and Mae Busch all join in to create an incredible pantomime dinner party.

    Stan and Ollie are with perfect partners in this film.

    The interaction between all the characters is perfect. Barty's speaking voice is also hysterical. It has a bit of English sound, mixed with a deep rasp. His enunciation is sublime.

    Sublety abounds. "Madame" (Mae Busch) is perfect as she slides in and out of a sort of schizo-dementia.

    You will be glad to see this masterwork and to have in your collection when you need a lift. What great great actors.
    wishkah7

    Another hilarious misadventure for Laurel and Hardy!

    In this episode they play barbershop owners who write to a rich widow. But Stan's letter is rejected, and still wants to tag along with Ollie. Then, in a dream, they go to her mansion and encounter a kooky butler and Ollie becomes engaged to the widow only to find out later on that she's a homicidal maniac who's killed seven other Olivers and plans to make Ollie her eighth victim!

    The funniest scenes were when Stan and Jitters were playing with invisible cards and doing that 'pick a card' trick! And the dinner scene with invisible food was another one of L&H's comical moments! And Jack Barty was hilarious as the crazed Jitters and Mae Busch was totally impeccable as the widow and other characters she played in L&H films, too!

    This episode is for any L&H fan to see! I give it 4 stars!
    10coltras35

    Pick a card, Pick a card

    When a wealthy widow advertises for a new husband both Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy decide to compete for her hand, with hilarious and unexpected results.

    Absolute classic Laurel & Hardy, with the comedians at the top of their game, shelling out the non-stop slapstick humour amidst the rather dark elements (I. E. touches upon insanity and murderess) and there are too many great jokes such as the 'pick a card' and the bit when Oliver is trying to nap while Laurel is keeping an eye for the murderess who wants to slit Oliver's throat. There's a nice twist at the end.
    9Hitchcoc

    Oliver Proposes Matrimony

    Stan and Ollie decide it's time to get married, especially since a rich widow is advertising for a husband. Stan writes a letter, but Ollie hides it under his hat so it never goes out. When they get to her mansion, Jitters, the butler, explains how there have been seven husbands already, all dead, all named Oliver. Of course, they end up trapped in the place and she is on the prowl with a very large knife. What follows is an effort to get out of there. Everything they can manage is used in the process. Stanley manages to screw things up time and time again. The ending is a little pat, but it doesn't matter because the whole thing is hilarious. Jack Barty as Jitters and Mae Busch as the grieving widow are some of the best of the supporting casts that have embraced these L & H films. Jitters is especially nutty with his magic tricks.
    10Ron Oliver

    A Little Attempted Murder With Mr. Laurel & Mr. Hardy

    A LAUREL & HARDY Comedy Short. Ollie agrees to marry a wealthy widow - not realizing she's a homicidal maniac. She has a curious habit of finding men named "Oliver" and then slitting their throats the night before the wedding. She's killed seven times already; now she plans on making OLIVER THE EIGHTH victim. Locked in her mansion of death, the Boys are in for a night of comic terror...

    This little film is somewhat of a change of pace for the Boys, but it's very funny and they lampoon its Gothic mood quite nicely. Mae Busch is lots of fun as the widow.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Stan Laurel's actual brother Edward Jefferson (Teddy) died in a dentist's chair during the filming of 'Oliver the Eighth'. He went in to have some teeth extracted and died of heart failure after receiving the anesthetic. He was 33.
    • Goofs
      When Stan is eating the "soup", he unbuttons some of his vest buttons, but in subsequent shots they are buttoned and unbuttoned.
    • Quotes

      Stanley: [reading newspaper] Listen to this: "Wealthy young widow with large fortune wishes to communicate with congenial young man. Object: matrimony. Reply Box 204J."

      Oliver: Probably some old crab with a face that would stop a clock! I wouldn't want to marry her no matter how much money she had.

      Stanley: Well, I'd marry her.

      Oliver: You would!

      Stanley: Well, after all, beauty's only skin deep. I'd take some of the money and I'd have her face lifted. Then I could settle down and I wouldn't have to scrape chins any more - wouldn't have to work hard any more.

      Oliver: Tell me that again.

      Stanley: Huh?

      Oliver: Let me hear that again.

      Stanley: Well, if beauty was only knee--skin deep, I could take some of the money and I could have her skinned. Then she'd be able to look at a clock without having to work hard any more. Then we could settle down and I could scrape her chin and congenial, if-if I didn't have to work hard anymore.

      Oliver: That's a good idea.

    • Alternate versions
      There is also a colorized version.
    • Connections
      Featured in Omnibus: Cuckoo: A Celebration of Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy (1974)
    • Soundtracks
      I'm Sitting on Top of the World
      (1925) (uncredited)
      Music by Ray Henderson
      Lyrics by Sam Lewis and Joe Young
      Sung a cappella briefly by Oliver Hardy

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 13, 1934 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Dick und Doof auf Freiersfüßen
    • Filming locations
      • Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Hal Roach Studios
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      27 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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