Early to Bed

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were comedic geniuses, individually and together, and their partnership was deservedly iconic and one of the best there was. They left behind a large body of work, a vast majority of it being entertaining to classic comedy, at their best they were hilarious and their best efforts were great examples of how to do comedy without being juvenile or distasteful.

After their previous 1928 efforts saw a step in the right direction and the two were starting to hit their stride while still evolving, 'Early to Bed' like 'Their Purple Moment' sees a couple of steps backwards and something of a disappointment. Certainly far from terrible and it is a long way from a misfire of theirs (up to this point '45 Minutes from Hollywood' was the only one to fit this distinction), but 'Early to Bed' is far from a gem. It is a shame because their previous 1928 efforts were so promising and the concept here was not a bad one.

Laurel and Hardy's work was never known to have particularly great stories, which tended to be the weakest element. 'Early to Bed' is no exception, on top of being flimsy it is also along with 'Their Purple Moment' more predictable, hackneyed and repetitive than most with outcomes being easily foreseeable and some of the content being hit and miss.

The pace sometimes could have been tighter in the early stages and at times there is a darker element that doesn't really gel with everything else.

On the other hand, Laurel and Hardy are more than very amusing, particularly Laurel, and they work well together, also their role reversals are interesting. Three quarters of 'Early to Bed' does mostly amuse and has some fun and well timed moments and gags, especially when Laurel goes on the rampage.

It's not dull, is competently directed, the dog is an amusing character and holds up quite well visually.

All in all, definitely worthwhile but not a Laurel and Hardy essential. 6/10 Bethany Cox

In this Laurel & Hardy short, Ollie finds out he's inherited a vast fortune and makes Stan his butler. Other than a dog, the boys are the only players in this one as the heavyset one becomes a prankish drunk while the thin one with the unkempt hair becomes the more sensible one. I thought this change of pace was funny though I'm glad when they revert to their standard characters after this one. And it's also often more fun when they have various nemeses to deal with like James Finlayson or Charlie Hall, that's for sure! But if you're an L & H buff like I am, you're willing to watch everything they did like I'm doing right now as well as reviewing their work in chronological order on this site...

Early to Bed (1928)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Hardy becomes rich overnight and offers his best friend Laurel a job as his butler. Money soon goes to Hardy's head and he come home picking on Laurel. This is a very unfunny film and certainly the worst I've seen from L&H. The two have absolutely no chemistry whatsoever, which really kills things. Most of the jokes come off annoying and not funny.

Sugar Daddies (1927)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

A millionaire (James Finlayson) wakes up after a night of partying to discover that he's now married. The new bride and her crazy brother are now trying to blackmail him so he calls his attorney (Stan Laurel) to settle the matter. Not too many laughs here but the thing is fun nonetheless. Oliver Hardy plays the butler.

This is an early Laurel & Hardy vehicle of curiosity value because it is quite clear that the boys are in the very early stages of their joint career, and their basic characters and relationship have yet to be cemented. It's Ollie Hardy who is the annoying child of the two in this silent short - although, unlike Laurel in later films, Ollie goes out of his way to be deliberately annoying to Stan, whom he has employed as a butler after he inherits a fortune from his uncle.

Although it's strange to see their roles essentially reversed, the film does have some funny moments. Roach clearly had enough faith in the boys' ability to work together with solid results to cast them here with no supporting actors (other than a dog called Buster) and this at least pays off, even if they haven't yet got the relationship right. For this reason, if nothing else, the film serves as an interesting footnote in the development of Laurel & Hardy as we know and love them.

While not being familiar with this 1928 short silent film "Early to Bed" from director Emmett J. Flynn, I needed no persuasion to watch it here in 2025, making it my very first time to do so. Why? Well, solely because this was a Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy movie.

H. M. Walker put together a nice script and storyline, which definitely showcased an archetypical comedy with the comedy duo. It was an enjoyable story and I had some good laughs, especially at the fountain scene.

Needless to say that the acting performances in "Early to Bed" were good. And you only have Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy starring in this 1928 movie.

If you enjoy the comedy of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, then you will definitely like "Early to Bed".

My rating of director Emmett J. Flynn's 1928 "Early to Bed" lands on a five out of ten stars.