Perfect Day

Another enjoyable Laurel & Hardy outing, as most of them indeed were, and this must have been one of their earliest talkies too. It's a 20 minute short which involves the boys and their spouses taking an injured relative out for a much-needed picnic, only to encounter endless trouble when they make it outside to their car. Sure, the gags are quite predictable here but it's the sheer number of them which make this work, as one running situation moves into another with endless slapstick, injury and bizarre scenarios. It's not huge on the FX but the addition of a cute dog and the classic final shot make it all worthwhile.

'Perfect Day' is pretty much the typical Laurel and Hardy comedy with the usual slapstick and jokes. However, unlike their other works, I found 'Perfect Day' to be comparatively weak. Some of the slapstick works well but some just don't gel well and look forced. Also the repetitive 'goodbye' and other gags gets irritating. I liked the interactions with Uncle Edgar and the dog and the trouble with the car. Laurel and Hardy are good at drawing some laughter but for me it was Laurel again who steals the show. Edgar Kennedy too stands out especially when he's fighting the dog. I don't mean to make it sound as though it is a terrible film because it's not. It does have its good moments but it's far from Laurel and Hardy's best.

Call me crazy ("Hey, crazy!") but I never enjoyed silent era films. I tried, oh I tried, but each time an actor's mouth moved there was nothing but an awkward silence. Then after what seemed too lengthy of a wait, a placard flashed on the TV screen, reflecting what the actor had just said moments before. I found this to be very distracting, plus it slowed down the natural comedic timing. This lapse between action and dialog, for me, was like watching an entire movie subtitled, and I couldn't square the two up.

That being said, I didn't watch any of the short and feature length "TV reruns" unless they were "talkies." As a kid who was fortunate enough to have a tiny black and white TV set in my bedroom, every Saturday morning before my parents or the Sun were up, I was thoroughly mesmerized by the vaudevillian, overtly physical humor of Buster Keaton, Our Gang (The Little Rascals), The Three Stooges, and of course, Laurel & Hardy.

The first Our Gang (The Little Rascals) talkie was "Small Talk" released in 1929. Buster Keaton's first talkie was "Free and Easy," released in 1930. The Three Stooges (Larry, Moe and Curly) most recognized talkie was The Woman Haters (1934). "Unaccustomed As We Are," released worldwide in 1929, was Laurel and Hardy's film debut with sound. It was an immediate hit with audiences.

Unlike many of their silent film era contemporaries who couldn't make the transition from silent to sound film, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy effortlessly slipped into this new media. Both actors had the rare gift of "comedic timing," and the duo knew how to thoroughly exploit sight gags. Moreover, lovable Hardy routinely broke the "fourth wall" of film, and after each hilarious yet tragic gag, he would often look straight at the camera as if to say, "Can you believe what just happened to me?"

"Perfect Day" (1929) was Laurel and Hardy's fourth sound movie. Like the first three, it is a short. The plot is simple: With their families aboard, (including a painful gout patient Edgar Kennedy) Stan and Ollie prepare to take their broken down Model T Ford out for a relaxing Sunday picnic. The boys manage to encounter everything from a flat tire to a neighbor who throws a brick through their windshield.

It's all brilliantly performed by two of the most iconic comedic teams in history, and supported by a wonderful set of actors who would often appear in many future Laurel & Hardy shorts and feature length films.

No spoilers here as usual, but I will reveal that Perfect Day contained no music other than a short piece for the opening credits. The Hal Roach Studios reissued the film in 1937 with an added music score.

So says Mrs. Hardy when itemizing the food items to bring for a picnic on this 'perfect day.' Spotting details like this is one of the charms of watching really old films. Who knew potato chips would be a common food staple already in 1929?

Plot In a Nutshell: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, their wives and a reluctant "uncle Edgar" plan a picnic on a lovely Sunday afternoon. If you know Laurel & Hardy, you know that's not going to happen...

Why I rated it an '8': this was another very good short from L&H. Not among their very best I wouldn't say, but close enough. There are mishaps with the picnic sandwiches, mishaps with uncle Edgar's gout-ridden foot, mishaps with the family dog....and that's before they even get in their temperamental Model T car. Now the possibilities are endless. Flat tires, sputtering engines...add in incompetent Stan and you get the idea. There is even a small 'mutual destruction' sequence with a neighbor that only ends when a local minister's sudden appearance nips it in the bud. Overall a pretty amusing 20 minutes.

Favorite scene: the family dog vigorously attacking uncle Edgar's bandaged foot. I don't know how they got the dog to be so aggressive, but it was freakin' hilarious!

8/10. Would I watch again (Y/N)?: That's easy. Yes!

This Laurel & Hardy short feature has quite a variety of slapstick material. Most of it is rough physical humor - such as sore feet getting trodden upon and bricks being thrown through windows - but there are plenty of different, funny gags with a couple of subtle ones thrown in. Stan and Ollie are planning on taking their wives and their uncle (Edgar Kennedy) for a nice peaceful picnic, a "Perfect Day". They encounter difficulties even before getting out the door, and once they get into the car, the real chaos starts. Stanley has a very funny bit trying to change a tire, and there is a nicely done subtle joke when, in the midst of a heated 'tit-for-tat' battle with a neighbor, everyone suddenly jumps up and runs inside - what did they see? "Perfect Day" is a good comedy and worth a look.