Blotto

"Blotto" is one of the few underrated Laurel and Hardy shorts. Strange, when you consider that "Below Zero", one of there lesser shorts, to be much more highly appreciated. Stan Laurel in his solo scenes with Mrs Laurel (Anita Garvin) are a revelation. It is quite surprising, as you would have thought that without the other half of the duo, it wouldn't really be very funny. With so much talent for solo performances, I wonder why he entered into a partnership with Oliver Hardy? Still, the scenes later on in the film with Oliver Hardy are just as good and I can't think of any of their films (except the nineteen forties movies they made, under completely different conditions, which didn't allowed them any artistic freedom) that don't have at least a couple of riotous laughs in them. Also, its the only one of their films to have Stan Laurel married, but not Oliver Hardy. A film well worth seeing.

This is a nice Laurel & Hardy short film, although you can not say there is a story. Laurel is married and wants to go out but his wife forbids him. Hardy calls Laurel a couple of times and after a while he speaks to Laurel's wife. She is nice instead of angry but has a plan of her own. She pretends to be in the kitchen while Laurel is talking but she also grabs a phone and learns about a plan the men have. This is the first part of the short.

The second part is the actual plan of Laurel & Hardy. They are on a night out but they have brought their own bottle of liquor. What happens there with the wife who knows where they are and their own bottle of liquor I will not reveal but it is a nice piece of comedy.

Maybe the premise doesn't sound very good, but there are a lot of laughs here. Especially Stanley Laurel is great and he manages to get a smile out of the most simple situations. Still, this is definitely not one of their best. Because it has no story it gets a little boring. Fortunately the final moment is hilarious and makes sure you will enjoy this short film from start to finish.

Laurel and Hardy want to go out for a night at a bar, some sneaky drinking and an all round fun time. However, Laurel is unable to get out of the house as his wife has forbidden him. He manages to wrangle his way out of the house with the use of a faked telegram.

Having half the film with Laurel and Hardy separated was a bit of a risk, but one that the duo just about carry off. The plot sees Laurel trapped in his house by his wife while Hardy tries to contact him by phone. Laurel trying to play his wife is pretty amusing but, once the short moves out of the house it becomes less funny as the routines in the bar are less funny. It is still amusing but not quite as much.

As often happens, a Laurel and Hardy short that lacks one strong central sequence needs to achieve a consistent level of humour. This film neither has a peak or a high consistent level, meaning that it isn't as good as others in my opinion. Laurel does good work early on with his wife, and laughs convincingly towards the end. Hardy is less well used and his looks are used for reasons which are too slight and thus undervalue them slightly. Garvin is strong as Mrs Laurel though.

Overall this short needed to be consistently funny but it didn't manage to deliver it. Still funny but it lacks any parts which rise above the rest and lift the short as a whole.

A LAUREL & HARDY Comedy Short.

Stan & Ollie head for an evening at a ritzy nightclub, against the wishes of a furious Mrs. Laurel. After getting BLOTTO on a mixture of cold tea & Tabasco, the Boys make a noisy spectacle of themselves. But just wait until Mrs. L. shows up with a shotgun...

A very funny little film. Highlight: Stan's laughing fit. The tearjerker sung by the crooner that gets the Boys crying is `The Curse Of An Aching Heart', a popular ballad from 1913. Mrs. Laurel is played by Anita Garvin.

There is little story present and the movie can mainly be split into two separate parts. The first part of the story is about Stan, who tries to sneak out of the house from his wife, to meet up with Ollie to go and have a good time in 'Rainbow club'. The second part of the movie is about Stan and Ollie, who get 'drunk' in the 'Rainbow club'. The second part of the movie is more filled with some typical good slapstick humor and hardly any words are spoken in those sequences. It's in my opinion the best part of the movie and the timing and comedy-acting is top-class!

The movie has more than enough laughs in it to make "Blotto" an entertainingly watchable comical movie with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Especially the slapstick moments make this movie a fun one to watch and are good for some serious laughs.

Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel are good as always and once more show the wonderful chemistry the both of them had together. Also Anita Garvin is wonderful in the role of Mrs. Laurel.

The movie also provides a pretty good view on '30's nightlife, when the two enter the 'Rainbow club'.

Perfectly watchable when you want to have a good and fun 26 minutes.

7/10

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