Their First Mistake

"Their First Mistake" is restricted to just 3 very simple sets and the comedy does the rest. Released in 1932, Ollie's wife leaves him after she accuses him of deserting her for Stan. An almighty argument occurs at the beginning which leads to the early exit for Mae Busch as the irate wife. Stan convinces Ollie that adapting a baby would solve his marital problems but it is still too late. The boys are left to fend for themselves, baby and all. They truly need to rely upon each other as Ollie is being sued for divorce and thinks all his friends will ostracise him. Moments like this are more like drama and it compliments the comedy perfectly. Stan and Ollie in their efforts to care for the baby are so funny! It is a case of lurching from one disaster to another. The comedy builds very carefully but surely, just like with all Laurel and Hardy talkie films.

This is a remarkable short, seldom talked about. The boys have been spending too much time having a good time. Ollie's wife, the wonderful though threatening Mae Busch, has had enough. She files for divorce and names Stan for alienation of affections (I wonder if there ever were any affections). She take off, but before this, Stan talks the big guy into adopting a baby, thinking it will soothe things. I guess there was a sale on babies at the local baby market. This is no help because now they have an infant child to take care of. From then on, it's nuttiness because the are so utterly incompetent and yet endearing in their efforts to do right by the child. As is usually the case, they begin to demolish the apartment through their carelessness and stupidity. There is one precious scene when Ollie tries to feed the baby without looking to see where it is. Some have criticized this film because of its open endedness, but with all that goes on, who cares. When one realizes how much these guys could do in fifteen or twenty minutes of screen time, they were even more amazing.

Their First Mistake is a short that really embodies the essence of what Laurel and Hardy were about as a comedic duo. Hal Roach, the famous producer of many of their shorts along with a barrage of other successful ones for the period, famously stated how Laurel and Hardy complimented each other with their slapstick and behavioral tendencies, but what always drove me to their shorts as a means for pleasant escapism besides their inherent humor was how both characters were loyal to one another. It was as if they were all each other had, and no matter how angry they got at each other, they had to stick together, for where else would they go?

When Laurel and Hardy decide to adopt a baby to prove to Hardy's wife (Mae Busch) that they are indeed responsible and trustworthy, they are all they have, and while the short is frequently funny, it also proves this point as it goes on. Notice how even through anger and hostility brew between one another, there both men are, quick to recoup and try to do the right thing, despite going about it in the wrong way. Furthermore, Laurel and Hardy are breathlessly funny, finding a plethora of ways to be entertaining as well as thoughtfully engaging.

Their First Mistake embodies precisely why their careers and shorts have a timeless longevity.

Starring: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, and Mae Busch. Directed by: George Marshall.

This Laurel and Hardy short, with the guys stuck with a baby they adopted to give Ollie's wife something to do during the day (loved that) was an eye opener for me when I first viewed it in the mid eighties, over a half century after it was made.

After the wife storms out, Ollie is holding the baby and Stan is going to leave. Ollie asks where Stanley is going. Stanley asks what does he have to do with the baby.

Ollie: "What do you have to do with it? Why, you're the one who wanted me to have a baby."

Stan: "Well, I can't be tied down to a baby. I have my future, . . my career to think about."

Ollie: "Well, what about me? What will my friends say? I'll be . . . ostracized."

Why are youth panicked into what do and not to do when obviously the same problems have been going on for longer than anyone wants to admit?

Thank you, Laurel and Hardy, for at least documenting it.

Mr Hardy is married, his wife disapproves of his friendship with Mr Laurel and sees neither of their lives going anywhere. When Hardy tries to sneak out with Laurel without letting her know she snaps and a large fight ensues. Laurel has the idea that a baby in the family will distract and placate Mrs Hardy and the pair go off to adopt. Returning home with the baby, Laurel and Hardy find that Mrs Hardy has left and is filing for divorce, leaving them, quite literally, holding the baby.

I love Laurel and Hardy. I found something wonderful about the fact that their shorts were made before even my parents were born but yet ¾ of a century later I'm still watching (and enjoying) their films. The fact that the humour is so universal is shown in the way they not only travel well but have transcended generations. Laugh for laugh this is not one of their best shorts, the reason being the lack of really strong routines.

The plot only allows for basic knockabout stuff and the final scene is not anywhere near strong enough to finish on. The only really strong bit is the `lights out' sequence but the rest is quite ordinary. Happily we have a talent like Hardy to lift things – for me he made this better than it was. His constant double-takes and looks of amazement to camera are worth the price of this film alone. Even lacking several strong physical scenes, he plays the dialogue for all it's worth and makes Laurel's clowning funnier than it is by complimenting it with double takes etc. That's not to say Laurel is lesser, but here he is much more clearly in a supporting role than in other films.

Overall this has some good moments and is carried through the rest by a well used and on-form Hardy, but it is not one of their better efforts – too much of it is ordinary and lacking their inspired wit.