Nothing But Trouble

Some very good comedy films have been made about butlers and maids. One of the all-time funniest is "Standing Room Only" of 1944, in which Fred MacMurray and Paulette Goddard have to take such jobs in wartime Washington, D. C. - just in order to have a place to sleep at night. Well, this Laurel and Hardy film picks up on that shortage of labor that existed during World War II, especially for domestic help in the nation's capital.

Stan is a butler and Ollie is a chef who specializes in Steak a' la Hardy. Of course, this is after the boys have tried their hand before the war at working in the restaurants of Europe. They have been summarily tossed out in several countries. There's always something said in whatever language it is, that's an unmistakable reference to Steak a' la Hardy.

Well, it's wartime when the boys are back home and in desperation go to the unemployment office. After some preliminary comedy that insults their future employers, the boys wind up working for Mrs. Elvira Hawkley. Mary Boland reinforces the Laurel and Hardy comedy in her role. A sub-plot with a young king displaced from a small European country during the war takes some of the time, and only adds a little humor toward then end.

Although this is in the later years of the duo, Stan and Ollie still have what it takes to make people laugh. It's not among their funniest, but still a good comedy. The long scene with people trying to cut into Ollie's masterpiece steak is a riot. It's harder than rubber. And, of course, Stan causes various mishaps at the table.

The boys clearly did their part during the war, with some comedy films to give people a laugh during a somber time. After the war they would make only one more film together as both ended their movie careers.

Everyone knows that Laurel & Hardy did their best work together in the '20's and '30's but this one is also an enjoyable Laurel & Hardy movie, that differs from their early work but is entertaining and fun in different ways.

It's not the sort of Laurel & Hardy movie with lots of slapstick in it, at least not the classic kind of. It's more the sort of comedy that relies on its writing and the comical situations and of course on the way Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy execute it all. They still haven't lost their touch in this movie and it provides the movie with a couple of great and fun moments. Nothing too classic or fancy, just some good old fashioned harmless clean entertainment that still serves its purpose very well.

Of course the story isn't much special and at times its also distracting from Laurel & Hardy's antics and it felt it was even holding them down at points but at least the movie has a good enough story, which can't be said about many other Laurel & Hardy flicks from the '40's.

The movie made me laugh more than the usual kind of comedy, for that reason alone already I must rate it higher than average.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

This latter-day Laurel & Hardy vehicle finds the legendary comedy duo in fine form, as Stan & Ollie play guys who desire employment as a butler & chef (respectively). They make the acquaintance of a boy (David Leland) who is actually the youthful ruler of a fictional country, although his big dream is to play football for Notre Dame. Stan, Ollie, and the boy king all find themselves in peril due to the machinations of the kings' scheming uncle (Philip Merivale).

"Nothing But Trouble" concentrates more on farcical situations rather than slapstick, and it's overall nothing that delivers true belly laughs. But the stars still make it engaging and enjoyably silly, especially in scenes like the one where Ollie is trying to cut through a persistently tough "Steak a la Oliver", has no luck...and Stan gets him a saw!

Directed by Sam Taylor ("Safety Last!"), this drags a little in scenes not featuring the stars, but it generates enough good-natured chuckles to make it a good time. It also leads to a hair-raising climax with a long drop in front of our heroes. And the supporting cast (Leland, Merivale, Mary Boland, Henry O'Neill, and John Warburton) serves Stan & Ollie well.

My favorite bit: Stan having to be prodded to practice proper serving etiquette.

Six out of 10.

Nothing But Trouble, like most of the films Laurel and Hardy made for MGM and Fox at the end of their career, is really sad to watch. For fans familiar with their earlier work, it is depressing to see them half-heartedly reworking their earlier material. It is unfortunate that these weak films from the end of their career are among their most frequently found video titles. Younger people picking up Nothing But Trouble off the video rack may never realize what they are missing.

Nothing But Trouble (1944)

** (out of 4)

Laurel and Hardy meet a young boy and soon they discover that he's really a King. The duo must protect the boy from a few people trying to kill him. Once again, I had heard this was a pretty bad film but while it's miles from Hal Roach material, the film contains a few laughs and has a little charm to it. It's too bad Warner isn't including this in their upcoming set but my recording from TCM, which seemed to be remastered, will do just fine. The best moment takes place in a zoo where L&H must try and steal a streak away from a lion. Another nice moment is when Laurel is trying to ref a football game. Most of the gags are lazy and fall on their face but the film is a decent time killer.