"County Hospital" - Laurel and Hardy (1932)

What can you say about Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy that hasn’t already been said? They’re icons of comedy. Sometimes they can be a bit tedious to watch; after all we are used to a much faster paced style of entertainment today; but the roots of contemporary comedy can be found in these old shorts.

The plots are simple; much like the later sitcoms would be. The big difference is in the amount of time when there is no dialogue. Talkies had only been around for about 5 years at the time this film was made, and Laurel and Hardy were still drawing largely on the skills they had honed in silent films for almost 20 years at this point.

Stan Laurel was in the same vaudeville troupe as Charlie Chaplin when they both came over to America and stayed. Chaplin later left; but Laurel remained in America until his death in the early 1960’s. Oliver Hardy had been a football player at Georgia State; I could look it up but I’m being lazy. He was also a skillful ballroom dancer; sought after at many Hollywood functions.

Well, it’s all been written before. Sit down and try to watch this all the way through; if only to see that you are still able to concentrate on something for 19 minutes.

   

"The Pooch" with the Little Rascals (1935)

This is the first time I have ever seen an episode of the Little Rascals in color. I didn’t think that I would enjoy it as much as I did. I was the same way when it came to the colorizations of many of my favorite classic movies when that was first being done in the 1990’s., but I have come to really enjoy it with some films. Of course, certain movies should always be viewed in black and white; Casablanca is a prime example of that; but for the most part the colorization process lends certain clarity to the old films. It’s also interesting to be able to see the furnishings and clothing more clearly. There is so much more detail, which I did not expect.

In this 1935, the gang struggles with the everyday problem of finding enough food to eat. In the midst of the Great Depression this was not an isolated problem, but one with which audiences could readily identify. Even if they themselves were not on Public Assistance, everyone in the audience knew someone who was.

Woven into this story is a bit of Social Injustice, as Stymie tries to keep the dreaded Dog Catcher from taking his dog to the pound. Unless he can come up with the $5 necessary for a license, the dog will be gassed by the end of the day. With no money for food, it’s a stretch of the imagination to figure out where he is going to get the money to save his dog. But, they say that the Lord hears the prayers of children first, so when Stymie prays for that $5, and it just floats in on the wind, it is really no surprise. Neither is the policeman who chases him thinking the money is stolen.

When the gang finally arrives at the Pound with the money, they are told by the sadistic Dog Catcher that they are too late and the dog is dead. He actually smiles as he tells them. But things usually work out in these old shorts, and this is no exception. I used to watch these old films every day before going to school. As a kid I readily identified with their problems and the injustices heaped upon them by the adults. And, at 58 years of age, I still do.