Sugar Daddies (1927)

Rich oil tycoon (Finlayson) awakens one morning, after a night of carousing, to be told that he was married the night before. His lawyer (Laurel) is called in to straighten things out when ... See full summary »

Directors:

Fred Guiol, Leo McCarey

Writer:

H.M. Walker (titles)

Stars:

James Finlayson, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy

Cast

Credited cast:
James Finlayson	...	Oil tycoon Cyrus Brittle
Stan Laurel	...	Brittle's lawyer
Oliver Hardy	...	Brittle's butler
Noah Young	...	Brittle's brother-in-law
Charlotte Mineau	...	Mrs. Brittle
Edna Marion	...	Daughter
Eugene Pallette	...	Hardy look-alike
Jack Hill	...	Hotel extra
Charlie Hall	...	Hotel extra
Sam Lufkin	...	Fun House ticket taker
Dorothy Coburn	...	Girl in the Fun House
Ray Cooke	...	Bellboy
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jack Adams	...	Undetermined Role
Will Stanton	...	Extra

Storyline

Rich oil tycoon (Finlayson) awakens one morning, after a night of carousing, to be told that he was married the night before. His lawyer (Laurel) is called in to straighten things out when a blackmail attempt is made. Wild chases through a dance hall and amusement park ensue.

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Plot Keywords:

older man younger woman relationship

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Genres:

Comedy | Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 September 1927 (USA)

Also Known As:

Come mi pento

Filming Locations:

Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

20 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dorothy Coburn does double duty in the scenes in the amusement park: Sometimes we see her in a white dress, sometimes in a chequered skirt.

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Connections

References Love 'Em and Weep (1927)

User Reviews

Choppy and not particularly funny early pairing of Laurel and Hardy

The first thing you'll probably notice about this silent Laurel and Hardy film is how ugly the print is. Considering that so many of the early nitrate stock films have completely vanished, try to cut the film some slack--at least it's still in one piece unlike the mostly lost HATS OFF by the same team.

You'll also no doubt notice that Stan and Ollie don't in any way look like a team. They play different personas than you're used to seeing and they both even have different hair styles. This is because the team wasn't exactly a team yet. They'd made some films together but the familiar Laurel and Hardy formula was still in the future. Here, the film is more a film where they and James Finlayson star--a trio instead of a duo.

The final thing you'll probably notice is that the film appears to have lost the final few minutes. It all ends very abruptly and nothing is really achieved. My guess is that as much as five minutes are missing from this print--which happens to be the best extant prints of this early film.

James Finlayson plays a hard-drinking rich playboy. He awakens with one of the scariest hangovers I've ever seen and is shocked to find from his butler, Oliver Hardy, that he got married the night before to a gold-digger. She and her family are waiting downstairs to blackmail Fin into a settlement. Finlayson calls his attorney, Stan Laurel, and the three of them really achieve nothing when they talk to the family.

Rather abruptly, the scene switches to the beach. It seems the three escaped and are hiding out, though the blackmailers are soon at their heels. What ensues isn't all that funny (with Laurel and Finlayson pretending to be one ugly lady) and they are chased through a fun house. Then, oddly, it all just ends very, very abruptly with no resolution.

If you have seen the Thelma Todd/Zasu Pitts short ON THE LOOSE, then you might just recognize the fun house--it sure is a dead ringer for the one here. However, ON THE LOOSE is a very good film and SUGAR DADDIES really is only of interest to devoted fans of Laurel and Hardy like myself. Others beware--it's choppy and not particularly funny.