Unaccustomed As We Are (1929)

Oliver invites his friend Stanley over for a nice home-cooked meal, but Mrs. Hardy wants nothing to do with it and walks out. Mrs. Kennedy, Oliver's beautiful neighbor from across the hall,... See full summary »

Directors:

Lewis R. Foster, Hal Roach

Writer:

H.M. Walker (dialogue)

Stars:

Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Edgar Kennedy

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Stan Laurel	...	Stan
Oliver Hardy	...	Ollver Hardy
Edgar Kennedy	...	Officer Kennedy
Mae Busch	...	Mrs. Hardy
Thelma Todd	...	Mrs. Kennedy

Storyline

Oliver invites his friend Stanley over for a nice home-cooked meal, but Mrs. Hardy wants nothing to do with it and walks out. Mrs. Kennedy, Oliver's beautiful neighbor from across the hall, volunteers to help out, but the boys' bumbling soon has her dress on fire. Her husband, a policeman, investigates the ruckus just as Oliver gets the now partially-unclad Mrs. Kennedy hidden in a trunk. Kennedy's boasting of how he handles his own womanizing backfires when his wife pops out of the trunk and blackens his eye. Meanwhile, Mrs. Hardy has returned and wonders what all the noise is coming from next door.

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Plot Keywords:

fire | chest | oven | nail | falling down stairs | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 May 1929 (USA)

Also Known As:

Their Last Word

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

21 min 18 min (silent) 21 min (sound)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title itself is a joke of sorts, drawn from the then=popular cliché "Unaccustomed as we are to public speaking..." a wry comment upon on the new talkie technology.

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Connections

Remade as Block-Heads (1938)

User Reviews

A Sound Debut

Considering this was the boy's first talkie the title of this short is quite cute and the film itself is pretty good. There's certainly not that much evidence that L&H were embarking on what was essentially a new career in sound. It must have been a real bonus for their fans to discover how well suited each one's voice was suited to their character. The film's plot is a familiar one of marital spats and misunderstandings culminating in L&H trying to conceal their comely semi-naked neighbour (a sexy Thelma Todd) from Ollie's shrewish wife (Mae Busch) and Todd's jealous husband (Edgar Kennedy).

There's some interesting experimentation with sound here. Hardy and Busch's dialogue overlaps as they argue and it's oddly compelling - as well as funny. The physical comedy is still there too, with numerous pratfalls and a couple of explosions. All in all, an accomplished sound debut from the boys..