Towed in a Hole (1932)

Although they are successful fishmongers, Stan convinces Ollie that they should become fishermen too, but making a boat seaworthy is an easy task.

Director:

George Marshall

Stars:

Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Billy Gilbert

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Stan Laurel	...	Stan
Oliver Hardy	...	Ollie
Billy Gilbert	...	Joe - Junkyard Owner

Storyline

Laurel and Hardy are in the fish business. They drive around town seeing if they can sell any. Stan suggests they catch their own fish and could keep all the profits when selling them to people. Ollie likes the idea so they buy a boat at the junk yard and try, sometimes unsuccessfully, to fix it up. When the boat is finally fixed up, the whole operation goes south.

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Plot Keywords:

boat | fishmonger | laurel and hardy | automobile | sawing | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Short

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 December 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

Barqueiro de Voga

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

21 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Other than a very brief appearance by Billy Gilbert, Laurel and Hardy are the only characters in the film.

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Goofs

In the first few shots of Ollie his tie appears to be inside his overalls then his tie is outside of his overalls.

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Quotes

Stanley: [Seeing Ollie covered with paint] What did you put that stuff on your face for?

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Connections

Featured in Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Fish for Sale"
(uncredited)
Composer unknown
Sung by Oliver Hardy

User Reviews

More than great!

This movie is really a piece of comedy excellence.

This movie shows what Laurel & Hardy comedies are all about. A simple premise, slapstick moments, that all provides non-stop laughs.

The premise is incredibly simple. Laurel & Hardy have just bought a fishing boat, which they decide to fix- and clean-up. Of course they end up demolishing more than actually fixing or improving things. Stanley cleans the anchor, by scrubbing and wringing it out and Oliver is trying to close down some holes, by doing so he only creates new and more ones. There are of course dozens of jokes you can come up with, with having the concept of the boys fixing an old boat. But they actually managed to come up with some incredibly original and well executed slapstick moments. At one point Stanley even manges to get his head stuck between the mast and a wall, while his leg is sticking out of the porthole. Of course Oliver also manges to get his clothes and face dirty again due to Stanley's stupidity. Some of the sequences and gags go on for a long time but they in this case do never bore or loose any of its comical power.

The humor is perhaps a tad bit more crueler than normally in Laurel & Hardy movies is the case. The movie features a couple of good old fashioned tit for tat routines. The boys looked like they really got hurt at times and things seemed to got to rough in the heat of the moment. Its cruelness does make the movie a bit different from other Laurel & Hardy movies, which also does make it an original one at the same time.

But its moments are really what makes this movie such a great and hilarious one. It's a great example of how a slapstick movie should be like. It's all perfectly thought out, timed and executed in this movie. It makes the movie fun and hilarious to watch from start till finish and it makes this movie definitely one of the better Laurel & Hardy comedy shorts.

9/10

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