Our Relations (1936)

Unbeknownst to Stanley and Oliver, their long-lost twin brothers, sailors Alfie and Bert are in town on shore leave carrying a valuable pearl ring entrusted to them by their ship's captain.... See full summary »

Director:

Harry Lachman

Writers:

W.W. Jacobs (suggested by the story "The Money Box" by), Richard Connell (screen story),

Stars:

Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Alan Hale

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Stan Laurel	...	Stan Laurel / Alf Laurel
Oliver Hardy	...	Oliver 'Ollie' Hardy / Bert Hardy
Alan Hale	...	Joe Grogan -Denker's waiter
Sidney Toler	...	Captain of SS Periwinkle
Daphne Pollard	...	Mrs. Daphne Hardy
Betty Healy	...	Mrs. Betty 'Bubbles' Laurel
James Finlayson	...	Finn - The Chief Engineer
Iris Adrian	...	Alice
Lona Andre	...	Lily
Ralf Harolde	...	Gangster Boss
Noel Madison	...	Second Gangster at Pirate's Club
Arthur Housman	...	Drunk

Storyline

Unbeknownst to Stanley and Oliver, their long-lost twin brothers, sailors Alfie and Bert are in town on shore leave carrying a valuable pearl ring entrusted to them by their ship's captain. All four get involved in multiple cases of mistaken identity as a gang of hoodlums try to steal the ring Stanley and Oliver wind up with their feet in cement, about to be dumped into the harbor.

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Plot Keywords:

ring | ship | brother | sailor | mistaken identity | 

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Taglines:

Fast Furious Funny Full-Length Feature

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

30 October 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

Double Trouble

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A contemporary Hollywood Reporter production chart listed Wade Boteler, Jerry Mandy, and Harry Bowen as cast members, but they were not seen in the movie.

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Quotes

Joe Grogan: When they were here the first time, they called themselves Laurel and Hardy.

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Connections

Remade as A Merry Mix-up (1957)

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Soundtracks

"The Sailor's Hornpipe"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Opening bars played often in the score

User Reviews

Consistently amusing rather than hilariously funny but still enjoyable

While Stan and Oliver sit at home eating dinner they get a letter from Oliver's mother with a picture of them with their twin brothers. Deciding it best to keep their brothers a secret from their other halves, they burn the picture. Unbeknownst to them though, these very twins have just arrived in town on a boat. Albert and Bert are not the smartest though and, before hitting the town, they allow Chief Engineer Finn to take their money to "invest" it. This means that they have no real cash when they go ashore to deliver a valuable ring for the captain. However when they meet two young ladies with expensive tastes they find themselves in a bit of a pickle.

The old "twin brothers/mistaken identity" plot is hardly the stuff of narrative gold, so I was a bit concerned that the plot would be terrible with this film. However this is actually very precisely structured for a Laurel and Hardy film and, although the plot is hardly convincing, it is very neat and tidy and moves along well. Even if the plot had been poor though, it is the laughs that matter and this film consistently delivers amusing moments even if it doesn't have much in the way of standout scenes. I was tickled all the way through it rather than roaring with laughter but this gentle humour was still enough for me.

Laurel and Hardy are both good but they weren't totally themselves. Laurel enjoyed his usual character but Hardy was given fewer withering looks which is a shame as he does them so well. Finalyson has a bigger role than normal but really I felt him more effective in short film roles that relied on his physical work rather than his delivery. Hale is enjoyable as the waiter, while Housmann is a good drunk.

Overall a solid and enjoyable Laurel & Hardy film that is a pretty tight production by their standards. Not the funniest vehicle you will find for them but certainly more than enough to please their fans.