A Chump at Oxford (1940)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Alfred J. Goulding

Writers:

Charley Rogers (original story and screenplay) &
Felix Adler (original story and screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 January 1940 (Australia)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

With Stan in drag, the boys get jobs as a butler and maid for a dinner party at the Vandevere's. After that ends in disaster...

Plot Keywords:

Maze | Uncharacteristic Behavior | University | Buddy | Hazing

Cast

Stan Laurel	...	Stan / Lord Paddington
Oliver Hardy	...	Ollie
Wilfred Lucas	...	Dean Williams
Forbes Murray	...	Banker
Frank Baker	...	Dean's servant
Eddie Borden	...	Student ghost
Gerald Rogers	...	Student (Johnson)
Victor Kendall	...	Student (Cecil)
Gerald Fielding	...	Student (Brown)
Charlie Hall	...	Student (Hector) (as Charles Hall)
Peter Cushing	...	Student (Jones)

Runtime:

63 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | Ireland:G | Germany:6 | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Hal Roach Studios

Trivia:

Anita Garvin's final film with Laurel & Hardy. She came out of retirement as a favor to Stan Laurel, playing basically the same role she had played in Laurel & Hardy's silent film From Soup to Nuts (1928), whose title is a line of Ollie's dialogue in this movie.

Quotes:

Stan: Fatty, lift up your chin. No no no, both of them!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Mirror Crack'd (1980)

Firstly Stan is Agnes, then the mighty Lord Paddington.

This is Stan Laurel's show all the way, sure enough Ollie plays his part, but in this double package it's the genius of Laurel that comes to the fore. The double package in question is the now widely available European release of this film, the first 20 minutes sees the boys making their way to an employment agency where they jump at the chance of a job as maid and butler to the Vandevere family. Yes, this sees Stan dress up as a woman {Agnes} with hilarious results, not only does he buffoon his way thru serving dinner, he gets drunk into the bargain as well !. After being chased off the property by Mr Vandevere, the guys end up road sweeping and whilst taking a break they inadvertently foil a bank robbery and as a reward they get to fulfil their wish of a better education.

This sends the guys to England and a place at Oxford, the fun starts straight away as they are dressed for Eton !, upon seeing that these two are candidates for pranks being played on them, some of their fellow students send them into a big maze on the bluff that it's the way to the Deans office. This sets us up for a number of great sequences, most notably a brilliant set of events that sees Stan with three hands, from here we see the boys set up {as a prank} in the Deans own quarters and this of course causes much mirth when the Dean shows up to find the guys boozing away in his bedroom. Roll onto Stan banging his head and suddenly being transformed into an aristocrat called Lord Paddington and you just know that Laurel is getting a pure mania role to get his teeth into, the results are excellent, especially as Stan gets to boss Ollie around.

One of the best films the boys ever did in my honest opinion, 9/10.