Being greetings cards sellers wouldn't normally end up in a duel to the death in the old European style, but what with Stan and Ollie and a neglected lady seeking attention from her stuffy French artisan husband - well, that's the making of a 20-odd minute short in Laurel and Hardy form! Some people aren't pleased with their shorts, and of course, we know that some are awful, but cramming in bizarre story lines and plot into this time-factor on screen isn't easy and when it's a hit and not a miss, it's a real treat as this story is.
The neglected lady, the great Mae Busch, employs the boys' help for $50. To do what? To make her husband jealous by pretending to kiss Ollie. On seeing this, naturally, her husband Pierre (Charles Middleton) explodes. "Oh, Pierre, now I know you love me!" exclaims Busch in glee, but that's not had the desired effect for Pierre who challenges Ollie to a duel, discarding Busch's explanation that it was a stunt to regain his affections for her. The two 'exchange cards' as protocol demands for a duel (it seems!) (Though Stan and Ollie haven't got a card and hand Pierre one of their greetings cards!).
After having a word with Stan in a bar, that all he has to do is disappear, Ollie decides to do just that. "How's he going to find you," remarks Stan, "he hasn't got the address!" He 'phones Pierre, tells him he's going to duck out of it, leaving Pierre to threaten he'll hunt him down at all costs.
The excellent Arthur (the drunk) Housman coaxes the boys into buying him more drinks after being barred, leaving them drunk too and being turfed out by he police. Only snag is, Ollie has Pierre's 'card' in his pocket and as the boys are comatose after the drinking session, they are dumped at Pierre's apartment and into bed by the police! Ms Busch is oblivious to this (somehow in true movie-land style!) up to the point where her 'searching' husband walks back in. She manages to persuade Pierre to turn it in, and, Ollie to his horror, awakes to find he's in the apartment! Stan hasn't wakened yet but at this precise moment snores, leaving Ollie to try and stifle him with a bizarre noise coming from Stan! Pierre was humbled but now that's blown out of the water because of this.
The duel begins, Mae Busch though, whispers to Ollie whilst Pierre is 'prepping', that she's loaded blanks into Pierre's gun, so when Pierre 'shoots' Ollie he should feign death and make his escape. This then happens with Ollie giving Pierre plenty of 'relish' in dying - overacting (within the plot) twitching nerves and all. Pierre then searches the kitchen for knives stating he's going to cut up Ollie's body and dispose of it, leaving the boys to run out, much to a surprised Pierre seeing Ollie alive.
Ollie's hid in a bin/trashcan, Stan strides up to the bin, stating in British cockney style: "You can come out now, he's 'gorn'!" Only Ollie's not there, he's been 'collected' by the dustcart, woefully looking out at Stan! A good one from the duo, paced correctly to its finale!
The neglected lady, the great Mae Busch, employs the boys' help for $50. To do what? To make her husband jealous by pretending to kiss Ollie. On seeing this, naturally, her husband Pierre (Charles Middleton) explodes. "Oh, Pierre, now I know you love me!" exclaims Busch in glee, but that's not had the desired effect for Pierre who challenges Ollie to a duel, discarding Busch's explanation that it was a stunt to regain his affections for her. The two 'exchange cards' as protocol demands for a duel (it seems!) (Though Stan and Ollie haven't got a card and hand Pierre one of their greetings cards!).
After having a word with Stan in a bar, that all he has to do is disappear, Ollie decides to do just that. "How's he going to find you," remarks Stan, "he hasn't got the address!" He 'phones Pierre, tells him he's going to duck out of it, leaving Pierre to threaten he'll hunt him down at all costs.
The excellent Arthur (the drunk) Housman coaxes the boys into buying him more drinks after being barred, leaving them drunk too and being turfed out by he police. Only snag is, Ollie has Pierre's 'card' in his pocket and as the boys are comatose after the drinking session, they are dumped at Pierre's apartment and into bed by the police! Ms Busch is oblivious to this (somehow in true movie-land style!) up to the point where her 'searching' husband walks back in. She manages to persuade Pierre to turn it in, and, Ollie to his horror, awakes to find he's in the apartment! Stan hasn't wakened yet but at this precise moment snores, leaving Ollie to try and stifle him with a bizarre noise coming from Stan! Pierre was humbled but now that's blown out of the water because of this.
The duel begins, Mae Busch though, whispers to Ollie whilst Pierre is 'prepping', that she's loaded blanks into Pierre's gun, so when Pierre 'shoots' Ollie he should feign death and make his escape. This then happens with Ollie giving Pierre plenty of 'relish' in dying - overacting (within the plot) twitching nerves and all. Pierre then searches the kitchen for knives stating he's going to cut up Ollie's body and dispose of it, leaving the boys to run out, much to a surprised Pierre seeing Ollie alive.
Ollie's hid in a bin/trashcan, Stan strides up to the bin, stating in British cockney style: "You can come out now, he's 'gorn'!" Only Ollie's not there, he's been 'collected' by the dustcart, woefully looking out at Stan! A good one from the duo, paced correctly to its finale!