The Finishing Touch (1928)

The boys are contracted to build a house in a day but they have many mishaps and run into trouble with the nearby hospital staff, due to their excessive noise.

Directors:

Clyde Bruckman, Leo McCarey

Writer:

H.M. Walker (titles)

Stars:

Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Dorothy Coburn

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Stan Laurel	...	Stan
Oliver Hardy	...	Ollie
Dorothy Coburn	...	Nurse
Edgar Kennedy	...	Cop (as Ed Kennedy)

Storyline

The boys are contracted to build a house in one day. Upon completion, a bird lands on the chimney and the house collapses, bit by bit. When the owner demands his money back, mayhem ensues.

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Plot Keywords:

1920s | chimney | house | bird | shoe | 

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Taglines:

Hal Roach presents the world's funniest comedy team.

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Genres:

Comedy | Short

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The final gag, in which the boys' truck slams into the house, was a misfire. The script called for the truck to drive all the way through the house, but the carpenters had not built the house to property man Thomas Benton Roberts' specifications, so the truck was unable to penetrate it completely. Rather than rebuild the house for one gag, the cast and crew chose to keep the end gag as filmed.

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Goofs

Ollie steps on a pile of nails. a close up of his foot shows that a number are sticking out which is highly unlikely.

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Connections

Featured in De slimste mens ter wereld: Episode #9.7 (2016)

User Reviews

Decent

Finishing Touch, The (1928)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Laurel and Hardy play finishers who are offered an extra $500 if they can finish a house in one day. The boys set out to make the extra money but soon a nurse (Dorothy Coburn) and a cop (Edgar Kennedy) start getting in their way. This silent short is a rather mixed bag as it features a lot of funny moments but the comedy isn't really ever hysterical but instead just mild laughs. The majority of the film goes for slapstick comedy, which includes Hardy stepping on nails, Laurel tripping over boards and that type of stuff. The cop of course plays the rival to the boys who keeps getting caught up in their madness and taking most of the abuse. Kennedy is quite good in his role but it's actually Coburn who steals the film when she decides to beat up the boys because of how much noise they're making.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

None English

Release Date:

25 February 1928 (USA)

Also Known As:

Das unfertige Fertighaus

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

19 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1