Liberty (1929)

With the police hot on their trail, Stan and Ollie attempt to change clothes in their getaway car, only to find themselves struggling to balance atop the girders of an unfinished skyscraper. Will they return to ground level in one piece?

Director:

Leo McCarey

Writers:

Leo McCarey, H.M. Walker (titles)

Stars:

Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Tom Kennedy

Cast

Cast overview:
Stan Laurel	...	Stan
Oliver Hardy	...	Ollie
Tom Kennedy	...	Prison Guard
Sam Lufkin	...	Getaway Driver
James Finlayson	...	Store Keeper
Jack Hill	...	Officer
Harry Bernard	...	Worker at Sea Food Dealer
Jean Harlow	...	Woman in Cab (as Harlean Carpenter)
Ed Brandenburg	...	Cab Driver

Storyline

Two escaped convicts (Laurel & Hardy) change clothes in the getaway car, but wind up wearing each other's pants. The rest of the film involves their trying to exchange pants, in alleys, in cabs and finally high above the street on the girders of a construction site.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | prisoner | escape | escapee | convict | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Short | Family

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 January 1929 (USA)

Also Known As:

Criminals at Large

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

20 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (music and sound effects) Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In an attempt to assure Stan Laurel that the safety platforms erected around the girder set were safe, Oliver Hardy leapt down from the wooden girders onto one. Unfortunately, they weren't safe. Hardy crashed right through the safety platform, fortunately falling only 20 feet into a safety net erected as a backup.

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Goofs

The girder on which Stan and Ollie are struggling on has the number 1-113-4 painted on it upside down. in succeeding shots it changes to 1-814-6 the right way up before reverting back to 1-113-4 the right way up.

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Alternate Versions

The available print does not feature the original credits. It is based, in part, from a 1950 reissue by Film Classics, and the elements used by Robert Younson in his 1965 compilation "Laurel & Hardy's Laughing 20's". Although it still features the introductory roar of the MGM lion the credits were replaced and the name of H. M. Walker is misspelled.

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Connections

Edited into Laurel und Hardy auf der Jagd nach dem Mammon (1973)

User Reviews

A decent Laurel and Hardy film, though it isn't exactly their element

This is one of Laurel and Hardy's last silent shorts, as later that year they'd begin making sound films starting with the aptly named UNACCUSTOMED AS WE ARE.

During their career as a team, Laurel and Hardy made several film in which they played prisoners, such as in THE SECOND HUNDRED YEARS, THE HOOSE-GOW and PARDON US, so it isn't unusual to once again see the boys in this setting. What makes this unusual is where they go once they escape. Much of the movie is spent on top of a building under construction as the two idiots get themselves trapped there. In many ways, this might have seemed a more natural place for Harold Lloyd, as he was well known for his building climbing stunt work, such as in his very famous film, SAFETY LAST--plus Lloyd simply did this sort of work better. Still, despite being in unusual territory, the film is pretty good, though not among their very best work. Believe it or not, although they climb on a building and almost fall off several times, this one seems a bit short on laughs.

By the way, although Leo McCarey directed quite a few of their films and George Stevens filmed several, this time the two future star directors worked together.