Our Relations (1936)

Two pairs of long-lost twin brothers experience high jinks involving a valuable ring, cases of mistaken identity, and gangsters.

Director:

Harry Lachman

Writers:

W.W. Jacobs (suggested by 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 Brown	...	Mrs. Betty 'Bubbles' Laurel (as Betty Healy)
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:

mistaken identity | doppelganger | husband wife relationship | sailors | twin brothers | 

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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:

Sailors' Downfall

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min 68 min (colorized)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

King Edward VIII (aka Duke of Windsor) of Great Britain requested a command performance screening of the film in October of 1936, before it was released.

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Goofs

When Ollie first looks at the photo of himself, Stan and their twins, he's holding it with both hands, but in the next shot he's only holding it with his right hand.

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Quotes

Stan: Why would they feel like that? Everybody has a black sheep in their closet.

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Alternate Versions

Cut to a one-reel version with the title "Sailors' Downfall".

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Connections

Edited into Double Trouble (1953)

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Soundtracks

Happy Birthday to You
(1893) (uncredited)
Written by Mildred J. Hill and Patty S. Hill
In the score when the birthday cake is shown

User Reviews

Very well written comedy.

This has got to be one of the better 'long' Laurel & Hardy pictures. Reason why this movie is better than most of the other Laurel & Hardy comedies is that this movie has a very well written story, that at times gets a bit confusing but remains solid, enjoyable and funny all at the same time throughout its entire running time.

It isn't really a comedy with many slapstick moments or other silly events. It's more a movie that relies on its story, that might not be 'hilarious' but it remains consistently funny all the time. It makes "Our Relations" one of the more consistent Laurel & Hardy movies to watch and because of that it also becomes one of the most enjoyable ones.

Yes, it really is the slick tight story that is filled with some good comical moments that made this movie such a good and pleasant one to watch. Especially toward the ending the movie becomes really good, although also a bit confusing at the same time. It's very hard to tell who is Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy and who is Alf Laurel and Bert Hardy (the twin brothers of the two boys, who are of course being played by Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel as well.) and who is being chased by who and why. It makes the movie a bit too hard to follow in the end but the good comical moments and situations compensate this more than enough.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy really show their acting skills in this movie. They have more lines and interacting with other characters than usual. It's good to see that James Finlayson also shows up again in a fairly big role. Other fine roles are being portrayed by; Sidney Toler, Arthur Housman and Alan Hale.

OK so the movie might not be 'hilarious' by Laurel & Hardy standards but the story is extremely well written and has some well timed and executed comical moments in it, which will surely make you laugh.

9/10

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