A Chump at Oxford (1939)

As a reward for capturing a bank robber, Stan and Ollie get scholarship to Oxford, but are met with resentment by other students.

Director:

Alfred J. Goulding (as Alfred Goulding)

Writers:

Charley Rogers (original story) (as Charles Rogers), Felix Adler (original story)

Stars:

Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Forrester Harvey

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Stan Laurel	...	Stan / Lord Paddington
Oliver Hardy	...	Ollie
Forrester Harvey	...	Meredith
Wilfred Lucas	...	Dean Williams
Forbes Murray	...	Banker
Frank Baker	...	Dean's Servant
Eddie Borden	...	Ghost
Gerald Rogers	...	Student
Victor Kendall	...	Student
Gerald Fielding	...	Student
Charlie Hall	...	Student (as Charles Hall)
Peter Cushing	...	Student

Storyline

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, they're reduced to sweeping streets, and accidentally capture a bank robber. The grateful bank president sends them to Oxford for a proper education. There they become victims of student pranks, getting lost in the Maze and taking over the Dean's quarters as their own. But then a knock on the head gets Stan to believing he's the famed Lord Paddington, scholar and athlete extraordinaire. Suddenly erudite and supercilious, he retains Oliver as his valet, "Fatty."

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Plot Keywords:

oxford | reference to albert einstein | tea and crumpets | reference to dizzy dean | hedge maze | 

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Taglines:

Those Philosophers of Phun in a new screamlined comedy! (Newspaper ad).

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 February 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Les as d'Oxford

Filming Locations:

Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

42 min (copyright length) 62 min (European)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Premiere voted this movie as one of "The 50 Greatest Comedies Of All Time" in 2006.

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Goofs

When Stan and Ollie get out of a car and thank the driver for the lift, they are in front of the entrance for The Evening Globe, which has Art Deco trim around the main doors. They then ask the driver of a Water Dept. truck for a ride. When they sit on the back of the truck as the driver turns on the street-cleaning spray, the background has changed, and they are now in front of the Globe Pipe Shop, which is next to a grand building entrance with large, Ionic columns on either side of the doors.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Stan: Ollie, where ya goin'?
Ollie: Back to America for me!
Stan: Ollie?
Ollie: What?
Stan: [starts to cry] You're going without me...
Ollie: Stan! You know me!
Stan: Well, of course I know you... What do you have, one of those dizzy spells?

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Alternate Versions

There exists also a colorized version.

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Connections

Referenced in Guest House Paradiso (1999)

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Soundtracks

Fee-fi-fo-fum!
(uncredited)
Traditional and famously used in the fairy tale "Jack and the Beanstalk"
Sung a cappella by Oxford students with modified lyrics

User Reviews

Funny!

I remember watching this on BBC2 when I was about 8 years old and finding it hysterical. So, much to my pleasure, Universal has released it on DVD (Region 2 only) along with many other Laurel and Hardy movies. I chose to watch the black and white version as that is how I originally saw it.

There is an extended opening featuring a remake of 1928's 'From Soup to Nuts' short in which Stan and Ollie cause havoc at a swanky dinner party before being employed as street sweepers. During their sweeping lunch break they inadvertently foil a bank robbery and as a reward they are sent to Oxford for a good education, perhaps finally getting them out of the gutter.

Once there, the students (including a young Peter Cushing) play all sorts of pranks on them and Stan loses (or restores) his memory when he is hit on the back of the head. Now he's Lord Paddington (I must add he does brilliantly with the accent) and he gives Ollie some amount of grief for his weight.

Very funny indeed, I suggest you check it out whenever it comes on TV.