"Laughing Gravy" is a black-and-white short film from almost 85 years ago and even if that is such a very long time, they already had sound back then. It is certainly a bit strange to see that this one here was released in April as it has such a holiday spirit attached to it. The dog is a nice watch for young audiences while the two protagonists are for the grown-ups. And there is something in here that other Stan&Ollie shorts are frequently missing: elaboration on the friendship of the two. However, of course there is also the usual slapstick humor, the mayhem the two cause which always has Ollie end up in bad situations and finally of course the camera shots on the desperate, angry face of Ollie and the clueless face of Stan. Horne directed this one, Walker wrote it and these two made many films with the legendary comedy duo. All in all, a fine watch. Recommended.

The last 10 minutes of this film, which were discovered in the 1980s, was a work print. It has been inserted into Laughing Gravy in most video releases available these days. It was never the intention of Stan to have it included in the American release. After watching it, it is clear why. It just is not funny, and it slows the pace of the ending. It just does not belong there. Stan and his collaborators where smart film makers who had one criteria that each film was based on: "Is it funny?" As a life long lover of Stan and Babe, I found the missing reel interesting but not funny. I have seen everything that they did together and Laughing Gravy IMHO is not one of their best. But they turned out so many really great (funny) films that it is easy to forgive them.If you really want to see them at their creative best check out Scram!, The Music Box, Them Thar Hills, Helpmates, Below Zero, The Chimp, Men O'War, Blotto, Towed In A Hole, Beau Hunks. Parts of Pardon Us, Pack Up Your Troubles are also very good, but the very best example of the comic chemistry between them can be found in Sons Of The Desert. If they could be remembered for one film, my vote is for this one.

For most of this short Laurel and Hardy film, the fare is pretty typical of many of there films--with Stan and Ollie there usual lovable and stupid selves. However, they also have a cute dog that COULD have made this movie very "schmaltzy"--but fortunately, the dog is cute but the film doesn't get too wrapped up in feeling sorry for the pooch. However, late in the film--completely out of nowhere--Stan receives a letter about an inheritance (provided he dump Ollie for good). I cringed as this seemed like an obvious and cheep ploy for pathos (using sadness in comedies to pull at the hearts of the viewers). And so I found myself feeling a bit disappointed until it turned out that the writers for Hal Roach were actually NOT trying to manipulate the viewers--the end is wonderful and so, so cynical! I give this movie an 8 because again and again, it could have degenerated into phony sentimentality but in the end, it remained truly a comedy.

LAUGHING GRAVY Aspect ratio: 1.37:1Sound format: Mono(Black and white - Short film)During a heavy blizzard, boarding-house tenants Stan 'n' Ollie hide their dog from an unsympathetic landlord (Charley Hall) who threatens to evict them if they don't follow the rules. Chaos ensues...Archetypal L&H comedy, played and filmed to perfection, as the boys' efforts to protect 'Laughing Gravy' meet with disaster at every turn. Ollie's attempts to get back into the house without being noticed by the sleeping landlord is only one of the film's many highlights, leading to a precarious rooftop episode (!) and a series of blunders and disasters. Fine comic timing, excellent set-pieces, great fun. Directed with typical gusto by L&H regular James W. Horne.The film exists in three separate versions: It played theatrically as a two-reeler, following the elimination of a third reel in which Stan comes into an unexpected inheritance. This material has since been restored to a second version which omits the original's ending. A third edition - which appears to exist only in colorized form - contains ALL extant material, including the inheritance AND the original ending.