To me, everything Laurel and Hardy did is still relevant, still funny, even with overt references to Prohibition and WWI, it still plays as well today as it played 80 - 90 years ago. And this is the best of the bunch IMHO.
There is not an extra routine or word or a missed bit of business in this comedy short. And it is all about the simple task of delivering a piano from a store to the customer's home. You'd think it might get repetitive, but it doesn't.
It starts when the boys park in front of the house and see that they must climb a very steep hill to get to that house while carrying the piano. Sure they have their own clumsiness and miscommunication to deal with, but there is also a nurse with a baby who gets kicked "right in the middle of (her) daily duties", a beat cop who believes in tit for tat, and an obnoxious arrogant man who is incredulous when he is asked to go around the two as he spews out a list of his credentials including MD, DDS, and several more that make no sense. Then they find out that they could have just driven around to the back entrance in the first place, only to find that there is nobody home. The final surprise is who the piano is actually for and that person's reaction. And there are all of the little bits in between these main plot points that absolutely make every Laurel and Hardy short.
The secret of L&H's success - we've all met people like they encounter in this short - the stuffed shirt, the passive aggressive wife, the unhelpful person who laughs at us, the person who gives us advice after we've already done something the hard way, and the over enthusiastic authority figure, we just have never met all of them in a 20 minute time span. Laurel and Hardy take these familiar personality types, expand their faults to the point of ridicule, and mix in classic slap stick for an unforgettable experience.
Watch it if you get a chance. It is time well spent.
There is not an extra routine or word or a missed bit of business in this comedy short. And it is all about the simple task of delivering a piano from a store to the customer's home. You'd think it might get repetitive, but it doesn't.
It starts when the boys park in front of the house and see that they must climb a very steep hill to get to that house while carrying the piano. Sure they have their own clumsiness and miscommunication to deal with, but there is also a nurse with a baby who gets kicked "right in the middle of (her) daily duties", a beat cop who believes in tit for tat, and an obnoxious arrogant man who is incredulous when he is asked to go around the two as he spews out a list of his credentials including MD, DDS, and several more that make no sense. Then they find out that they could have just driven around to the back entrance in the first place, only to find that there is nobody home. The final surprise is who the piano is actually for and that person's reaction. And there are all of the little bits in between these main plot points that absolutely make every Laurel and Hardy short.
The secret of L&H's success - we've all met people like they encounter in this short - the stuffed shirt, the passive aggressive wife, the unhelpful person who laughs at us, the person who gives us advice after we've already done something the hard way, and the over enthusiastic authority figure, we just have never met all of them in a 20 minute time span. Laurel and Hardy take these familiar personality types, expand their faults to the point of ridicule, and mix in classic slap stick for an unforgettable experience.
Watch it if you get a chance. It is time well spent.