OUR RELATIONS
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Sound format: Mono
(Black and white)
During an eventful day out, Stan and Ollie become confused with their long-lost twin brothers, with far-reaching consequences.
The first of two films co-produced by Hal Roach and Stan Laurel (the other was WAY OUT WEST), this entertaining farce has 'class' written all over it. Beautifully photographed by acclaimed cinematographer Rudolph Maté (later the director of WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE, amongst many others) and written by a couple of newcomers to the L&H universe (Felix Adler and Richard Connell) from the story 'The Money Box' by W.W. Jacobs, the film's elaborate plot line revolves around a series of comic coincidences involving the boys' uncomprehending wives (Betty Healey and the diminutive Daphne Pollard), a couple of gold-diggers (Iris Adrian and Lona Andre), a belligerent sea captain (Sidney Toler) and an incredulous restaurateur (Alan Hale). Though uncredited on the print itself, Laurel appears to have bolstered the screenplay with a number of 'typical' L&H routines - the movie opens on a shot of the boys and their wives passing teacups in an endless circle around the dinner table, for example - but these items are shoehorned into an extremely busy scenario which ends in a frantic dockside encounter with a couple of smart-looking gangsters (the equally smart-looking Ralf Harolde and Noel Madison). While there's laughs to be had from the convoluted plot developments and farcical situations, the movie lacks some of the charm and intimacy of L&H's shorter entries. Also starring Arthur Housman (a fabulous comic drunk in many similar movies) and L&H regular James Finlayson. Directed by Harry Lachman (DANTE'S INFERNO).