Moviecut—Towed in a Hole

source: Towed in a Hole

Towed in a Hole

I`m probably risking a Fatwa against me but I found TOWED IN THE HOLE to be one of the weaker shorts by Stan and Ollie and I`m slightly surprised that it has an average rating of 8.3 I don`t know why I find it one of the weaker shorts . Maybe it`s something to do with a lack of plot development ? The plot can be summed up with " Stan and Ollie try to renovate a boat " , there that`s it , that`s the entire plot so there`s no place for the story really to go with the entire short being carried by slightly sadistic slapstick which of course the boys excell at , but a lack of a supporting cast doesn`t really help much either Entertaining enough as we see the usual routine of Oliver prat falling and Stan turning to camera and shrugging his shoulders but far from classic L&H. Six out of ten

This 21-minute short clearly reveals what makes Laurel and Hardy funny. Its simplicity, with little plot, reveals the genius of their comic talents. We expect pratfalls and their trademark tit-for-tat battles. Here, they slow things down and we also see Stan---bored while confined to the hold of the boat---trying to entertain himself. It's a sequence of simple ideas that illuminates the essence of their humor. Stan plays tic-tac-toe, he draws pictures on the wall, and he somehow manages to get his head trapped. As well as any film they made, this one illustrates why we love these two characters. And I love the bit where Stan peaks at Ollie from various angles around and through the boat; it's so simple and so funny.

It has a laugh a minute and has some very sophisticated humour. Two fabulous bits stand out - one where Stan is washing the anchor chain and 'wrings' it into a bucket of water. The other is where Stan has been confined to the cabin and plays noughts and crosses with himself. In the finale, there is this wonderful scene where Stan and Ollie watch helplessly as their newly painted boat careers down the road under sail power and smashes into a million pieces. The film does not have too many set pieces but contains loads of small, exquisite gags which will have you doubling up with laughter.

The inimitable comic duo decides to work as fishermen, only to have a lot of trouble simply fixing up the boat! It's a safe bet that Laurel and Hardy had a lot of fun filming "Towed in a Hole", especially the end. What's particularly interesting about this one is that aside from an appearance by Billy Gilbert early on, it stars only Stan and Ollie, both doing their usual set of stuff. Really fun. PS: Billy Gilbert played Herring in "The Great Dictator".

This is not a comment on this film's quality though. It's another decent Laurel and Hardy short film that runs for 20 minutes. In here the boys sell fish, but get the idea to catch it as well in order to save money. So what do you need? That's right: a boat. And if you imagine the chaos that may ensue if these two gentlemen try to build their own boat, you imagine exactly what is happening in this one here. The two protagonists are around the age of 40 and this was already made during the sound era. However, it is still in black-and-white as almost all films were over 80 years ago. The humor is nice and it seems Laurel suffers even more than he usually does in this one here. All in all, I would say that this is not among the duo's best and not among their worst either. A solid watch and George Marshall did a good job directing here given the fact that he has not really worked with the legendary Stan and Ollie a lot. Thumbs up for this one.

This is probably my all time fav. L&H short. right from the start with the call of 'Fresh Fish' (toot), this is a 'hoot'. As always, Stan has an idea this time expressed as only Stan can. 'If we had a boat .....'. The bit that makes me howl is when Olly is painting the rudder and Stan is scrubbing the deck and finds the tiller in the way. The pause before 'what did you put that stuff on your face for' is agony!. As for Stan's method of getting his head out from behind the mast... See this one now.

Every single detail and frame of this film is a work of art. With only Laurel and Hardy in the cast, it is the most beautiful 18 minutes you could ever wish to spend watching a movie. Every gag, every nuance, every movement, every moment is timed and placed beautifully. I can only wonder if Stan and Babe had any idea when they were making this masterpiece quite what they were achieving... Is it possible to recognise timeless perfection in the midst of the process without spoiling the result? Whatever, this film could almost bring tears to the eyes it is so charming, so satisfying, so quietly side-splitting, and such a magnificent example of screen comedy at its best. Nothing comes better than this. Ever.