Really funny despite the out of place hospital ending
23 July 2003
Laurel and Hardy eat a nice dinner before setting out for a baseball game. However Mrs Hardy forces them to stay at home to wash the dishes. This, combined with further embarrassments, lead Laurel to suggest Hardy take control of his affairs rather than being owned by his wife. However a confusion over money leads the two men into a medical emergency.

Although the film feels like it has been made up of several good ideas rather than one, it still manages to be very funny for the most part. The opening dish washing routine is a great example of how much comedy they can get from a simple concept, while the `I gave it to him to give to you' routine is a good example of their verbal skills as actors. The short continues well but isn't able to be as good as it's first half again. The final scene is funny but the whole hospital epilogue doesn't really belong and it suggests that the idea occurred to them and they just looked for a film that they could tack it onto.

This sounds like a problem but it isn't that big a deal as the majority of the film works really well. Hardy and Laurel work well together and do well with the many types of routine they have here – just the routine where Laurel keeps putting clean dishes into the sink for washing is a good example of how their looks and body language can create laughs. Pollard is a good Mrs Hardy as she is feisty without being too dour. Finlayson enjoys his role as he has more dialogue than usual but also gets to do his `d'oh' and double take stuff (often it seems he either gets the physical stuff OR the dialogue).

Overall this is a really funny little short from Laurel and Hardy. The ending may feel like it doesn't belong with this film but even it manages to be worth a laugh! The fancy way that the scenes are linked (sliding doors effects) adds a novelty feel to what is a strong short from Laurel and Hardy.
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