"The Chimp" is a black-and-white comedy short film from the year 1932, so this one is already over 85 years old and the names Parrott and Walker maybe tell you already that here we got another Laurel/Hardy comedy. This one is from their sound days and the use of spoken language, effects as well as the music do not sound as shoddy as they do in the earliest sound films by the duo. The transition from silent film has worked out nicely for them, even if this film here is not exactly an example of that. Stan and Ollie are better than the material they work with here for sure, but the scene stealer this time is an ape named Ethel. Is he really supposed to be a chimp? Anyway, this was not as funny as it could/maybe should have been and in theory it is not the most animal friendly film either. The really funny moments here are not enough simply, even for a film that stays under the 25-minute mark. For good reason this is not among the two's most known or most famous works now almost a century later. Anyway, let me say that the more I watch of these, the more my preference is shifting towards Hardy with me being initially certainly more of a Laurel fan. The ending here with the mix-up between the two Ethels is kinda funny, but it really cannot make me forget about all the mediocrity from before that. I think you should skip the watch here. Not recommended.
Review of The Chimp
