I wouldn't call this one of the better Laurel and Hardy shorts, silent or Taki, but it certainly has a point. In a sense, they reverse the roles that audiences worldwide have known them for Laurel the buffoon and Hardy the serious one accidentally creating all sorts of trouble.
Here, Oliver inherits a fortune and moving into a huge estate agrees to make Stanley his Butler. But it is very apparent that Oliver has no idea of how to be a wealthy sophisticated gentleman. he comes home drunk and proceeded to play all sorts of silly pranks on Laurel, making him infuriated. Another evening, he wakes Laurel up and irritates him further, causing Laurel to say that he is quitting the next day. But Oliver isn't accepting his resignation and this leaves Laurel to make a decision of how to get himself fired.
Other than the dog Buster, Laurel and Hardy are the only two characters in this, and while there are some funny moments, it is dark and disturbing, and Oliver shows a dangerous bullying obsession with keeping Laurel around. it is obvious that Hardy's face will eventually end up as one of the gargoyles on a fountain (as they look incredibly alike), but even that gag falls sort of flat. I just wish that Laurel had gone a step further in his revenge against Hardy's obnoxiousness as this is one of the few times you actually get to see him being smart and not a silly nitwit.
Here, Oliver inherits a fortune and moving into a huge estate agrees to make Stanley his Butler. But it is very apparent that Oliver has no idea of how to be a wealthy sophisticated gentleman. he comes home drunk and proceeded to play all sorts of silly pranks on Laurel, making him infuriated. Another evening, he wakes Laurel up and irritates him further, causing Laurel to say that he is quitting the next day. But Oliver isn't accepting his resignation and this leaves Laurel to make a decision of how to get himself fired.
Other than the dog Buster, Laurel and Hardy are the only two characters in this, and while there are some funny moments, it is dark and disturbing, and Oliver shows a dangerous bullying obsession with keeping Laurel around. it is obvious that Hardy's face will eventually end up as one of the gargoyles on a fountain (as they look incredibly alike), but even that gag falls sort of flat. I just wish that Laurel had gone a step further in his revenge against Hardy's obnoxiousness as this is one of the few times you actually get to see him being smart and not a silly nitwit.