Be Big! (1931) Directed by James W. Horne, James Parrott
Short / Comedy
Film Review
Be Big! is one of the very few
Laurel and Hardy shorts that feels as if it is one reel too long.
The first reel contains the best gags, but this is copied almost verbatim in
the duo's subsequent Sons of the Desert (1933).
The situation is a familiar one to all true L&H fans:
Ollie tries to get one up on his wife, ropes an unsuspecting and
reluctant Stan into his machinations, setting up the film for the
predictably disastrous denouement. It all goes wrong in the
second and third reels when the boys try to milk as many laughs as they
can from what is basically one gag: Ollie trying to take off one of his
boots. Even with comedians as talented as Laurel and Hardy, it is
asking a bit too much to play out the same joke over
and over again for twenty gruelling minutes, and
mirth turns to mild boredom way before the long-awaited punchline is reached.
As a nifty two-reeler, this could have been a classic.
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Film Synopsis
Stan and Ollie are looking forward to their weekend break in Atlantic
City with their wives. But just as they are about to set off,
Ollie receives a phone call from a friend inviting him to a truly
unmissable stag night. Feigning a sudden attack of bad nerves,
Ollie persuades Stan to stay behind whilst their wives make their way
to the station. Unaware that their wives have missed the last
train and are even now homeward bound, Stan and Ollie get dressed for
their evening's entertainment...
Cast:Stan Laurel (Stan),
Oliver Hardy (Ollie),
Chet Brandenburg (Cab Driver),
Baldwin Cooke (Cookie),
Jean De Briac (Dress Extra),
Gracie Doll (Midget Performer),
Tiny Doll (Midget Performer),
Harry Earles (Midget Performer),
Anita Garvin (Mrs. Laurel),
Charlie Hall (Bellboy),
Jack Hill (Railway Station Passerby),
Isabelle Keith (Mrs. Hardy),
Ham Kinsey (Railway Station Passerby)
Country: USA
Language: English
Support: Black and White
Runtime: 28 min
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