Nothing But Trouble

NOTHING BUT TROUBLE (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1944), directed by Sam Taylor, stars the comedy team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in a movie title that best described their style of comedy - nothing but trouble. For their final feature for MGM, and on loan from their current home base of 20th Century-Fox, NOTHING BUT TROUBLE may not come close to the style of comedies the team did best while under Hal Roach/MGM in the 1930s, but at least it is a slight improvement over their recent disappointing comedies they were doing at that time. Compare to the Chevy Chase 1991 edition to NOTHING BUT TROUBLE, this Laurel and Hardy edition is a comedy masterpiece.

Combining two stories that would eventually come together as one, the opening starts with Laurel and Hardy with a prologue set during the Depression era of 1932 "when jobs were as hard to find as a girdle on a welder." Stanley and Oliver come to the Lorrison Employee Agency where they wait on long lines looking for employment as chef and butler. Without any luck, they come to the decision of going elsewhere, overseas as to France, Italy and Japan where Oliver attempts to showcase his steak a la Oliver, but with no success. Twelve years later, 1944, "where jobs were as easy to find as a girdle on a welder," Stan and Ollie return to the United States where their wait among the crowds at the Lorrison Employee Agency is no different as it was in 1932. They do, however, get hired by Mrs. Elvira Hawkley (Mary Boland), a society woman looking for a cook and a butler to help prepare dinner for a visiting king and his uncle. The second story focuses on Christopher (David Leland), a teenage boy king from Orlandra accompanied by his uncle, Prince Saul (Philip Merivale) visiting the United States. Chris, who would like nothing more than to be like any other boy his age by going out freely and playing football. He is unaware that his uncle is arranging to have him accidently killed off so to place the blame on his political opponent. While walking in the park with his secretary, Roentz (John Warburton), who is in on the assassination attempt, Chris unwittingly disappears to play football with the other boys. Because the team needs referees, Chris talks Laurel and Hardy, returning home with groceries, to assist in the game. Because Oliver forgot to buy the main course meal of steak, Chris helps the twosome obtain a great piece from a lion's cage at the zoo. Upon their return to the mansion where Oliver prepares his steak a la Oliver, he and Stan find Chris hiding in the kitchen. Following the dinner where Mrs. Harkley and her husband (Henry O'Neill) entertain Chris's uncle, Prince Saul, Mrs. Harkley discovers Chris running from under the table, mistaking him for a street urchin. Laurel and Hardy get fired when Mrs. Harkley find the boy associated with them. Further trouble lies ahead when Stan and Ollie are accused and arrested for Chris's abduction, and more trouble when they learn what Chris's uncle intends to do with the boy.

Others in the cast include: Matthew Boulton (Prince Prentiloff); Connie Gilchrist (Mrs. Flanagan); Robert Emmett O'Connor, Paul Porcasi, Robert E. Homans, Chester Clute and Joe Yule. Surprisingly, David Leland, in his only major role as the teenage boy king, and few movie roles to his credit, had died at the age of 16 in 1948. One wonders had he lived, would he had been MGM's answer to popular European imports as the British Freddie Bartholomew of the 1930s or 20th Century-Fox's Roddy McDowall of the 1940s.

Not quite up to the current comedies by Abbott and Costello, who make Laurel and Hardy seem to be a comedy team of the past, NOTHING BUT TROUBLE is a typical mix of sentiment and humor in the MGM mode. NOTHING BUT TROUBLE includes some amusing bits such as Oliver's attempt in cutting the steak at the dinner table. The climatic window ledge sequence which comes reminiscent to the Harold Lloyd comedies of the 1920s, should have been a height of hilarity, but comes off forced and silly. Mary Boland is amusing as always, but one cannot help but wonder how that same role might have been pulled off had the deadpan Margaret Dumont, a popular foil in Marx Brothers comedies, been handled. For its 70 minutes, NOTHING BUT TROUBLE is often accepted as one of Stan and Ollie's finer comedies of the 1940s, especially by devotees of their work. (** steaks)

On my nineteenth birthday I went to the movies to see BENCHWARMERS, which was decent but I feel that it had too many gross out moments. It is interesting to see that when a comedian is in decline they turn towards the children audience that's what happen with David Spade and Rob Schneider and also Abbott & Costello. This goes the same with Laurel and Hardy. I taped this movie off of TCM and I watched it later on and I found this was a lot more funny and lot more heart than say, BIG DADDY. To me they are the only comedians to have been so cuddley they could've been dolls. The movie is a mix of THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER and THE KID. The boys are hired as chefs for a social woman who is planning a dinner for a king. The king is a boy who dreams to be a football player and runs off to pretend he's ordinary and he runs into Stan and Ollie. His uncle wants him dispose and hires Stan and Ollie to put them on a murder rap for the king. This is very funny movie highlights include the boys referring a boys football game and Stan stealing a steak from a lion. The sentiment of the film works best for them because it makes you feel more close to them then ever. Most L&H fans dislike the movie but since I don't have a chance to see all their films are out of availibility, I think its their best work.

Some very good comedy films have been made about butlers and maids. One of the all-time funniest is "Standing Room Only" of 1944, in which Fred MacMurray and Paulette Goddard have to take such jobs in wartime Washington, D. C. - just in order to have a place to sleep at night. Well, this Laurel and Hardy film picks up on that shortage of labor that existed during World War II, especially for domestic help in the nation's capital.

Stan is a butler and Ollie is a chef who specializes in Steak a' la Hardy. Of course, this is after the boys have tried their hand before the war at working in the restaurants of Europe. They have been summarily tossed out in several countries. There's always something said in whatever language it is, that's an unmistakable reference to Steak a' la Hardy.

Well, it's wartime when the boys are back home and in desperation go to the unemployment office. After some preliminary comedy that insults their future employers, the boys wind up working for Mrs. Elvira Hawkley. Mary Boland reinforces the Laurel and Hardy comedy in her role. A sub-plot with a young king displaced from a small European country during the war takes some of the time, and only adds a little humor toward then end.

Although this is in the later years of the duo, Stan and Ollie still have what it takes to make people laugh. It's not among their funniest, but still a good comedy. The long scene with people trying to cut into Ollie's masterpiece steak is a riot. It's harder than rubber. And, of course, Stan causes various mishaps at the table.

The boys clearly did their part during the war, with some comedy films to give people a laugh during a somber time. After the war they would make only one more film together as both ended their movie careers.

Nothing But Trouble, one of Laurel&Hardy's last comedies relies more on the well known characters they've created as opposed to Hal Roach like gags. It's not a bad film, but I fear disappointing to their fans then and now.

Even in wartime America Stan and Ollie just can't find work. But a desperate Mary Boland in a typical rich empty headed dowager hires the two of them as cook and butler. Needless to say they're not real good at these jobs like all the others they've tried over the years in short subject and feature length movies. Boland and her husband Henry O'Neill regret it before the film is over.

But the boys also meet young David Leland who is an exiled king from some Ruritanian Balkan country that Mr. Hitler has overrun. Even in exile the young king has enemies.

Best part of the film is when the boys try to serve Ollie's favorite specialty Beef Oliver as he names it. It's quite a slab of meat and most under cooked. They bring in a cross cut saw to try and slice it up.

I wish there were more moments like these.

Nothing But Trouble (1944)

** (out of 4)

Laurel and Hardy meet a young boy and soon they discover that he's really a King. The duo must protect the boy from a few people trying to kill him. Once again, I had heard this was a pretty bad film but while it's miles from Hal Roach material, the film contains a few laughs and has a little charm to it. It's too bad Warner isn't including this in their upcoming set but my recording from TCM, which seemed to be remastered, will do just fine. The best moment takes place in a zoo where L&H must try and steal a streak away from a lion. Another nice moment is when Laurel is trying to ref a football game. Most of the gags are lazy and fall on their face but the film is a decent time killer.