I agree with the last reviewer that Hal Roach had the absolute BEST stock company of actors.
SCRAM is a prime example. This is campy stuff as the boys help a drunk (played to the hilt by Arthur Houseman) who accidentally brings them to the house of a judge who ordered them to get out of town. The judge is played by tough as nails Dick Cramer, one of the best heavies of the 1930s.
Vivienne Oakland is cuckoo as the judge's wife who gets drunk in the process. Oakland is best remembered playing Edgar Kennedy's wife in his series of comedy shorts, though much more reserved! This comedy was years ahead of its time and certainly R-rated back in the day with the guys dancin' around in silk pajamas ( fancy!) and sitting on a bed with Oakland and whooping it up --until the judge comes home.
Crazy stuff that only Laurel and Hardy could get themselves into, and perhaps get away with back in the day. Houseman, who played scores of drunks in his career, reportedly never drank. He was the actor who inspired so many others in drunk scenes yet to come. Perhaps the next best veteran actor to match Houseman was Jack Norton, who also worked with Laurel and Hardy , and never drank. Great trivia question.
A Big Thank You to ME TV PLUS for re-running L & H all over again. Get the L & H short series dvd box set. A Must.
SCRAM is a prime example. This is campy stuff as the boys help a drunk (played to the hilt by Arthur Houseman) who accidentally brings them to the house of a judge who ordered them to get out of town. The judge is played by tough as nails Dick Cramer, one of the best heavies of the 1930s.
Vivienne Oakland is cuckoo as the judge's wife who gets drunk in the process. Oakland is best remembered playing Edgar Kennedy's wife in his series of comedy shorts, though much more reserved! This comedy was years ahead of its time and certainly R-rated back in the day with the guys dancin' around in silk pajamas ( fancy!) and sitting on a bed with Oakland and whooping it up --until the judge comes home.
Crazy stuff that only Laurel and Hardy could get themselves into, and perhaps get away with back in the day. Houseman, who played scores of drunks in his career, reportedly never drank. He was the actor who inspired so many others in drunk scenes yet to come. Perhaps the next best veteran actor to match Houseman was Jack Norton, who also worked with Laurel and Hardy , and never drank. Great trivia question.
A Big Thank You to ME TV PLUS for re-running L & H all over again. Get the L & H short series dvd box set. A Must.