- "Whatta Stir" is an edited, abbreviated version of the feature recut for 50s TV.
- "Pardon Us" was theatrically released in the US in 1931 at 56 minutes, though a longer version was originally previewed in late 1930. In 2004, a 70-minute "Extended Version" of the film was released on DVD in the UK, and that version remains the one currently in circulation on TCM and on DVD. It features several extended scenes throughout the film, as well as scenes from both the film's longer climactic sequence from the preview version (present in the released foreign language versions but omitted from the English-language versions) and the reshot English ending. In the added scene, Laurel and Hardy rescue the warden's daughter (June Marlowe) from a burning building and the advances of "The Tiger" (Walter Long) during the third-act prison riot. The re-shot ending present in previous English releases involves Laurel & Hardy inadvertently using a machine gun to stop the prison riot. As presented, the added rescue sequence was extracted and re-dubbed from the extant Spanish-language version (filmed simultaneously, Laurel, Hardy, Marlowe, and Long all reprised their roles for the Spanish version). Recreations of LeRoy Shield's musical cues by the Beau Hunks band are used for underscore for all added scenes throughout the film.
- The Spanish language version, "Los presidiarios," features all the scenes that have now been added for the English language "Extended Version". The prison school sequence is absent, but it does contain the fire-rescue sequence during the inmates' riot not featured in the theatrical English version. The opening credits of this Spanish version are lost; instead, there is a Film Classics opener (in English) and then the title with which this film was shown in Spain, "De bote en bote". In all other Spanish-speaking countries, this version was shown as "Los presidiarios".
- French, Spanish, German, and Italian language versions filmed simultaneously. The German version is "Hinter Schloss und Riegel."
- While originally released at 56 minutes (and only available in that version for decades), a special 65-minute version was released on laserdisc in the early 1980s. This version, running nine minutes longer, includes extra dialogue and musical numbers.
- Some versions (including the remastered version shown on the BBC) omit a line of dialogue from the blackface scene when Stan calls Ollie "Sambo" ("hey, Oliver - uh, Sambo!") as the two are pretending to be Black sharecroppers while attempting to fix the warden's car.
- Many prints omit the opening MGM lion and all references to "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer" and "Loew's Incorporated," though the 70-minute "Extended Version" retains the MGM logos and titles.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content