Double Whoopee *** (1929, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Jean Harlow) – Classic Movie Review 7402)

Director Lewis R Foster’s 1929 Double Whoopee is a first-rate Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy 20-minute black and white silent two-reeler short film, in which they play a ritzy hotel’s humble footman and doorman, who are mistaken for visiting Prussian royalty. Double Whoopee is fast and funny, with lots of vicious eye-poking knockabout comedy.

Despite the spectacular sequence where footman Laurel goes berserk in his underwear, Hardy steals the show as the resplendently uniformed doorman.

Jean Harlow has a notable early appearance in a memorable walk-on as a swanky blonde young woman guest who is accidentally undressed by a clumsy Laurel, when her frock is caught in a taxi door.

Double Whoopee also features Charlie Hall, Ham Kinsey, Tiny Sandford, Rolfe Sedan, Sam Lufkin (as Man Poked in Eye), William Gillespie, Charles [Charley] Rogers, Hans Joby, Chet Brandenburg and Ed Brandenburg.

The titles are by H M Walker.

Released on 28 May 1929, it the boys’ last silent movie and as such it is a fond farewell to the silent film era, with Hans Joby (who had been Erich von Stroheim’s double), lampooning the great actor/ director. Joby plays the Prince: ‘And I am here to make what you Americans call whoopee.’

The 2011 restored version has music by Robert Israel.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7402

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com