The Fixer Uppers
Encyclopedia
The Fixer Uppers is a 1935 short film starring Laurel and Hardy
, directed by Charles Rogers
and produced by Hal Roach
. The penultimate Laurel and Hardy short comedy made at Hal Roach Studios, the film is a reworking of Slipping Wives
(1927) a silent comedy the comedians appeared in before they teamed up together.
) spice up her loveless marriage by making her husband jealous. The spouse involved, a temperamental artist played by (Charles Middleton
), is however made rather too jealous for comfort, and puts Ollie in peril when he challenges him to a duel to the death at midnight and pledges to track him "to the end of the world" if he does not show up.
Stan and Ollie discuss the challenge in a nearby bar and it occurs to them that the husband cannot know where they live, so Ollie complacently telephones him to inform him he will not be there and they both insult him. They then get drunk with a neighbor of the couple (played by Arthur Housman
). The police are called and finding the artist's business card with his home address in Ollie's pocket, they take them to the couples apartment and dump them on their bed to sleep it off. They are discovered when Stan starts snoring and pistols are produced but the wife tells Ollie she has replaced the bullets with blanks. The husband shoots at Ollie, who plays dead and the pair then run for their lives and manage to give him the slip. The film ends with Ollie sighing to the camera from the back of a horse-drawn garbage truck, after having hidden in a trash can.
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
, directed by Charles Rogers
Charley Rogers
Charley Rogers was an English film actor, director and screenwriter, best known for his association with Laurel and Hardy. He appeared in 37 films between 1912 and 1954...
and produced by Hal Roach
Hal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
. The penultimate Laurel and Hardy short comedy made at Hal Roach Studios, the film is a reworking of Slipping Wives
Slipping Wives
Slipping Wives is a 1927 silent comedy short film starring Priscilla Dean, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.- Plot :Priscilla is married to an artist called Leon. However Leon isn't showing much interest in his wife so she hatches a plot to win back his affections. Ollie plays the butler. Stan arrives...
(1927) a silent comedy the comedians appeared in before they teamed up together.
Plot
Christmas card salesman Stan and Ollie are persuaded to help a woman (Mae BuschMae Busch
Mae Busch was an Australian film actress who worked in both silent and sound films in early Hollywood. In the latter part of her career, she appeared in many Laurel and Hardy comedies, where she frequently played Hardy's shrewish wife.-Early life and career:Born in Melbourne, Australia, Busch was...
) spice up her loveless marriage by making her husband jealous. The spouse involved, a temperamental artist played by (Charles Middleton
Charles B. Middleton
Charles B. Middleton was an American stage and film actor. During a film career that began at age 46 and lasted almost 30 years, Charles Middleton appeared in nearly two hundred films as well as numerous plays...
), is however made rather too jealous for comfort, and puts Ollie in peril when he challenges him to a duel to the death at midnight and pledges to track him "to the end of the world" if he does not show up.
Stan and Ollie discuss the challenge in a nearby bar and it occurs to them that the husband cannot know where they live, so Ollie complacently telephones him to inform him he will not be there and they both insult him. They then get drunk with a neighbor of the couple (played by Arthur Housman
Arthur Housman
Arthur Housman was an American actor in films during the Golden Age of Hollywood.-Career:Initially as a leading man, Housman later became known as Hollywood's most familiar comic drunkard in films of the 1930s, usually playing cameo parts in features but with better opportunities in short films...
). The police are called and finding the artist's business card with his home address in Ollie's pocket, they take them to the couples apartment and dump them on their bed to sleep it off. They are discovered when Stan starts snoring and pistols are produced but the wife tells Ollie she has replaced the bullets with blanks. The husband shoots at Ollie, who plays dead and the pair then run for their lives and manage to give him the slip. The film ends with Ollie sighing to the camera from the back of a horse-drawn garbage truck, after having hidden in a trash can.
Cast
- Stan LaurelStan LaurelArthur Stanley "Stan" Jefferson , better known as Stan Laurel, was an English comic actor, writer and film director, famous as the first half of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy. His film acting career stretched between 1917 and 1951 and included a starring role in the Academy Award winning film...
as Stan - Oliver HardyOliver HardyOliver Hardy was an American comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy, the classic double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted nearly 30 years, from 1927 to 1955.-Early life:...
as Oliver - Mae BuschMae BuschMae Busch was an Australian film actress who worked in both silent and sound films in early Hollywood. In the latter part of her career, she appeared in many Laurel and Hardy comedies, where she frequently played Hardy's shrewish wife.-Early life and career:Born in Melbourne, Australia, Busch was...
as Madame Pierre Gustav - Charles MiddletonCharles B. MiddletonCharles B. Middleton was an American stage and film actor. During a film career that began at age 46 and lasted almost 30 years, Charles Middleton appeared in nearly two hundred films as well as numerous plays...
as Pierre Gustave - Arthur HousmanArthur HousmanArthur Housman was an American actor in films during the Golden Age of Hollywood.-Career:Initially as a leading man, Housman later became known as Hollywood's most familiar comic drunkard in films of the 1930s, usually playing cameo parts in features but with better opportunities in short films...
as the drunk man - Noah YoungNoah YoungNoah Young Jr. was a former champion weightlifter who joined the Hal Roach studios as an actor, mainly playing comic villains. He appeared in several Laurel and Hardy comedies but was more notable as a foil for Harold Lloyd, whom he supported in over 50 films...
as the bartender