Series: Laurel and Hardy Director: James Parrott Producer: Hal Roach Dialogue: H.M. Walker Photography: George Stevens Editor: Richard C. Currier Sound: Elmer Raguse Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Anita Garvin Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Released: 08 February 1930 Length: 3 reels Production No.: L-30 Filming dates: December 11-21, 1929 Rating: 6/10

Blotto

Available on DVD:

• See also La Vida Nocturna and Une nuite extravagante

Stan is at home anxiously pacing up and down before his wife (ANITA GARVIN) finally snaps at him. She demands to know what is going on and when Stan tells her he wants to go out she flatly refuses to let him do so. Stan then sits down in his chair and sulks. Meanwhile, best pal Ollie has taken over a phone box in his attempt to call Stan up to invite him out for the evening. Given Mrs. Laurel's temperament, Stan decides it's probably best he doesn't confess who is calling and dismisses the call as a 'wrong number' before hanging up on the confused Hardy. After the phone rings for the third time, Mrs. Laurel grabs the receiver and demands to know who it is on the other end. Ollie reveals his identity and she is seemingly happy, and allows Stan to continue the call (but then secretly listens in on their conversation on the bedroom line!) Ollie reminds Stan that they had made prior arrangements to go out to a new nightclub, but when Stan confesses he couldn't think up an excuse to leave the house which his wife would believe Ollie suggets that Stan sends himself a telegram, calling him away on important business. Stan puts the plan into motion whilst Mrs. Laurel substitutes a liquor bottle with mustard, pepper and other nasties when she hears that her husband intends to steal it. Stan then writes the all-important telegram and goes outside to ring the doorbell. Making sure that his wife overhears his imaginary exchange with the telegram messenger, he (eventually) brings the telegram indoors and reads it out. Wise to him, Mrs. Laurel bids him farewell... as well as Ollie, who is crouched down and hiding in the bushes!

Stan and Ollie arrive at the nightclub and are shown to a table by the maitre d' (TINY SANDFORD) before being served by waiter BALDWIN COOKE. When nobody is looking Stan produces the 'liquor' bottle from his jacket and proceeds to undo the cork, knocking the table flying and causing a nuisance for everybody in the vicinity. Ollie is first to taste the concoction. His reaction gives Stan a clue that something isn't right! Slowly but surely the duo get more and more drunk. The nightclub entertainment begins, first with a dancer and then followed by a depressing song sung by FRANK HOLLIDAY at the boys' table which brings Stan to tears. Ollie notices that an uninvited and unexpected guest has arrived at the club, one Mrs. Laurel - and she doesn't look happy to see them. Stan mocks her for being too dumb to realise he had stolen her drink and was now flirting with the effects of it. She gets the last laugh as she informs her soon-to-be ex-husband that the bottle was filled with cold tea. In what might seem to be a slight over-reaction for such a trivial injustice, she pulls out a double-barrelled shotgun and runs them out of the building. Quickly, the boys jump into a parked cab outside where a dozy Charlie Hall is seen briefly asleep at the wheel and they drive off. Mrs. Laurel stands in the road, takes aim and blows the cab to bits.

Favourite bit It's a brief moment as Stan realises he has forgotten to bring in the telegram he has sent to himself. In order for him to leave the house without suspicion, he fakes a telegram message to himself and climbs out of the window to plant the envelope on his porch, then rings the doorbell from the outside. Quickly climbing back through the window to avoid detection, he sits back down and pretends to not hear the doorbell which has just rung. When his wife prompts him to answer the call he first goes to the window but then realising that is a big giveaway, he instead opens the front door and pretends to have a conversation with the delivery doy. After Stan offers the imaginary courier to keep the change from his payment of the message he goes to walk back indoors, forgetting to take the telegram with him! The funniest part of the gag is his facial reaction when he realises his mistake.

Trivia • Copyrighted February 13, 1930. • In the opening scene with Stan and Anita Garvin there is an electric fan on the mantle which is blowing. • The number Ollie asks the operator to dial is "Oxford 0614". (Apparently, this was Laurel's number in real-life). • Ollie attempts to call Stan 5 times before they actually have a conversation. • When the telephone is ringing Stan pretends not to hear it. His wife, Anita Garvin summons him with "Stanleeeeeee" in exactly the same manner that Stan's wife does in Come Clean. • One of the ingredients Mrs. Laurel adds to the booze bottle is Newmark's Highest Grade Pepper. A jar of Colman's Mustard can also be seen in the same shot. Shameful product placement! • Stan goes to all that trouble in writing himself a telegram (much moreso in the Spanish-language version) only to throw it onto the fire without anybody ever reading it! Seems like a waste of time. Or maybe that was the joke? • The name of the nighclub Stan and Ollie visit is called the Rainbow. • What the hell is it with those people sitting on the table behind Ollie? Can't they just mind their own business? • The song which is sung in the nightclub is called The Curse Of An Aching Heart. • Stan's laughing fit at the end lasts exactly 2 minutes and 28 seconds. • There are sources that list Dick Gilbert as being one of the phone booth gawkers. This is wrong. • There are sources that list Vladimir Guetero as the orchestra leader. Not sure if this is correct. • Jack Hill has three roles in the film. First, as one of the phone booth gawkers (right-side of crowd) and then as a nightclub waiter standing in the back. And finally he is seen right at the end of the film when Stan and Ollie rush out of the nightclub. Jack walks through the door, removes his hat and then looks back at the boys as they get into the taxi. My opinion • It's a relatively average comedy with some great moments but the continuity in the last section suffers badly from poor editing.

	Stan Laurel Stan
	Oliver Hardy Ollie
	Anita Garvin Mrs. Laurel
	Tiny Sandford Maitre d'
	Baldwin Cooke Nightclub waiter/Phone booth gawker
	Charlie Hall Cab driver
	Frank Holliday Rainbow club singer
	Robert Cautiero Nightclub patron
	Jean De Briac Shopkeeper
	Jack Hill Phone booth gawker/ Nightclub waiter/ Man entering nightclub
	Bob Minford Phone booth gawker
	Clarence Wertz Phone booth gawker
	Amo Ingraham Phone booth gawker
	Harry Bernard Phone booth gawker
	Chet Brandenburg Phone booth gawker
	Hope Harper Phone booth gawker/Nightclub patron
	Ham Kinsey Phone booth gawker
	Clara Guiol Phone booth gawker/Nightclub patron
	Harry Wilde Nightclub patron
	UNIDENTIFIED Nightclub patron
	UNIDENTIFIED Nightclub dancer

CREDITS (click image to enlarge)

POSTER (click any image to enlarge)

LOBBY CARDS (click any image to enlarge)

STILLS (click any image to enlarge)

SHOT ON THE BACK LOT (click any image to enlarge)

INTERIOR SHOTS (click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements: Laurel And Hardy: The Magic Behind The Movies by Randy Skretvedt (book) Jesse Brisson (identification of Bob Minford, Robert Cautiero, Harry Wilde, Harry Bernard, Amo Ingraham, Clarence Wertz, Hope Harper, Chet Brandenburg, Ham Kinsey, Baldwin Cooke, Clara Guiol) This page was last updated on: 03 January 2025