Series: Laurel and Hardy Director: Charley Rogers Producer: Hal Roach Dialogue: Photography: Francis Corby Editor: Bert Jordan Sound: Harry Baker Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Mae Busch, Walter Long Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Released: 23 June 1934 Length: 2 reels Production No.: L-18 Filming dates: May 21-26, 1934 Rating: 7/10

Going Bye-Bye!

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When a judge (HARRY DUNKINSON) sentences defendant Butch (WALTER LONG) to a lengthy jail sentence, he applauds the co-operation of the two witnesses who helped bring the criminal to justice - Laurel and Hardy. Not content with being responsible for Butch's imprisonment, Stan questions the judge as to why he didn't consider hanging him instead. Butch is not impressed and threatens to get revenge if he ever gets out of prison. A smug Ollie laughs from the safety of his seat, which sets off Butch and sends the courtroom into chaos. Outside, the boys are warned to leave town as soon as possible if they value their lives. Stan and Ollie therefore decide to place an advert in a local newspaper asking for someone to go with them and help pay for gas. At their apartment Ollie is polishing his shoes and singing merrily when Stan pushes the door open into Ollie's legs and send him head-first through the bedstand, closing his head in a trunk. Stan gets behind him and pulls him free (well, in a fashion), taking with him the stand and both falling out through the door. When Ollie returns to the room he slams the door shut and dislodges the panel above it, which falls down onto his head. Stan has the newspaper in his hand in which their advert is placed so Ollie asks him to read it. Stan puts the paper down on the chair and fetches his glasses before sitting back down on the paper. He goes to read the paper but obviously cannot find it. When he does find it there is not enough light for him to read, so he puts his glasses on the chair and switches on an overhead lamp before sitting back down - on the glasses. Ollie tells him it serves him right but then Stan realises why he couldn't read with them in the first place - because the glasses belong to Ollie! Ollie snatches the paper from Stan and begins to read it for himself. Afterwards Stan asks for his opinion. Ollie isn't impressed.

A woman (MAE BUSCH) answers the advert with a telephone call, which Ollie (eventually) takes. She explains that she is keen to leave right away so Ollie agrees to come and get her. As Mae prepares for the boys' arrival, Butch arrives at her apartment first, having escaped from jail. The doorbell rings and Mae quickly escorts Long into the bedroom and gets him to hide inside a large trunk. After an accident with the doorbell, the boys enter Mae's apartment and introduce themselves but tell the woman they have to leave urgently as they are trying to evade a dangerous man. She assures them they will be safe with her friend. Little do they know of course that 'her friend' is the same man the boys are fleeing from. Mae goes into the bedroom but finds Butch has inadvertently locked himself inside the trunk. Mae goes to get help from a friend, leaving the boys at her apartment alone with Butch. Upon Mae's arrival at her friend's house she is apprehended by a cop, who takes her away. Back at her apartment, the boys continue to take turns in freeing Butch from the trunk with an assortment of toold. Thanks to the holes already drilled he is able to peek through from inside to see Ollie sitting in the armchair. When Butch realises these are the men he is after he comes up with an urgent plan to get the lock off - melt it with a blowtorch. Stan lights the blowtorch at the exact point where the flame penetrates one of the holes they had made in the trunk, which sets fire to Butch's rear-end. The sudden blast of flame sends the trunk sky-high as the room caves in around them from the explosion. As Butch cries out in agory, the boys rush out into the corridor and grab a fire hose to extinguish the flames. By the time they return to the bedroom Butch has escaped from the trunk and waiting for them behind the door. Stan and Ollie rush into the adjoining room to escape when they realise who the man is. A series of banging and crashing follows as the cops rush into the apartment and drag Butch out. The final scene reveals that Butch's courtroom threat has been realised, as the boys sit with their legs wrapped around their necks on a sofa.

Favourite bit Mae Busch asks Ollie if he has any keys. When Ollie questions her as to why, she tells him that her friend locked himself in a trunk and cannot get out. "He was packing and accidentally fell in!" Ollie turns to Stan, who comes out with "It could happen!"

Trivia • Copyrighted June 20, 1934. • The facade of the courthouse was the same one used in the earlier short County Hospital. • In the opening sequence a total of 50 people are seen: -14 walk from right to left, -9 walk from left to right, -19 walk into the building, -7 come out of the building, -and 1 police officer stationed outside = 50. • There is an emblem on the side of the trunk which is on the bed (the one Ollie gets his head stuck in). It has the number 77 on it. • The advert placed in the newspaper reads: ""To whom it may concern, two young gentlemen who are making a motor trip east would like for someone else to drive and also pay expenses, like when we came out here. Phone Maine 489. Sincerely yours, Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy. PS. Those not interested do not answer." • In the scene where Stan answers the phone Ollie asks who it is. Stan turns away from the camera to tell him it is a lady about the trip. In this moment it is clear that Stan was not speaking into a microphone (for filming purposes) as his voice is noticably dimmed. • The newspaper which prints the headline "Butch Long Escapes - Jumps from train on way to prison" is the Los Angeles Chronicle. • The trunk in which Walter Long hides has a sticker on the side of it which reads "Hotel Bristol". • When the boys arrive at Mae Busch's apartment Stan rings the doorbell 7 times. Ollie rings it once before his finger gets stuck. This single ring lasts for exactly 30 seconds. • Mae Busch lives in apartment 4. • The doorbell has the insignia 'Signal' on it. • During the course of the film Stan and Ollie exchange the flowers a total of 16 times. Also, it's interesting to observe that at no point are the flowers set down - someone is always holding them! • Being complete strangers in her apartment, Mae Busch leaves the boys to fetch Butch's friend. Given that Butch is locked inside the trunk, it is a perfect opportunity for Stan and Ollie to rob her blind, don't you think? • Jerry, Butch's friend, lives in Arm's Apartments, which is located at 7905. • It takes six policemen to get Walter Long out of the apartment.

	Stan Laurel Stan
	Oliver Hardy Ollie
	Walter Long Butch
	Mae Busch Mae, Butch's girlfriend
	Murdock MacQuarrie Jury foreman
	Harry Dunkinson Judge
	Ellinor Vanderveer Jury member
	Fay Holderness Jury member
	Baldwin Cooke Court official
	Sam Lufkin Man with warning
	Jack Cheatham Cop in courtroom restraining Butch
	Charles Lloyd Man fleeing courtroom
	Charles Dorety Man in courtroom
	Lester Dorr Man in courtroom
	Tiny Sandford Man in courtroom [*unconfirmed]
	Fred Holmes Man in courtroom [*unconfirmed]
	UNIDENTIFIED Cop in apartment building

CREDITS (click image to enlarge)

POSTER (click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements: Laurel And Hardy: The Magic Behind The Movies by Randy Skretvedt (book) Jesse Brisson (identification of Jack Cheatham) The identification of Charles Lloyd is my own observation This page was last updated on: 24 June 2023