Should Married Men Go Home?

1928

Comedy

6
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 31%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 31%
IMDb Rating 6.7/10 10 903 903

golf black and white silent film short film

Plot summary

Mrs. Hardy throws Ollie and Stan out of the house. They try to impress two young ladies at a golf course and end up fighting with other golfers.

Director

Top cast

720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
196.92 MB
1280*958
English 2.0
NR
24 fps
12 hr 21 min
Seeds 10
365.86 MB
1434*1074
English 2.0
NR
24 fps
12 hr 21 min
Seeds 33

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by JoeytheBrit 6 / 10

Decent silent short

Laurel and Hardy's screen characters were still taking shape when this silent comedy was made, and the framework of their relationship wasn't yet complete. They are friends in this one, but Stan's a friend that Ollie would rather avoid, and they haven't yet adopted the trademark bowler hats and slightly shoddy suits. Ollie pretends he's not home when Stan comes calling, but manages to mess that up so that he and his wife are forced to let him in the house. Wifey is so incensed by Stan's antics that she sends the boys off to play golf, which leads to further typical chaos.This isn't one of the duo's best shorts but it has a few decent moments. I liked the way Ollie's gramophone player fell apart when he attempted to play it the 'wrong way,' and this film shows the first example of the boys using their routine about not having enough money to pay for soda with their girlfriends which they re-worked in a later film. It's perhaps true that the introduction of sound is what transformed Laurel & Hardy into a truly first class comedy act, which is why this short isn't quite up to the standard of their later work.
Reviewed by wmorrow59 6 / 10

Fair-to-middling Laurel & Hardy, but enjoyable

There's a reason why Should Married Men Go Home? isn't as well known as some of Laurel & Hardy's other silent comedies: it isn't one of their best. It's pleasant enough, and provides a few chuckles along the way, but never rises to the inspired heights of Two Tars or Big Business. The first portion is set in the home of Mr. & Mrs. Hardy, eager to enjoy an afternoon of quiet domestic bliss together. Instead, Mr. Laurel arrives and the Hardys' peace is shattered. Once they've (reluctantly) welcomed him inside, Stan accidentally ignites an entire box of wooden matches and, for an encore, knocks down a window blind. When Stan asks to play a record Ollie insists on putting it on himself, but -- predictably -- makes a botch of the job. At Mrs. Hardy's angry behest the boys leave the house and head for the golf links. There they hook up with a couple of cute girls, and attempt to treat them to cherry sodas on their limited funds. Ultimately, the peace of the entire golf course is shattered when a mud fight ensues and all of the golfers are gradually sucked into the escalating chaos.It's nice to see Stan & Ollie looking so young and fit in this early collaboration, and it's always a pleasure to watch them interact with the Hal Roach Studio's stock company of supporting players, but somehow this short never quite clicks. By the time the boys reach the golf course we're ready for action, but the mud fight finale feels unmotivated, even a little desperate, and the film ends on a rather flat note with an anticlimactic closing gag. Still, for Laurel & Hardy buffs there are several elements of interest. Two amusing routines found in this film were later reworked to better effect with sound: the opening where Mr. & Mrs. Hardy pretend they're not home can be found in Come Clean (1931), and the drugstore bit, where Stan doggedly foils Ollie's attempt to stretch their limited resources, would be repeated in the early talkie Men O' War in 1929. The latter routine, introduced on stage by the comedy team Weber & Fields, is largely verbal and plays far better with sound.Like all of the Roach films photographed by ace cameraman (and later director) George Stevens, Should Married Men Go Home? looks great; and so does Viola Richards, an actress whose disappearance from the movies soon after she worked in this short is to be lamented even now, for during her brief appearance here she absolutely lights up the screen.
Reviewed by rbverhoef 7 / 10

Not the best, but enjoyable

In 'Should Married Man Go Home?' Oliver Hardy is married and he is about to spend the first Sunday in weeks alone with his wife. They hope Stan will not come along but of course he does. After Stan has caused some trouble the wife tells Oliver to go play some golf with Stan. At the golf club you can only play with parties of four so they hook up with two ladies, pretending to be bankers. With the ladies they have money problems in a bar, trouble with another golfer outside and a hilarious fight that involves a lot of mud.The parts with the wife are not that funny although they are not boring either. There are some good gags. The sequence in the bar is a terrific one, especially the moments with Stan ordering a drink. Stan is also very funny during the golf game and the big fight that ends the short plays the way it should play. Although this is not one of their best the bar sequence and the mud fight near the end are entertaining enough to enjoy this silent comedy short.
Read more IMDb reviews

4 Comments

Be the first to leave a comment