County Hospital (1932) User Reviews

"Hard-boiled eggs and nuts"

[StevePulaski · 8/10 · 1 September 2014]

There is a scene in James Parrot's short County Hospital, which stars Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, where, upon visiting his best friend Hardy in the hospital, Laurel sits idly, salting a hard-boiled egg and eating it. There's no joke, there's no real punchline, and there's no real purpose; it's about as literal as a scene could get. If only there was a way to tell the late writer H.M. Walker along with Parrot and Laurel that they may have fundamentally erected the popular idea/concept of anti-humor all the way back in 1932.

Although it does feature crisp sound and dialog, County Hospital is still so much a Laurel and Hardy short because of the fact it is more about situational humor than dialog-driven humor. Some readers of mine may mistake the idea that I have a disdain for situational humor, although, when I see the humor done smoothly and humorously, that couldn't be further from the truth. Laurel and Hardy knew what they wanted to accomplish and that was the concept of slapstick, silly humor. The wise-cracking, satirical humor that could make you laugh and ponder was left to Charlie Chaplin and the Marx brothers, which could arguably be why their films come to mind quicker than most Laurel and Hardy films do, on the topic of classic comedy films.

The short concerns Laurel arriving to the hospital to comfort Hardy after he received a broken leg, which already feels like the sequel to another one of their shorts gone awry. He brings hard-boiled eggs and nuts - to which Hardy replies with the sole line that essentially sums up the characters in each of their shorts - but Hardy realizes that while Laurel means well, he consistently causes trouble for the both of them. Hardy cannot remember the last time he endured such a restful experience, with two more months in a hospital bed to go, but Laurel ruins all of that with his well-meaning but trouble-causing actions.

County Hospital's only burden is its atrociously fake scene involving a sleepy Laurel trying to drive a vehicle with Hardy in the backseat, a scene that is understandable given the thought of the technological limitations of the early 1930's along with the short's budgetary issues. It's little bother; the film that was made instead was a fun piece of work, with self-referential gags and questionably pioneering ones as well.

Starring: Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Directed by: James Parrot.

aside from one minor complaint, it's a great short

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 21 February 2006]

This is a very funny and watchable Laurel and Hardy short. Ollie has been injured and Stan, like a pal, comes to visit and cheer him up. However, from the minute he arrives, Stan creates havoc--driving the staff mad and torturing Ollie in the process. I particularly liked how his playing with the counterweight to Ollie's broken leg resulted in Ollie's doctor being launched out the window! As a result, Stan AND Ollie are ejected from the hospital. The final driving sequence is the low-point, as at times it looked VERY fake, but the final scene makes this screwup forgivable. This film is good fun and only a crusty old curmudgeon would dislike it.

By the way, I am rather shocked to say that there is a better hospital comedy starring Billy Gilbert (who was also in COUNTY HOSPITAL). NIFTY NURSES is a mostly forgotten musical comedy that frankly is head and shoulders above this Laurel & Hardy film. While I adore Stan and Ollie, this other film is the funniest hospital short I've seen--better than COUNTY HOSPITAL and the Three Stooges' MEN IN BLACK.

The first half, at least, is excellent

[forwardintothepast · 7/10 · 13 February 2007]

"County Hospital" is a perfectly fine L&H short until the final sequence. I always enjoyed the scenes where Stan roams the hospital halls looking for his buddy (trying to figure out what a "solarium" is) and accidentally wanders into the maternity ward; he's mightily relieved when he finds out he's on the wrong floor! I also very much enjoy Ollie's scenes with doctor Billy Gilbert and silly Englishman William Austin. The film is also enlivened by the nurses, played by Estelle Etterre (who laughs hysterically when she finds that Stan has accidentally injected himself with a sedative) and May Wallace (who joins in the laughter and says, "He'll sleep for a month!" -- so much for medical ethics).

Personally, I always liked the scene where Dr. Gilbert is flung out the window of Ollie's room on the top floor--it adds a little action to a film where the longest scene is a single take of Stan trying to eat a hard-boiled egg. Also, the gag with the egg dropping into an unseen container by Ollie's bed and making a metallic clunk is NOT a mistake--the joke is that we think at first the egg has dropped into a chamber pot (ask your grandparents what that is), but as Stan brings it up into view we're relieved to see it's only a pitcher. The same gag happens in the team's earlier short "Helpmates," where Stan drops an alarm clock into an unseen container under his bed.

As for the final sequence with the back projection, it's not so much the quality of the film running behind the boys as a problem of sluggish editing. If the shots had been much shorter--and if we'd had a few more cutaways outdoors than just the one of the car skidding on a wet road--the sequence might have worked. Roy Seawright, who did the special effects scenes at Roach's, was a good friend of mine and his crew generally did top-notch work-- check out the split-screen scenes in "Our Relations" and "Brats," the animated bubbles in "Swiss Miss," and all of the effects work in Hal Roach's feature "Topper."

A Rather Resourceful Laurel & Hardy Comedy

[Snow Leopard · 6 February 2006]

This is one of the Laurel & Hardy comedies that show how resourceful they could be in getting the most out of the limited resources within a confined setting. Most of the gags work well, and only a somewhat uneven finale keeps it from being among the better of their two-reel comedies.

The simple story setup has Oliver in the "County Hospital" as a patient in traction, with Stanley stopping by to visit. You would hardly expect that anyone could get into so much trouble in a confined space, but they come up with a lot of comedy ideas, from hard-boiled eggs to the traction equipment, and more, with a couple of particularly good ones.

The climactic sequence is a bit hard to figure, because the back projection so obviously does not match the main footage. It's so much out of sync that you almost wonder whether it was done deliberately for the sake of comic effect, or whether it had to be left that way due to limits on time or money. In any case, this is a funny comedy with a few bits that are quite good.

Laurel as an unwanted guest in Hardy's hospital room

[weezeralfalfa · 7/10 · 27 September 2018]

The teaming of Laurel and Hardy as opposed to Billy Gilbert usually insures plenty of laughs ,and this comedy short is no exception. We can conveniently divide this film into 3 sections: 1) Laurel's adventures parking and hunting for Hardy's room. 2) Laurel and Hardy, along with Billy Gilbert, in Hardy's hospital room. 3) The wild ride home......The show starts off with a bang!, as Laurel's car lets loose a mega backfire that lifts the rear portion well off the pavement. Laurel's search for Hardy is hampered by the fact that each of the 3 floors has a room 14, which he wasn't told about. Also, he doesn't know what a solarium is. When he stops by the water fountain , it shoots up like Old Faithful. When Laurel knock's on Hardy's door and tells who it is, a look of resignation comes over Hardy's face. He was hoping his stay in the hospital for his presumed broken leg would afford him a vacation from Laurel. Laurel brings some hard boiled eggs and nuts for a present. Hardy turns up his nose at them, expecting a box of chocolates. Thus, Laurel takes out an egg, and accidentally drops it in Hardy's pitcher of water. It takes him a while to try to figure out how to remove it, then knocks the pitcher over, so it soaks the edge of the bed....... After eating an egg himself, Dr. Billy Gilbert arrives to check on Hardy's leg. Laurel then discovers the weight that's holding Hardy's leg up in traction. Now, comes one of the funniest gags you will ever see on film. Laurel picks up the weight, causing Hardy's leg to crash down on Gilbert's head. Gilbert angrily goes over and grabs the weight from Laurel. But, his momentum takes him and the weight out the window, where he hangs onto the rope. Meanwhile, this additional weight causes Hardy's leg to be lifted vertically, so his foot is near the ceiling. With Hardy screaming, Laurel tries to pull up Gilbert, then switches to trying to help Hardy. He goes back and forth a few times, until the rope wears thin and breaks. Fortunately, Gilbert is clinging to the window sill, but Hardy crashes onto the bed, causing the one end to collapse. Nurses arrive, as Laurel is still trying to pull Gilbert up. After Gilbert makes it back, he screams at Hardy to put his clothes on, and get out of the hospital.......Laurel gets out what he thinks is Hardy's pants, and cuts off the right(correct) leg to allow it to fit over Hardy's bulbous bandaged foot. (It's a wonder he didn't cut off the wrong leg!), Hardy's roommate now comes in, laughing giddily, because he's going home. He gets out his pants and discovers they are Hardy's!. He laughs.......Now, Laurel sits on a chair bearing a hypodermic needle, which self-injects into his buttock. The nurse laughs, saying he will probably sleep for a week. Time to drive Hardy home. Already, Laurel is getting sleepy. On the way home, he's barely conscious, weaving in and out of traffic. Unfortunately, this is a poorly done back-projected sequence, if exciting. Finally, his car is squashed between 2 trollies, twisting it into an L shape that can only travel in circles. Remarkably, the passangers and car sustained little or no other damage......See it at YouTube. The copy I saw was colorized!

Hospital Fun With Mr. Laurel & Mr. Hardy

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 16 March 2000]

A LAUREL & HARDY Comedy Short. Ollie is blissfully relaxing in the COUNTY HOSPITAL with unspecified problems with his right leg. His peace is shattered when Stan arrives for a visit. After innocently proceeding to wreck the room & nearly killing the doctor, Stan sits on a hypodermic full of sleeping medication. He then attempts to drive Ollie home (he's been thrown out by the infuriated doctor). Chaos ensues as sleepy Stanley proceeds down a very busy city street.

A fine little film, though not in the same class as the Boy's classics. One has to wonder - again - how Ollie could engage in such rough physical comedy without breaking his neck. That's Billy Gilbert as the harassed & harried doctor.

The health care system will never be the same

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 2 January 2017]

As we all know Stan Laurel does not do well in a crisis, especially those of his own making. Just a simple act of kindness visiting his good buddy Oliver Hardy in the hospital causes mayhem in the hospital and also out on the road.

By the way do any of you doubt the reason that Ollie is in the hospital in that contraption with a broken leg is because Stan did something to cause it?

Anyway the highlight of this is poor Ollie hung up with his leg still in the cast while Dr. Billy Gilbert is hanging out the high window at the same time. Poor befuddled Laurel can't figure out what to do.

William Austin playing his usual silly twit Englishman is Ollie's roommate and I have to say that the boys and Hal Roach were most generous giving Gilbert and Austin their share of laughs.

In the end a tranquilizer kicks in as Stan is driving Ollie home. What havoc is wrought.

One of their funniest short subjects.

Hardboiled eggs and nuts? Yes, please!

[Prichards12345 · 8/10 · 21 November 2015]

Another fine comedy from Stan and Ollie. Stan pays a hospital visit to Oliver, who is up in traction with a broken leg, enjoying the peace and quiet. Of course it isn't long before that peace is destined to vanish.

Stan is so wonderfully inept in this one. Visiting Ollie as he hasn't anything else to do today, not bringing Ollie candy as "It costs too much" and not having been paid for the last batch. He comes up with his legendary gift.

Don't think any other comedian eating a hard boiled could be funny, but in Laurel's effortless hands it's great. The trouser gag is absolutely hilarious.

Only the climax is a let down, spoiled by poor rear projection work and going on too long. We are rescued though by the boys' L-shaped car (at least that's how it ends up!) Stan and Ollie: best there's ever been.

Making the most out of thin air...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 31 July 2009]

LAUREL AND HARDY make the most of thin material, relying more on dialog than usual. Not downright hilarious, but full of enough sight gags to keep things breezing along to the fake finish with the rear projection shots of near auto crashes.

Oliver Hardy is in a hospital bed with his leg in a cast when he gets an unexpected visit from his eccentric friend Stan Laurel.

From then on, nothing but disaster as one well-intentioned gesture after another leads to complete havoc when the doctor (BILLY GILBERT) arrives to check up on his patient. Stan unleashes the truss holding things down on Oliver's leg and the doctor goes flying out the window. From then on, it's pure havoc, topped by a final ride home with Stan accidentally given a tranquilizer shot from a needle he sat on. The boys narrowly escape crashing into other cars as they make their way home on a Los Angeles boulevard in heavy traffic.

The final sight gag involves the car that ends up almost wrapped around a post.

Funny stuff, but don't expect too much except for a couple of very funny moments.

Mayhem in hospital

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 5 October 2018]

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were comedic geniuses, individually and together, and their partnership was deservedly iconic and one of the best there was. They left behind a large body of work, a vast majority of it being entertaining to classic comedy, at their best they were hilarious and their best efforts were great examples of how to do comedy without being juvenile or distasteful.

Although a vast majority of Laurel and Hardy's previous efforts ranged from above average to very good ('45 Minutes from Hollywood' being the only misfire and mainly worth seeing as a curiosity piece and for historical interest, and even that wasn't a complete mess), 'Two Tars' for me was their first truly classic one with close to flawless execution. Didn't find 'County Hospital' quite one of their very best, but it to me still very good and some of the best material is among their funniest.

Admittedly, the story is pretty thin and is pretty standard and it does run out of steam at the end complete with some very obvious back projection and sluggish editing, both of which fake-looking.

Despite that, 'County Hospital' is great fun, never less than very amusing and the best moments, being classic hilarity. It is never too silly, there is a wackiness that never loses its energy and the sly wit is here, some of the material may not be new but how it's executed actually doesn't feel too familiar and it doesn't get repetitive. A lot happens yet it doesn't ever feel rushed or over-stuffed. The first half is terrific and one of the better first halves of Laurel and Hardy's output from this period.

Laurel and Hardy are on top form here, both are well used, both have material worthy of them and they're equal rather than one being funnier than the other (before Laurel tended to be funnier and more interesting than Hardy, who tended to be underused). Their chemistry feels like a partnership here too, before 'Two Tars' you were yearning for more scenes with them together but in 'County Hospital' and on the most part from 'Two Tars' onwards we are far from robbed of that. Their comic timing is impeccable.

Excepting the editing at the end, 'County Hospital' looks good visually, is full of energy and the direction gets the best out of the stars, is at ease with the material and doesn't let it get too busy or static. The supporting players are solid, especially Billy Gilbert, but it's Laurel and Hardy's show all the way.

In summary, very good if not one of the best. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Mostly Funny But With a Weak Ending

[Chance2000esl · 7/10 · 4 February 2008]

Stan and Ollie's best shorts are filled to the brim with accidents, destruction and disasters from the tiny to the large: 'Big Business' (1929; silent), 'Busy Bodies' (1932), 'The Music Box' (1932), 'Towed in a Hole' (1932), and 'Dirty Work' (1933). Innocent Stan unwittingly causes no end of anxiety, trouble, exasperation and pain for long suffering Ollie.

'County Hospital' is true to this wonderful formula for the first two thirds of the film. Stan visits Ollie in the hospital, and continually exasperates him with his little behavioral quirks and oddities. Then after the doctor comes in, Stan lifts the truss weight from the floor, and very quickly the doctor winds up hanging out the top story window while Ollie is being hung upside down from the ceiling by the cast on his leg, the doctor's clothes are ripped, and as Ollie falls, his bed collapses.

All the scenes in the hospital are vintage Laurel and Hardy; even though he does most of his acting immobile in bed, Ollie is Ollie! The film dies as soon as they leave the hospital, and there is a flat back projection careening car ride with Stan supposedly sleeping while driving that is simply not funny because it is so obvious the boys are spinning in a car in front of a screen. The weak ending shows them spinning around in an L-shaped car (which had wrapped itself around a pole).

My grandchildren enjoy watching it, but the ending detracts too much for this to be one of their top top bests. I give it a 7.

This one was funny

[gazzo-2 · 8/10 · 9 September 2005]

I don't see why others haven't rated this one as high as say, Busy Bodies or whatever. It's great! Ollie in the hospital bed does his usual slow burn routine to a T, Laurel is pretty fun as the unlikely catalyst for disaster, Billy Gilbert overacts horribly as the Dr. who winds up hanging outside the window, etc you know the drill.

Loved the drive home--someone complained that the rear-screen projection stunk? Really? I thought it looked quite good Especially for something from 1932. The vaunted Bank Dick chase w/ W C Fields for example wasn't honestly much better, and that came c. 1941 ya know? Check this one out. There's not much to it but it's enjoyable.

*** outta ****

Ollie's way-layed in hospital, Stan precedes to wreck the place!

[naseby · 7/10 · 23 November 2008]

This short shows the confined area to which it was, namely that poor Ollie actually enjoys the peace and quiet, never mind his broken foot, in his bed of pain at the County Hospital. Stan 'decides' to visit him,as 'he's nothing better to do!' That's the sarcastic line Ollie gives back to him, after he leaves Ollie's peace in tatters, assaults the doctor's dignity and almost kills him, cuts up another patient's trousers and brings Ollie 'hard boiled eggs and nuts' instead of candy or fruit etc. "You didn't pay me for the last box I brought you." says Stan after Ollie's enquiry why he didn't bring the candy!

Altogether,it was one of their shorts that had a thin-ish outline, but was filled fairly well considering. It had the odd finale of Stan sitting on a syringe/sedative intended for another patient. The nurses casually mention to themselves in fits of laughter, that Stan will sleep for a month. Strangely not telling him in Hollywood licence style - so of course, when Ollie is prematurely struck off (Because Stan has wrecked the place) the latter drives him home, well almost - sleeping at the wheel, swerving and near-missing everything. It ends with their car bent round in a semi-circle shape, as a policeman tells them to pull over. They can't as because of the shape of the car, it drives around in a circle!

As I say, a shallow type of tale, with Stan visiting Ollie in hospital, but nonetheless, it delivers the calamitous Stan in the style we knew was coming Ollie's way!

Changing perceptions

[schappe1 · 5/10 · 3 June 2006]

When the Lumiere brothers first started exhibiting motion pictures in the 1890's, one of their first subjects was train coming into a train station. Their audience dashed for the exits, feeling the train would run them over. This seems silly to us now but it gives an indication of the adjustments to our thinking that are necessary to enjoy a film.

At the end of "County Hospital" there is a singularly ineffective sequence involving a wild car ride through crowded city streets: Laurel is driving but is falling asleep due to a misplaced hypodremic needle. Oliver is in the back seat and can do nothing but hope for the best. The entire scene is back-projected, save for one shot of the car skidding and twisting around on an oil slick on what appears to be a suburban street with no traffic: then we go back to the crowded city street being projected behind the boys. It's not wild at all because it's totally unreal, like a carnival ride. In the old silent days, (before there were unions and ordinances against filing dangerous stunts on the streets), this would have been done much better.

Today it looks ridiculous and has no comic impact at all, except for the amusing ending where the car had been punched into an L-shape that can only go around in circles. But was it seen differently then? Did 1932 audiences look at this and accept it at face value and thus find it funnier than it looks today? These days, almost no back projection is used because we've trained our eyes to recognize it. (The sequence with Grace Kelly and Cary Grant in "To Catch a Thief" doesn't work as well now as it must have in 1955 for this reason).

Frankly, I like L&H's verbal humor more than their physical humor. They were among the first comics to create humor through their personalities rather than the crude slapstick that had dominated the silent cinema and this was accommodated, rather than inhibited, by sound.

An enjoyable if not great short

[bob the moo · 16 July 2003]

With Hardy laid up in hospital with a broken leg, Laurel decides to pay him a visit, brining with him a gift of nuts and hard boiled eggs. He finds a relaxed and worry free Hardy, however the chaos the unwitting Laurel unleashes unto an unprepared hospital threatens to change all that.

The feeling of being a bit forced prevents this short from being considered Laurel and Hardy at their best. An example of what I mean is evident in the first few moments, Laurel finding Hardy's room gives rise to a little confusion but Laurel overplays his normal/confused/normal expression switches and for no real reason. Likewise many of the jokes are things they know work, but have to force to fit. There are some funny bits that are both subtle (Laurel eating the egg) or physical (hanging out the window) or climactic (the drive home) and most of them are good but it doesn't feel as fresh and lively as it often has.

Laurel overplays but Hardy is as good as ever. He is given less to do than he should have been and the film is allowed to rest too heavily on Laurel, but both still do pretty well. Overall this is an enjoyable short but feels like they are were lacking ideas and were treading water a tad for this one. That said, Laurel and Hardy treading water is often still better than many modern comedians who struggle to have an output of 1 or 2 films a year, never mind L&H's output!

Their Best Single Sound Era Gag: Good for the first 15min

[mbanak · 7/10 · 30 April 2011]

The film builds nicely through the first 15 minutes, and then peters out with that unconvincing back-projection method for the street scene. I have to wonder how Mr. Laurel allowed that. It must have killed him to see that in the editing room.

The climactic gag involving the traction line is their very best from the sound era. (The best gag sequence from the silent era was the parade of mangled cars in Two Tars). The gag sequence following later, with the pants, was the perfect follow-on. Very funny, but not so much as to wear you out like the previous gag.

This really is a must-see.

When I show this to my friends, I warn them about the weak ending sequence, and then they relax and embrace the rest of it gladly.

STAN & OLLIE ON HIGH OCTANE

[Sunsphxsuns · 10/10 · 11 January 2022]

Call me crazy ("Hey, crazy!") but I never enjoyed silent era films. I tried, oh I tried, but each time an actor's mouth moved there was nothing but an awkward silence. Then after what seemed too lengthy of a wait, a placard flashed on the TV screen, reflecting what the actor had just said moments before. I found this to be very distracting, plus it slowed down the natural comedic timing. This lapse between action and dialog, for me, was like watching an entire movie subtitled, and I couldn't square the two up.

That being said, I didn't watch any of the short and feature length "TV reruns" unless they were "talkies." As a kid who was fortunate enough to have a tiny black and white TV set in my bedroom, every Saturday morning before my parents or the Sun were up, I was thoroughly mesmerized by the vaudevillian, overtly physical humor of Buster Keaton, Our Gang (The Little Rascals), The Three Stooges, and of course, Laurel & Hardy.

The first Our Gang (The Little Rascals) talkie was "Small Talk" released in 1929. Buster Keaton's first talkie was "Free and Easy," released in 1930. The Three Stooges (Larry, Moe and Curly) most recognized talkie was The Woman Haters (1934). "Unaccustomed As We Are," released worldwide in 1929, was Laurel and Hardy's film debut with sound. It was an immediate hit with audiences.

Unlike many of their silent film era contemporaries who couldn't make the transition from silent to sound film, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy effortlessly slipped into this new media. Both actors had the rare gift of "comedic timing," and the duo knew how to thoroughly exploit sight gags. Moreover, lovable Hardy routinely broke the "fourth wall" of film, and after each hilarious yet tragic gag, he would often look straight at the camera as if to say, "Can you believe what just happened to me?"

County Hospital (1932), arguably one of the more iconic L&H shorts, centers on Stan visiting Ollie on the top floor of the County Hospital. Ollie has a broken leg, and Stan can't do anything right to comfort his pal. To Stan's credit he does bring Ollie a few gifts - hard-boiled eggs and nuts! This really is one of the boys' better comedies, and it spotlights the irascible Billy Gilbert who plays Ollie's physician. One unique feature of this film is that it mainly takes place in a single hospital room, and the ensuing slapstick is outrageously physical, even up to the tumultuous conclusion.

Like all L&H comedies, this film is brilliantly choreographed by two of the most iconic comedic teams in history, and they are supported by familiar character actors who would often appear in many Laurel & Hardy shorts and feature length films.

No spoilers here as usual, but I will reveal that the exterior of the County Hospital was actually the City Hall located in Culver City, California, and a portion of the building is still standing today (2022).

More hilarious than its premise might suggest.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 7/10 · 9 December 2006]

The premise of the movie might sounds very simple and limited: Oliver is in the hospital recovering from a broken leg and his good old pal Stanley pays him a visit. Stan of course causes some serious and hilarious havoc during his visit. The comical ideas and jokes set in a hospital room, with one of the character lying in bed with his leg up, might sound very limited but its amazing what the boys came up with. With such a simple premise and limited room to move- and resources. In one hilarious sequence they even manage to have Oliver hanging on the ceiling of his hospital room, while the doctor is hanging out of the window, at the same time.

This movie basically features every visual comical aspect that makes a Laurel & Hardy movie so great. It's amazing, even such a simple thing as Stanley eating a hard boiled egg can work hilarious on the screen, even though very little is actually happening. But the movie also features some typical slapstick humor, as well as some over-the-top comical moments, such as the end driving sequence, that perhaps feels a bit out of place and is too fake looking to truly find it hilarious.

The characters are also great and hilarious. Aside from the boys the movie also features Billy Gilbert as the doctor and William Austin in a fun over-the-top role as Olivers' roommate.

The movie might not feel as fresh or fun as most other Laurel & Hardy shorts. Maybe it's because of the depressing atmosphere of an hospital, perhaps it's because of the limited room, perhaps it's because of the limited input of Oliver Hardy. Whatever the reason is, it is a fact but it however doesn't make this movie any less pleasant or hilarious, just a little bit different but that, in this case, is not a negative thing.

8/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Poor Ollie

[Shaolin_Apu · 8/10 · 18 June 2005]

For some reason or another this short film classic remains my favourite. The plot is very simple and short: Stan visits hospital to see injured Ollie and after a brief catastrophe the Doctor orders both of them to get away from causing any more harm. I have seen this film many times and I have wondered why Ollie's foot is injured – no doubt Stan has something to do with that. It also occurs, like in many other Laurel & Hardy films, that if you have a trouble it will surely get worse. In this matter the trouble is Ollie's leg.

This film is not necessarily the best from Laurel & Hardy films, but it summarizes so well what Laurel & Hardy humour is about.

Good old fun and laughs...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 4 August 2022]

Now, the 1932 comedy short film "County Hospital", starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, is one that I remember from my childhood. I had the opportunity to sit down and watch this 1932 classic again here in 2022, and of course I did so in a heartbeat.

There is just something timeless about these Laurel and Hardy movies, and they keep being as enjoyable every time you watch them. And it is pretty amazing that with 90 years since it was released, "County Hospital" is every bit as enjoyable and hilarious.

There is a good amount of witty banter and physical slapstick comedy in "County Hospital", which had been somewhat lacking from the two Laurel and Hardy short films that were filmed and released prior to this one. So it is good to see them back on track again.

The driving scene was just hilarious. But hey, I bet that 90 years ago it was pretty exciting.

As always, it is a joy watching Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy on the screen, with Laurel being great a the body comedy and physical comedy and Hardy being great at the dialogue comedy. They truly were a great comedic duo.

If you enjoy comedy, you should definitely watch the 1932 "County Hospital".

My rating of "County Hospital" lands on a six out of ten stars.

An underrated Laurel & Hardy short

[lmscheck · 10/10 · 8 September 2001]

This is in my opinion one fine short that is generally underrated by the critics (perhaps caused by its clumsy back projection scene at the end of the picture). There are some very well staged gags - and probably one the best pantomime scenes of Stan Laurel: He merely sits down to eat an egg at Ollies bed; the audience roars with laughter, although nothing really funny happens; he just sits there eating. But HOW he does it - it's pure Art of comical pantomime!

Hard boiled and nuts and mayhem!

[coltras35 · 7/10 · 10 July 2021]

Stan Laurel visits Hardy at hospital and mayhem ensues with the doctor almost fallen out the window, Hardy getting heaved by his plastered leg, and Laurel gets injected by anaesthetic by accident. Laurel as usual is a walking accident. It's an engaging short film that starts quietly but gets the laugh in soon enough. I liked the trouser cutting sequence as well as the car driven by a sleeping Laurel.

laughter is the best medicine

[lee_eisenberg · 9/10 · 20 December 2007]

OK, so the whole sequence on the street is obviously superimposed. Focus only on that and you'll miss the great stunts in the rest of "County Hospital". I'm surprised that Laurel and Hardy were able to keep straight faces during the whole sequence in the hospital room. It's the sort of situation where if you blink, you'll miss a whole lot.

I read about how, whenever something embarrassing befalls Laurel and Hardy, Hardy's downfall is greater, as he's supposed to be the smart one of the two. Such is certainly the case here. One can see how their antics may have influenced Gilligan and the Skipper. A comedy classic; that is to say, another hilarious mess that they got themselves into.

County Hospital

[jboothmillard · 4/10 · 7 January 2009]

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are the most famous comedy duo in history, and deservedly so, so I am happy to see any of their films. Ollie is recovering from a broken leg in hospital, and with nothing else to do, Stan decides to visit him, and take him some boiled eggs and nuts, instead of candy. Chaos begins with Stan curiously pulling Ollie's leg cast string, and manages to push The Doctor (Billy Gilbert) out the window, clinging on to it, getting Ollie strung up to the ceiling. When the situation calms down, Stan gets Ollie's clothes, as the Doctor wants them both to leave, and he also manages to sit on a syringe, accidentally left by the nurse, filled with a sleeping drug, which comes into effect while he is driving (which you can tell is done with a car in front of a large screen. Filled with some likable slapstick and not too bad (although repetitive and a little predictable) classic comedy, it isn't great, but it's a black and white film worth looking at. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were number 7 on The Comedians' Comedian. Okay!