Twice Two (1933) User Reviews

Actually very funny if a bit out of L&H's typical vehicle

[rooster_davis · 7/10 · 12 February 2011]

I hadn't seen this L&H "Twice Two" before but I find myself re-watching it on my DVR as a better effort by them than some of their other better-known short films. Yes, the dubbing of the womens' voices is not perfect but that is hardly a problem. There is so much more that IS good: The sound effects are great - when Stan's wife (played by Ollie) gets a cake dumped on her - twice - or when eating supper and she claims the noise she is making is not her slurping the soup, but "it's my asthma..." and then lets loose with a noise that sounds like an elephant snorting through a ditch pipe. Of course Ollie's reaction to his sister's 'asthma' noise is a puzzled stare into the camera.

Stanley was great too, playing Ollie's wife. You have to watch closely but he made some of the best faces I've ever seen him do.

I'll never say it's their very best but this is much better than some L&H things that I've seen. Late in their career Oliver Hardy seemed to be too fat to do the physical comedy and the stories were not even believable from a comedy standpoint. This early short is funny and I enjoyed it.

Double it in drag

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 11 November 2016]

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy reached their creative best with Twice Two where they their usual selves and female counterparts. It seems as though Stan and Ollie have married each other's sister and both think it was a great idea as it cements the relationship of the two.

They might have to rethink the notion as a family dinner at the Laurels proves a disaster. The female Ollie falls into a cake during the preparation. There's also a great gag with simply Stan using Ollie's key to open the front door. I won't say more but I think it's a tribute to both of them, especially Stan the creative one that they could get so many laughs with a simple act all of us but shut-ins do nearly every day.

Of course with the female personas half the credit should go to the actresses who provided the voices for the characters. May Wallace for Stan and Carol Tevis for Ollie perfectly match those familiar bodies in drag.

Offspring from these unions would be called double cousins. Just think what those kids might be like.

Is it just me, or did this short seem a little creepy?!

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 13 November 2006]

To me, this is one of the team's creepier and less funny shorts. Stan and Ollie play dual roles--they play themselves and female versions of themselves. According to the strange plot, Stan and Ollie both have sisters that look exactly like them in drag AND they both marry each other's sister! Aside from being a very unbelievable and contrived idea for a short, it was also pretty weird seeing Stan and Ollie in drag and then marrying the other!! To make matters worse, the wives (in particular, the female version of Stanley) have horrid voices--the type that could get any person to stick an icepick in their ears to stop the pain!!! The novelty of the idea wears off pretty quickly, as the film features far fewer laughs than their average short. It frankly isn't one of their better efforts and is pretty skip-able unless you are like me--a die-hard fan.

For a similar type movie where the boys play dual roles, try watching the much funnier and better-made BRATS. In this film, Stan and Ollie play themselves and their kids. Technically speaking, this is an amazing film to watch and is a film worth seeing.

Funny – the boys in drag works better than I expected

[bob the moo · 27 July 2003]

It has been a year since Laurel and Hardy married each other's sisters. They stay at home for a nice quiet meal, but the tensions between this close knit family bubble up as things go wrong during the meal.

At the start of the film I felt that the duo dressed in drag would be a gimmick that wasn't used well, happily I was wrong and they use it well. It isn't just them mugging in girl's clothes, it is more a chance for them to play the same characters twice as, essentially, their sisters are them same as them! This works well and the dynamics between the two sisters are the same as between the two men.

The comedy is given a fresh feel by this mix, which is good because it is lacking in other areas. The banter is not at it's best and the physical work is not as imaginative as at their best. In their dual roles both Laurel and Hardy are good – the badly dubbed women's voices take a little getting used to but don't detract too much.

Overall this is an amusing short. Not their funniest short, but the twist of them playing each other's sisters helps freshen it all up a little bit.

Not their greatest but still a nice Laurel & Hardy comical short.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 7/10 · 16 March 2006]

"Twice Two" isn't among the most consistent or hilarious Laurel & Hardy shorts but it still is fun and good enough to watch.

The boys in drag isn't exactly the greatest style of humor. The concept even got a bit tiresome after a while in the movie. The movie goes on for a bit too long with its gags and isn't the best paced Laurel & Hardy short.

Yet the movie is filled with some truly great and well timed moments, that without doubt will make you laugh.

A fun movie but with a far too long stretched out concept and storyline.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Family Feud, on anniversary day.

[weezeralfalfa · 7/10 · 7 November 2018]

I found this L&H comedy short to be among their funnier ones. They boys also play their look-alike sisters, in drag, with their female voices dubbed. Mary Wallace dubbed for Ollie( as Mrs. Laurel), while Carol Trevis dubbed for Stan(as Mrs. Hardy). I found the dubbing quality to be good, with Stan's sister(Sandy) having a squeaky voice, while Ollie's sister(Fanny) had a strong lower voice. The 2 couples were married together on the same day, exactly one year ago. Hence, they plan a small celebration. Instead of going out to eat, Fanny says she will prepare a splendid meal at home, topped by a big bought cake. Well, you can well guess the fate of the cake. In fact, there are 2 cakes, one destroyed near the beginning, while the other is destroyed in the last scene, after Sandy and Fanny had been verbally fighting, and the Hardys were about to leave. They were supposed to also get some ice cream , but Stan spent his $0.15 on phone calls ,to tell the store didn't have that flavor. After his $0.15 was spent, the salesman emphasized that he didn't sell ice cream! .......Early on, the boys have a phone dual, as Stan sent something through his phone to make Ollie's phone jump off. So, Ollie sent something through his phone to make Stan's phone smoke. Stan then poured some water in his phone that squirted out Ollie's phone. Ollie put some ink in his phone that squirted himself in the face. Yes, very silly! ......Ollie had several run ins with doors. One left his pants ripped in front, which Stan tried to cover up. Then, he was hit by the swinging kitchen door, and retaliated by pushing it hard, knocking his wife to the other side of the kitchen. Then, when Stan used the knocker on the front door too vigorously, the window blind rolled up, and a picture near Ollie fell off the wall.......Of course, Stan dressed in drag for parts of a couple other films, usually as a maid. But. I'm not aware on any other film in which Ollie dressed in drag.

Unique Laurel and Hardy

[alain-james · 10/10 · 15 November 2006]

I think this film has some amazing acting. As others have noted, Laurel plays himself and also his own sister. Hardy does the same. But - the women characters they portray are different to the male Laurel and Hardy. The women characters are not Laurel and Hardy "in drag". They really are playing 4 different people.

The dubbing of the women's voices is perfect, in my opinion. The women who dubbed the voices really capture the feeling of Laurel and Hardy. They are great. The syncronicity of the dubbing is awesome.

I also think the photography - scenes when the four characters are having dinner together - is great. They really create the illusion of four separate people talking and bickering.

I don't want to risk spoiling anything for anyone and so I will not describe any of the truly funny scenes featuring each of these characters.

Suffice it to say that the film is very funny.

Not Really Twice The Fun

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 24 July 2003]

I`m in two minds about this Stan & Ollie short . While it`s far less episodic than some of their other stuff like THICKER THAN WATER - And watching these shorts many many years after I last saw them I found their episodic feel is a major problem to today`s audience - it`s not all that funny compared to most of their other stuff mainly due to nothing ultra sadistic happening . I`ve always thought the best films in the series are ones when something really nasty happens to Ollie while Stan just stands there with a vacant glazed look upon his face. One other point I didn`t like was the irritating voice over given to Ollie`s wife who`s played by Stan

First time I'd seen this one

[dentrex · 10/10 · 29 January 2012]

Something here that you cannot miss, in fact in all the "talkie" L&H Hal Roach Shorts, is how these two men made the transition from silent film. Much of the exaggerated pantomime, side-splitting reaction shots and priceless facial expressions are left over from the silents and Stan and Ollie took that and ran it to the goal post.

I had the privilege of acquiring some hard to find video stuff and came across this one. Oh my god, no one else could make this work as well with the female counterparts played by themselves. That whole business with the telephones in the beginning had me laughing out loud in front of the screen. What fun! But the most golden moment for me was towards the end when "Mrs. Stan" (ie, Hardy) looks up, making Laurel look up, and just cracks him under his jaw with a dinner plate. Folks, I almost wet myself. No one could pull that sight gag off as well as these two huge talents. It's so funny that it's almost not a spoiler, you just have to see it for yourself.

Awesome. In that era, even a 20 minute short was to be perfection, especially at Hal Roach's shop!!!!

Another version of "Nobody's Perfect"

[Shaolin_Apu · 7/10 · 31 January 2006]

There are certain clichés that almost every comedian has done some time. One of them is dressing as the opposite sex and in this film you get to see how well Laurel & Hardy manage to entertain as ladies. The best individual concept in this bit is the fact that the pair has married each others sisters, who both "unfortunately" look like their brothers. Mr Hardy is very "Ollie" when he even states about his wedding day "It was the happiest day of my life." The best in this film are the insults that the two "ladies" present to each other. Some people might not necessarily find the insults enjoyable, but they are definitely something you never hear in other Laurel & Hardy films. Not their best film, but despite the possible not-very-good-taste element, among the funniest "men as women" flicks ever.

Not One of the Boys' Best.

[JoeytheBrit · 5/10 · 21 June 2009]

This is one of Laurel and Hardy's weaker efforts with only limited laughs and some horrendous dubbing of female voices for the characters of Stan and Ollie's sisters (played by Stan and Ollie). There's also something a little unsettling about each of them being married to their friend's identical twin sister...

The funniest moments come in the earlier part of this 20-minute short when the boys are at work and taking part in their usual tit-for-tat abuse - Ollie blowing ink down the phone in an attempt to spray Stan only to receive it in his own face gets the biggest laugh. The rest of the film is amusing enough but never comes close to the heights of their better shorts.

Double Trouble With Mr. Laurel & Mr. Hardy

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 24 March 2000]

A LAUREL & HARDY Comedy Short. The Boys have each married the other's twin sister - both of whom have the same personality as her brother. A simple dinner party to celebrate their one year wedding anniversaries turns into a cat fight between the girls - which only proves that you can get double the chaos when it's TWICE TWO.

This is a hilarious little film, one of Stan & Ollie's best. They are perfect playing their female counterparts. Carol Tevis dubs the voice of Mrs. Hardy; Mae Wallace that of Mrs. Laurel.

Twice Two

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 22 August 2021]

Laurel and Hardy are married to each other's sisters also played by themselves in this short.

They get together to have an anniversary meal that descends into chaos.

It is a thin plot and rather weird to see the twosome in drag with their voices being dubbed by other actresses.

The two mains gags are Mrs Laurel getting caked and Laurel keeps phoning home as he cannot get the ice cream flavour they all wanted. It's because the store does not sell ice cream.

In retrospect the latter looks rather weak now. Very much in keeping with the absurdity of it all.

Worth seeing only for the absurdity of it all

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 9 February 2018]

"Twice Two" is an American 20-minute live action short film from 1933, so this one has its 85th anniversary this year and to show you how old it is let me say that even a decade after this one was released, World War II was still going on in full force. So it is a black-and-white movie of course and you should not be fooled by the color versions out there. It is already a sound film though, so not from the very early days of comedy duo Laurel & Hardy. The director is James Parrott, who worked with these two on many occasions. The main reason to see this one is that Laurel and Hardy also play their own sisters in drag in this one, who are at the same time each other's wives. The voice acting comes from female actors though. I personally would say that Hardy mastered the silent drag part better, but Laurel is fine too. This felt really strange watching them like that, especially in the second half where they are together having dinner and it results in pretty tumultous events, not only involving a huge cake. I guess you know what happens with this one. Overall, I must say though that I wasn't too entertained seeing this one here. It was more the bizarre elements that kept me watching rather than the story or characters, even if the "bizarre" obviously refers to the latter. All in all, nowhere near my fav Stan and Ollie works. Extraordinary yes. Good not so much, even if the 2 (4?) elevate the material here too. The story may be the problem. This one here gets a thumbs-down from me. Not recommended.

Even before Trangenderism became the latest craze . . .

[oscaralbert · 6/10 · 15 June 2015]

. . . TWICE TWO bravely explored the conundrum of Human Sexuality's ever-lengthening continuum in 1933. The People formerly known as Eskimos may have 78 native words for snow, but Masters & Johnson have unearthed at least twice that many for sexual orientation. It would be simple to say that "Four" is the best way to sum up TWICE TWO. However, if you hire 100 sexologists to audit the 20-minute running time of this live action short, they'll most likely give you 100 varying bottom lines. To put it another way, is a mister playing his sister married to his pal don't-ask-don't-tell? Though some might find it easy to dismiss this comedy team as a pair of transvestites, I don't think that hose always make the man. Rather than dwelling upon the ins and outs of cross-dressing, this piece may be more notable for the rare glimpse it provides of Oliver Hardy without his omnipresent Hitler mustache. (For some reason, the team felt that they could dispense with that distinctive trademark during the parts of TWICE TWO when Oliver was his sister Fanny.)

Double drag, a funny short.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 15 July 2023]

Stan and Ollie have both married into each others family's, to celebrate their respective wedding anniversaries, dinner is arranged.

Seeing both Stan and Ollie in drag, side splitting, incredibly funny scenes, showing the two legends were happy enough to explore any avenue to get the laughs. It does seem somewhat strange that the guys would go for each others sisters, but it's true what they say, it's a funny old world.

Plenty of laughs to enjoy here, for such a short film, it really does pack in the laughs, still the best physical humour you could imagine.

Cleverly filmed, managing to get the dual characters on screen at the same time, in 1933 that was a real triumph.

The voice overs work a treat, they are so outlandish, so wonderfully over the top, they seem to capture the spirit of Laurel and Hardy very well.

It was fun to discover they Fanny and Sandy were as clumsy and accident prone as their respects brothers.

9/10.

All Shapes And Sizes

[boblipton · 10/10 · 28 December 2020]

In this one, Stan marrie Ollie's sister, played by Ollie in drag, and Ollie marries Stand's sister, played by Stan in drag.

There's a camaraderie in the way Stan and Ollie behave that says they are still friends; even when they lose their tempers and strike each other, they are still friends. Somehow when they do it as women, it seems far more vicious and permanent. Is this because the voices are provided by helium-voiced Carol Tevis and dowager-like May Wallace? Or do the Boys act differently when they are girls? One doesn't think of Laurel and Hardy as actors, but performers of gags. The truth is that comic acting is straight acting..... and more.

Twice Two

[jboothmillard · 5/10 · 6 February 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 (brain specialist) and Stan (associate adviser) have married each other's twin sisters (played by themselves), and it has been one year since, so they need to head home for an anniversary meal, and there is apparently a surprise for Ollie, that Stan wasn't meant to tell him about. It should be said that the twin sisters are just as clumsy and argumentative as their brothers. Stan is sent out to buy some strawberry ice cream, but he manages to go into the wrong place (it was next door) and spend the 15 cents on the three phone calls to home. There is the final squabble with all arguing about family differences, and it ends with Stan's sister "giving" a new anniversary cake to Ollie's sister. Also starring Charlie Hall as Delivery boy. Filled with good slapstick and all classic comedy you want from a black and white film, at just over an hour, it is an enjoyable film. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were number 7 on The Comedians' Comedian. Worth watching!

Dinner planning in drag

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 17 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 'Twice Two' quite one of their very best, but it to me still very good.

Admittedly, the story is pretty thin and is pretty standard and the beginning is a touch slow. The dubbing has also been criticised by a few for understandable reasons, it jars a bit.

Despite that, 'Twice Two' is great fun while also having a definite degree of substance, never less than very amusing and the best moments, like with the ice cream and the phone calls, 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. Seeing the two in drag is great fun and nowhere near as tiresome as it sounds, while Laurel and the ice cream is even funnier. A lot happens yet it doesn't ever feel rushed or over-stuffed.

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 'Twice Two' and on the most part from 'Two Tars' onwards we are far from robbed of that. Their comic timing is impeccable, especially Laurel as Hardy's wife.

'Twice Two' 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.

Concluding, very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Not their finest...

[paul_haakonsen · 4/10 · 31 March 2023]

Well, I have to say that the 1933 Laurel & Hardy short comedy film "Twice Two" wasn't really among their finest of works.

Sure, it was watchable, but the storyline was a bit too mundane. Odd really, when it was Stan Laurel himself that wrote the script for the film. However, I wasn't brought to laughter once throughout the course of "Twice Two". So in my book, it just wasn't an impressive short film.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy do their parts in the film well enough, by all means.

For an entry into the archive of Laurel & Hardy, then "Twice Two" wasn't really all that entertaining, outstanding, funny or memorable.

My rating of director James Parrott's 1933 "Twice Two" lands on a four out of ten stars.

Creative, Though Slow-Paced

[Snow Leopard · 9 July 2001]

In "Twice Two", Laurel and Hardy each play a dual role, with the idea being that they have each married the other one's sister. It's a creative setup, and they are both pretty good as the spouses. (The men do the acting, with the voices dubbed in by women.) Most of it takes place as the four have dinner together, and plays off of the tangled relationships among them. It is slower paced than usual, and is not really as funny as their best films. It's still worth watching, although it is probably of interest primarily to those who are already Laurel and Hardy fans.

A tutti-fruity of a sporty shorty.....

[mark.waltz · 8/10 · 4 December 2014]

"Oh, Fanny!" "What do you want?" With this overly dramatic simple line of dialog, we meet Mrs. Laurel and Mrs. Hardy, the frazzled wives of Laurel and Hardy who live together but can't stand each other. Years ago, Stanley married Ollie's sister, and vice versa. The fact that Laurel and Hardy not only play themselves but each other's wives is an automatically hysterical, and the fact that the women are obviously not palsy/walsy like the boys sets up the plot for a ton of verbal and visual gags.

The slight plot premise is that it is both of their anniversaries (double ceremony, you know...) and the domineering Mrs. Laurel (complete with the voice of a mature Olivia de Havilland) insists that the two couples spend a quiet evening at home. The preparations for the dinner go awry when Fanny gets more than she bargained for with the cake, a hysterical sight gag involving a painting of British royalty. Then, there's Laurel's attempts to buy ice cream, Mrs. Hardy's request for horse's radish and Mrs. Laurel's reaction to a blow of pepper from the vindictive Mrs. Hardy.

While there are other Laurel and Hardy shorts which are more famous (most obviously the Oscar Winning "The Music Box"), "Twice Two" is hysterically funny because it thrives on farce rather than the dark comedy of many of their earlier shorts. It is too bad that they never repeated the roles of the wives, although drag was definitely a sight gag that had been a part of their schtick for years, as well as the subtle gay undertones that may not have entered their minds at the time that they were making these films but was obviously there before the entrance of the production code. This makes a great double bill with "Brats" where they play themselves as adults and their bratty children.

What a Concept

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 13 January 2017]

The boys marry the sisters of their partner. So Ollie is Stan's wife (in drag of course) and vice versa. The women have the same personalities as their brothers (make sense?) and so they have some of the same issues as the boys. Since it is their first anniversary, the ladies decide to have a party rather than go out. Nothing goes right, including Hardy's sister getting a cake in the face. The funniest scene involves Stanley going to the corner to get some ice cream and some phone calls he has to make because the store doesn't have the flavors they are looking for (for obvious reasons, which I won't let on). The strength of this hilarious little episode is the intersection among the "four" characters. Wonderful stuff.

Sukiyaki !!

[steveandkaren-77517 · 8/10 · 11 July 2022]

Not their best (Helpmates ,laughing Gravy ,Hogwild)but some classic lines with Stan getting his lines mixed up to hilarious effect (There's a clue in my title !)also the famous ice cream parlour sketch where Stan spends all the money ringing the wives up to ask which flavour they want !!!-Whenever I feel sad I always think of Ollies exasperated expression and sometimes far too funny put down lines ,and I'm back on track -The pair have never been bettered ,and funny as they were,Morecambe and Wise weren't even close to making me laugh til I have literally cried ..