Any Old Port! (1932) User Reviews

Laughs Amid The Terror

[boblipton · 7/10 · 15 December 2020]

Laurel and Hardy are a couple of sailors in port. They go to get a room, only to discover that Julie Bishop -- still acting under the name of Jacqueline Wells -- is being forced to marry Walter Long. Later, they need to raise some money, so Oliver volunteers..... for Stan to fight Long in the ring.

Laurel and Hardy's production unit was quite capable of producing scenes of active terror, and then immediately turning the situation around into laughter. Here's an example of that.

Miss Wells had entered the movies in 1923 as a child actress. She assumed the name of Bishop when she signed a contract with Warner Brothers in the early 1940s. She appeared in the last of her eighty features in 1957, and died in 2001, age 87.

Beauty and the beast; then Stan and the beast, in the ring

[weezeralfalfa · 8/10 · 3 November 2018]

One look at Walter Long in his 50s, and you know who the main villain is going to be. He was scary to look at and listen to, especially in his tough guy mode. Here, he is the villain in 2 contexts .1)Trying to force a young woman(Julie Bishop), who has been acting as his charwoman, probably among other things, into marriage. By her actions, it's clear this is the last thing in the world she would wish to do. Thus, the first 10 min. are mainly devoted to L&H trying to prevent this marriage. Actually, Julie does strike Walter when he tries to kiss her, and she's faster. When he goes outside for a few minutes, she gathers her things, and prepares to leave, but he blocks her way. He locks her in a closet until the parson arrives. When the latter does arrive, Walter tries to unlock the closet. But, Stan grabs the key from him, Ollie joins him, and we begin a game of keep away. This goes on for several minutes, sometimes with them running across the dining table. At one point, they have Walter pinned by the neck between the end leaves of an expandable dining table, but, somehow, he gets loose, and follows them to the kitchen. While Ollie and Walter are chasing, Stan removes the similar key from the back door, and manages to sneak this in as the key they are contesting for. While Walter and Ollie continue to spar, Stan sneaks away and opens the closet. Julie shoots out and out the front door, and we see no more of her.........The second role in which Walter is the chief villain has him in the boxing ring, fighting Stan, if you can imagine that. Of course, Stan cries when he learns who his opponent is. Actually, the fight promoter assumed that Ollie would be in the ring. But, Ollie declared that he was the manager, and Stan the fighter. Actually, Walter's manager is a bigger villain than he, since he loaded Walter's right glove with a number of large bolts. This will comeback to haunt him in a very unexpected way, when Stan manages to pull off his glove, and lose his own glove at the same time. Stan winds up with Walter's glove. When Walter senses this, he starts running around the ring, with Stan chasing him.: quite a comical sight. So, how did Stan avoid being slugged before he acquired Walter's glove? I was very surprised not to see Stan on the canvas at least once. Mainly, he held onto Walter, as he was being swung around, making Walter dizzy. Eventually, Walter would try to pull the loaded grove off Stan. But, it came off too suddenly, and Walter knocked himself out. The ref raised Stan's right arm up. signaling he was the victor. But, when he let go, the glove came down on his head, and he was stretched out on the canvas too. And when Walter's manager told a policeman that Stan used a loaded glove, Stan also accidentally knocked the cop out. He should be in big trouble, but the film ends here.......Unfortunately, Ollie bet on Stan to lose. Thus, they lost most of the money the fight promoter gave them. Now they were back to being broke. See it at YouTube

Stan and Ollie, Pugilists

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 16 January 2017]

This has a bit of the Way Out West feel as the boys attempt to save a girl from a forced marriage to a horrible hotel owner (Walter Long). The antics of trying to get her away from him are quite good. However, the main event is a boxing match where Stan and Ollie try to earn some money betting on a boxing match. Oliver is scheduled to box but soon tricks Stan into going against the very same Long. Why long felt he needed to load up his boxing glove to stop the 120 pound Stanley is questionable, but it will work against him for sure. Laurel and Hardy never, ever come out on top so we know that the situation, while hilarious, is going to be less than successful. Once again, it is worth watching to see these two guys.

Enjoyable short

[bob the moo · 5 July 2003]

Laurel and Hardy return from a spell on a whaler where Hardy was chief harpoon man and Laurel was the bait. They get into port and book into a hotel run by a gruff owner and a young woman working for him. When they realise that the man is forcing the girl to marry him they step in to help out and let the girl escape, but the man proves harder to get away from that they first thought.

Trading from the very start on their physical abilities more than anything else, this short is a firm entry into their stable as it shows the essence of their work in full flow. Our heroes step in to try and do the right thing but end up in trouble with the bad guy. The film takes a little time to set up but moves quickly into the chase and the punch line (literally!) scene. The body of the film is very funny and is good work. The fight is good with the interaction of the crowd and also Laurel really delivering the goods in the ring comedy-wise.

Laurel and Hardy show why they are so good at this stuff by really turning a standard idea into a much funnier film. They work well together and Laurel takes the opportunity to out shine his partner in the boxing match scene at the end. Walter Long as the aggressive, domineering hotel owner is larger than life `and twice as mean'.

Overall this is a good example of what Laurel and Hardy is all about, classy films with the focus on comedy and a talented duo who's delivery serves to make for a better film.

Nice short with Laurel & Hardy

[rbverhoef · 7/10 · 17 April 2004]

This is another nice Laurel & Hardy comedy short, in black and white with sound. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy want a room in a hotel. In that hotel a young woman (Julie Bishop, but credited as Jacqueline Wells) who is working there is forced to marry the hotel manager (Walter Long). Of course Stan & Ollie makes sure this will not happen. Later that day, when the two heroes need some money, Ollie arranges a boxing match to earn some. He wants Laurel to fight and the opponent happens to be the hotel manager.

This comedy short has some great moments. Especially the boxing match is terrific. The first half is a little slower than other Laurel & Hardy movies, but gives us some laughs anyway.

One of the funniest and most consistent of the Laurel & Hardy shorts.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 9/10 · 14 January 2006]

This is certainly one of the most enjoyable Laurel & Hardy shorts and personally one of my favorites.

Once again the short can be divided up into two parts. The first part of the movie is about the comical duo helping a young girl escape the clutches of the hotel owner the two just checked in to. The second part of the movie is about Mr. Laurel ending up in a boxing match by coincidence against that very same hotel owner.

The typical slapstick humor is present in both parts of the movie which makes this movie, unlike some other Laurel & Hardy movies, a consistent and constantly funny movie. The movie has some truly good laughs in it and some of the slapstick moments are absolutely priceless and hilarious. The timing and surprise elements in the movie that are absolutely not predictable in any way makes this movie an absolutely great one to watch.

In my opinion an absolute comical must-see!

9/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

"I bet on you to lose and you double crossed me!"

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 19 October 2015]

The title is a bit of a misnomer - it's true that Laurel and Hardy just stepped off a whaling boat, but then the short turns into a boxing story! I guess you could say that makes perfect sense when dealing with Stan and Ollie, you never know where you're going to wind up. Stan is steamrolled into a boxing match by his partner after leaving their money behind at a hotel owned by a brutish looking owner (Walter Long). The reason they're on the run is because they thwarted the nasty innkeeper's desire to marry a young woman at Ye-Mariner's Rest, saving her from a fate worse than you can imagine. The picture left me a bit uncomfortable in the way Mugsie tried to force himself on the girl (Jacqueline Wells); had the boys not intervened it almost felt like he was about to violate the young woman, that's how aggressive the brute's actions appeared to be. Considering the difference in their size and temperament, Mugsie sure didn't need an unfair advantage in the ring, so when his loaded glove wound up with Stan, the outcome of the match left everyone at ringside justifiably stunned. Too bad Ollie put his money on the bad guy, if he had more faith in his buddy he would have cleaned up.

Not just Any Old Short

[DPMay · 8/10 · 18 February 2019]

By 1932 the Laurel and Hardy comedy partnership was at the top of its game and Any Old Port! is a fine example of the resultant product. The two star performers and the characters they had honed naturally steal the show, but make no mistake, they are far from being the only talents present here.

In order to fit the short two-reel running time the plot is, of course, a simple one - Stan and Ollie, eager to do the right thing, come to a girl's rescue when a brute tries to force her into marriage. But in so doing they make an enemy, one which they must face again when Stan finds himself drawn against the very same man in a boxing contest.

The magic of the Laurel and Hardy series is just how simple everything appears to be on the surface, belying just how carefully crafted every detail actually was. Comedy is injected into every moment, not just the obvious gags but the deft little touches such as the brief cutaway shot of Long's incredulous reaction as Stan and Ollie make the simple task of signing in at the guest house a cumbersome exercise, or the nervous fumbling with the pool table cues when Long calls the Boys over.

Long excels in this film every bit as much as Laurel and Hardy, making a truly frightening opponent. At the same time, however, and like just about every supporting character in this successful series of shorts, there remains that perceptible undercurrent of the comically absurd even in the scenes when he is threatening the girl. It was this comedic depth to all of the characters that was so sorely missed when Laurel and Hardy made the switch to the big studios , but that's another story.

One of the other unsung stars of Any Old Port! is the pacing; the cutting, the skillfully-planned chase sequence, the comic timing of the performers all contrive to enhance the experience of watching this film and keep the viewer's interest at a high level throughout.

And whilst the passage of decades has wrought many changes on the world, the core themes within this short have ensured that the comedy has not dated: the basic ideas of good against evil, David pitted against Goliath, money corrupting morals and, fundamentally, grown men still being capable of acting like children.

Amazingly what they fit into these movies

[policy134 · 7/10 · 20 May 2011]

The world's best comedy team, or at least the most famous one, deliver solid laughs as usual in this little gem. Co-starring is their frequent collaborator, Walter Long. Have you ever seen a more mean or scarier baddie than this guy? Even Frankenstein's monster would have been afraid of him.

It's packed with good slapstick and while the film is a short, there are essentially 3 complete stories crammed into it. Stan and Ollie saving a damsel in distress, a caper and then a fight sequence. And yet it doesn't feel rushed.

The end doesn't feature a long epilogue where we see consequences of the action, though. That as it should be. If the pair were seen to get their comeuppance, being tried for fraud and going to jail, it would spoil a lot of the fun.

It's great that these true heroes of the screen will not soon be forgotten and that's because they were probably the most sincere and innocent comedy duo.

Most amusing!

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 8 May 2018]

Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy (themselves), Walter Long (Mugsy Long), Julie Bishop (slavey), Harry Bernard (boxing promoter), Charlie Hall (Stan's second), Dick Gilbert (Mugsy's second), Sam Lufkin (referee), Bobby Burns (justice of the peace), Will Stanton (drunk), Ed Brandenberg, Baldwin Cooke, Jack Hill (spectators), Eddie Baker (police chief), Frank Terry (lunch wagon man).

Director: JAMES W. HORNE. Dialogue: H.M. Walker. Photography: Art Lloyd. Film editor: Richard Currier. Music: Marvin Hatley, LeRoy Shield. Sound supervisor: Elmer Raguse. Producer: Hal Roach.

Copyright 4 February 1932 by Metro Goldwyn Mayer Distributing Corp. A Hal Roach Production. U.S. release: 5 March 1932. 2 reels.

COMMENT: A most amusing effort in which the boys rescue a petite maid-of-all-work from the clutches of Walter Long, but then find themselves (or rather Stan finds himself) in an hilarious boxing match with the said Long.

Extremely well produced and deftly directed, this Laurel and Hardy treat is definitely one for the permanent collection.

Laurel and Hardy versus Walter Long

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 10 October 2006]

This is one of several films Laurel and Hardy made with supporting actor Walter Long. I always liked this films, as unlike the other foils for the duo, Long was just plain scary! In variably, Long ended up wanting to kill Stan and Ollie in the films and they are all good for a laugh. This one is no exception, though I also think it isn't among the best of this collaboration--though it's still a lotta fun! Stan and Ollie are sailors who want to check in to Long's seedy-looking motel. At first, everything seems fine to our heroes, but later they catch Long trying to force a young lady to marry him against her will. I loved what happened when they first tried to intervene! They threw billiard balls at him and hit him in the head and Long didn't even notice--that's just how mean and tough a character he was!! Despite this, they eventually get the better of Long and free the lady.

Later, they are hungry and broke. Ollie meets an old pal who is a boxing promoter and they agree to fight that night. Of course, selfish Ollie tells Stanley that he must fight--after all, Ollie is the trainer! And, not surprisingly, Long turns out to be Stan's opponent! However, instead of being pulverized, Stan defeats the big jerk! You'll just have to see how and why for yourself.

Overall, this film is just funny and enjoyable, so it's well worth a look. While not the very best of their shorts, it's very watchable and entertaining.

Going boxing

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 30 September 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 'Any Old Port!' 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 the beginning is a touch slow.

Despite that, 'Any Old Port!' is great fun, never less than very amusing and the best moments, such as the ending, 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 ending is a sheer delight.

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 'Any Old Port!' and on the most part from 'Two Tars' onwards we are far from robbed of that. Their comic timing is impeccable.

'Any Old Port!' 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, 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

Kinetic energy enthusiastically captured

[StevePulaski · 7/10 · 7 October 2014]

Any Old Port! features just enough action and humor to satisfy my appetite for Laurel and Hardy comedy as it focusing on the two men as sailors who book a hotel and discover the owner, Mugsie Long (Walter Long), wants to marry a woman younger than he is, much to her dismay. After being appalled at what they saw, they save the young girl, but without their wallet, which holds the entirety of their savings. Ollie's friend, in turn, offers up $50 if Ollie will compete in a boxing match against the owner of the hotel, to which he forces Laurel to do the fighting. The outcome, as one would assume, is pretty hilarious.

The short is directed by James W. Horne, who I feel is the best man to direct any Laurel and Hardy short. Combined with H.M. Walker's, Horne's direction takes on the kind of kinetic energy necessary to make a short featuring the two comedic legends click instantaneously, with little reservations. A story like Any Old Port! is often filled to the brim with action and comic spectacle, and combined with the energy and power of the performers and the writing involved, manages to be a fun short through and through.

While light on the quotable nature of Laurel and Hardy shorts, and missing the extra banter and witticisms exchanged by the two men, Any Old Port! succeeds because it recognizes, once more, that situational humor triumphs over slapstick, at least when we have Laurel and Hardy at the core of it all.

Starring: Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Directed by: James W. Horne.

People loved boxing back then at least as much as today and here is Stan and Ollie's take on the matter

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 11 February 2018]

"Any Old Port!" is an American black-and-white short film from 1932, so this one had its 85th anniversary last year already, which sadly means that everybody working on it has long died, but it's still not one of the earliest Laurel/Hardy short films as this one is from their sound film period already. Director Horne and writer Walker are also two that were really prolific back in the day. This one here can be easily structured into two parts I guess. First half is about the duo helping a (then) modern damsel in distress struggling with her landlord, typical Stooges stuff later on actually, while the second half is all about boxing and a bit gambling that goes with it. I thought both halves were tolerable without making a big enough impact comedy-wise sadly. Laurel and Hardy elevated the material here, but all in all I am not too surprised this isn't one of their most known ones as truly memorable moments are missing entirely and the boxing ring action also feels a bit unrefined constantly, especially in terms of the comedic impact they were trying to make. This one gets a thumbs-down from me. Not recommended.

Boxing

[tedg · 26 December 2004]

If you watch enough movies you can start to make interesting comparisons. One fruitful kind is when a series or sequel sequence is done by a different creative team. Same general idea but completely different movies.

There are other comparisons, but the one that is cogent to this movie is the joke boxing match. Every comic did one, including Chaplin and Keaton. Oh but how different they are! Not until "Raging Bull" and "Rocky" would the camera enter the ring, but watch how Stan draws us in. With Chaplin's tramp we were supposed to be impressed with the comic ballet of the thing, but here the comedy is more personal, and we relate personally.

The notion of noir in film is much discussed, and mostly with error. The core of noir is not in jaggy sets or dark lighting (they are mere cinematic indicators) but in the notion of an average Joe getting caught up in a capricious fate that toys with him.

Credit Hardy with laying the groundwork, at least on the character side.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Any Old Port!

[jboothmillard · 7/10 · 26 October 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. Stan and Ollie have arrived in port after a whaling voyage, and after a near accident in the road, arrive at the hotel Ye Mariner's Rest to rent a room. The proprietor, Mugsie Long (Walter Long) is a very mean man, knowing that the Bride (Julie Bishop, or Jacqueline Wells) is to be married soon he tries to force her to marry him with a registrar for a small ceremony. After signing and settling in, and changed, they see the poor girl running upstairs crying, and then are interrupted in their pool game with her screaming. She cries for their help saying she doesn't want to get married, and when she gets locked in the closet, Stan and Ollie run all over the place to stop Mugsy getting the key back. After trying pool balls on the head, the registrar having his hair shaved by a working fan, running round and over a table and blocking a door, Stan managed to get a decoy key, lets out the damsel in distress, and Mugsy falls into the near port sea. The boys realise after this ordeal that they left their money in their hotel room, but friend Harry Bernard, the boxing promoter, offers to pay $50 for a fight in the ring. Stan is the one fighting, but when he and Ollie see that the opponent is the mean Mugsy, they are sure that they will lose, Ollie even bets a man that Stan will lose. Mugsy loads his glove with heavy metal bolts, and the fight goes his way, till both players gloves fall off, and Stan gets the loaded one, so Mugsy is running in panic. The fight ends with Mugsy knocking himself out with the loaded glove, Ollie paying the bet, and the police chief (Eddie Baker) being nosey knocked out before arresting them for the loading thing. Filled with wonderful slapstick and all classic comedy you could want from a black and white film, it is an enjoyable film. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were number 7 on The Comedians' Comedian. Very good!

LAUREL AND HARDY VERSUS MUGSY!

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 8 March 2024]

Big, ole tough hombre Walter Long, a staple in 1930s crime films and comedies, is right at home with the boys. He owns a run-down hotel and is bullying a helpless girl (played by young Julie Bishop) --that is until Stan and Ollie stop by. Fortunately, the girl escapes, but Mugsy doesn't forget!

Best part is all the wild stuff that happens in between; Mugsy getting his head caught in a table and the local justice of the peace getting the back of his head shaved by fan! No question, lots of this material was later imitated by the THREE STOOGES.

In a real goofy change of luck, Ollie meets up with an old pal who offers him fifty bucks to go four rounds with a boxer --just for kicks? Of course, Ollie agrees because Stan is going to fight the thug. And surprise! The boxer turns out to be Mugsy.

10 Stars.

Watch this laugh out loud comedy, one of the best and original of their film shorts. Stan Laurel works his magic, lots of fun in the ring and don't miss the boxing glove loaded with some "heavy" stuff. Also was one of the few Laurel and Hardy shorts with the largest number of extra and bit actors, appearing in the boxing arena.

Best line from Ollie; "I bet on you to lose, and you double crossed me!"

A comedy to treasure, written by comedian and gag writer Charley Chase, brother of director James Parrott. Actress Julie Bishop was actually a child star in the 1920s, later returning to films in the 1930s and appearing with Laurel and Hardy and WC Fields in adult roles, later in dramatic parts.

Get the remastered dvd box set of Laurel and Hardy shorts for this one.

Mildly entertaining L & H

[coltras35 · 6/10 · 25 July 2021]

In need of money, Ollie signs Stan up for a prize fight against an old nemesis, and what happens is the usual slapstick and mishaps, though it isn't the best L & H entry;the boxing ring scene is good but it ended too quickly. This short comedy isn't as engaging as the others. Still anything with those bumbling comedians is enjoyable.

Fighting The Bad Guy With Mr. Laurel & Mr. Hardy

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 25 May 2000]

A LAUREL & HARDY Comedy Short.

It's been a busy day for seamen Stan & Ollie. First they rescued a young woman from a forced marriage with her horrible boss. Now, low on funds, they must meet the vicious brute in a prize fighting match. But, it's ANY OLD PORT in a storm when you're destitute.

A very funny little film. Highlight: the free-for-all at the Mariner's Rest Hotel. That's Walter Long as the villain.

A Whale of a Time

[JoeytheBrit · 7/10 · 29 January 2010]

The boys are whaling fisherman in this one although all the action takes place on dry land. I'm probably wrong, but for the life of me I can't think of one film in which we see the two in active duty on board a ship even though the duo appeared as sailors in quite a number of pictures. They decide to board in a rundown lodging house run by a heavy-browed thug who is forcing a helpless young girl to marry him. Naturally, the boys are having none of it and help the girl to escape from her landlord's clutches. All this is really a build-up to the film's set piece: a boxing match between poor Stan and the landlord. I promise you'll never see a funnier fight than this one: for a start the landlord is twice the size of Stan.

Interestingly, the boys use one sequence in this film which they would use again in Way Out West when the landlord chases them for a key which they throw back and forth to each other in their attempts to avoid him.

The second half of this film is much funnier than the first, but it still delivers pretty solid laughs throughout

Stan in the boxing ring.

[alexanderdavies-99382 · 7/10 · 6 August 2017]

"Any Old Port" features Stan and Ollie in dire need of some funds after their fishing business is making a financial loss. After incurring the wrath of Walter Long by sabotaging an arranged marriage, the boys make a hasty exit. Later on, an old friend of Hardy invites Stan to become a boxer so he and Ollie can make some money. The boxing scene is by far the best in his comedy short but "Any Old Port" is still a good one.

This expose documents how the so-called "sport" of . . .

[tadpole-596-918256 · 7/10 · 18 December 2020]

. . . boxing always has been a disreputable dung dump populated by bruisers, losers and cheats. However, despite ANY OLD PORT! ringing the bell to count out pugilistic "prize fights" for the horrid hoaxes they always were up until filming, subsequent Real Life debacles have included phantom first-round knock-out tap "punches," rope-a-dopes and outright cannibalism--and that's all just in heavyweight title bouts! To add in salt to injury, Major League Boxing (M.L.B.) has just decided to include the past 165 years of school lunch room brawls in the official all-time Annals of Fisticuffs, which saddles me with an 0-1 lifetime mark.

Uneven blend of comedy and brutality.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 6 October 2016]

Fortunately, there have only been a few Laurel and Hardy shorts which I considered to be mediocre, and in the case of this one, it was simply that I didn't care for the material. Laurel and Hardy are home on leave, and go out of their way to help young Jacqueline Welles (aka Julie Bishop) get away from her brutish guardian (Walter Long) who wants to marry her. Not only lacking in laughs in addition to the sordid tale. It then switches to the boxing ring where Oliver coaches Laurel to become a prizefighter so they can get some quick bucks. Guess who he ends up in the rink with! Not very funny and often mean spirited, this makes for one of their true disappointments.

"Singularly Disappointing Effort"

[Better_Sith_Than_Sorry · 5/10 · 22 May 2021]

That's a quote from William Everson's book "The Films of Laurel and Hardy" about "Any Old Port!," and I have to agree.

Plot In a Nutshell: Two friends (Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy) get mixed up with a tough hotel owner/boxer.

Why I rated it a '5': To be blunt, it's just not very funny. The entire 'signing the hotel register' scene is downright painful to watch. Dumb dumb dumb. I must have groaned 4-5 times at Stan's stupidity. Sometimes it's just too much. And this was one of those times. That whole scene should be thrown out.

The slight story has the boys coming to the aid of a young woman who does not want to marry the hotel owner. Eventually they steal the key to the room in which she's held, and a long chase between the hotel owner and the boys follows. It's OK, but it's not particularly funny. Eventually they get the best of the guy, free the woman, and they are on their way.

Later, realizing they are short of money, Ollie agrees to take part in a boxing match, then forces Stan to do it. Nice friend. As it turns out, the opponent is the same tough hotel owner. The one who didn't even notice when two billiard balls were thrown with considerable force and connected with his head. But now this same tough guy feels the need to load his glove with metal parts? That really doesn't make sense does it? For the story to 'work' I guess it does, but logically....no. It makes no sense at all. Weak.

Others here have written how the boxing match is 'hilarious' but I don't see why. It's basically Stan hugging his much bigger opponent until the the ref separates them. They lose some gloves in the process, Stan now has the loaded glove, and the match soon ends. Pretty average stuff.

I've seen some reviewers here rate just about every L&H film a '10' and that's just fanboy nonsense. Some of their stuff was absolutely great, but not EVERYTHING. And this sadly was one of the misses. Mediocre at best.

5/10. Would I watch again (Y/N)?: Doubtful. Laughs are few and far between.