Them Thar Hills (1934) User Reviews

A Memorable Musical Ditty

[Theo Robertson · 7/10 · 10 August 2004]

Stan and Ollie hire a trailer and go for a camping trip to the remote countryside , get accidentally drunk ( It can happen you know ) and that`s basically it as far as the threadbare plot goes . However the film feels more cohesive than some of the other L & H shorts which are sometimes a series of set piece prat falls with little regard to the over all plot . There`s also a very memorable ditty that goes

La la la lala lala la la la

Pom Pom

Which will disappear into your head and then reappear in your memory sometime in the future and will have you scratching your head asking " Where does that song come from ? "

Just like everyone else on this page I liked THEM THAR HILLS but wouldn`t say it`s the greatest ever L & H short . In fact I wouldn`t even say it`s the greatest short featuring Mr and Mrs Hall because the sequel TIT FOR TAT released the following year is even better

a lot of fun

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 20 May 2006]

Stan and Ollie made a lot of shorts. So many that it's natural that there would be some repetition of the gags. In this film, the formula from their silent film BIG BUSINESS is repeated but this time with Charley Hall. In fact, their fight with Hall was so successful, that it was repeated a year later in TIT FOR TAT.

Basically, what happens is that a small slap or insult or whatever provokes a response from Laurel and Hardy. And, this escalates and builds until the end result is total destruction. In BIG BUSINESS, a house and a car were destroyed, in TIT FOR TAT, two businesses bit the dust. In this film, Charley Hall is angry because the boys unintentionally got his wife drunk--resulting in him being covered in molasses and feathers and Stan and Ollie having their mobile home destroyed. It's formula but it's a good and funny one at that.

Nothing super new, but done so well.

How did you get my wife drunk on mountain well water?

[weezeralfalfa · 9/10 · 12 November 2018]

I think you will find this 1934 L&H comedy short very funny, especially if you like tit for tat scenes.........In their quest for the simple life in backwoods America, to hopefully cure Ollie's extremely gouty foot, the boys come upon the empty cabin of a bunch of moonshiners. who either left or were apprehended by the revenue agents we saw shooting at them. The boys don't know that the moonshiners dumped all their stock down the well before they left. The boys have rented a small trailer as their home for a while. Thus, they don't need to invade the cabin. However, they need to use the well. Strangely, the boys and the wife of Charlie Hall, who came for some gas, don't recognize the nature of the cause of the water tasting 'funny'. Ollie claim it's the iron in it. But when Charlie returns from his stranded car for his wife, he immediately notices that they are all drunk and all are drinking well water. He tastes the water, and immediately spits it out. So, why didn't the others have this reaction?? If they had, we wouldn't have much of story. As it is, we end up with a raucous tit for tat between Charlie and the boys. I won't describe all the bad things they do to each other, but Charlie ends up destroying the insides of their trailer, when he disconnects the trailer from the car. It's back side opens, and everything slides backwards. After he's molassesed and feathered, Charlie soaks Ollie's backside with burner fuel and lights it. Ollie dances around, hollering, then dives into the well, and smoke immediately rises up, along with Ollie, who lands upside down, making a large hole in the ground for his upper body..........Before their guests arrived, while preparing dinner, Ollie hums "The Old Spinning Wheel". Stan would sometimes insert his "Bom, bom, bom" during Ollie's pauses. Finally, Ollie had enough, and beaned Stan with a frying pan, with the pronouncement that "I'm singing this song"........You can see this film at YouTube, both the colorized and B&W versions. I found the colorized version too blurry.

Off In A Trailer With Mr. Laurel & Mr. Hardy

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 20 March 2000]

A LAUREL & HARDY Comedy Short. Poor Ollie is suffering painfully from gout. His doctor advises rest, country air & lots of fresh water. So the Boys rent a trailer and head up into THEM THAR HILLS. Picking a quiet spot, they are unaware that the well has been tainted with many barrels of bootleg liquor. Drinking the water while fixing their dinner, they quickly become inebriated. They are suddenly visited by a bickering couple who've run out of gas. Playing host to the wife, Stan & Ollie share their water with her and she is roisteringly drunk by the time her husband returns...

This is a very funny little film & should be seen in conjunction with its follow-up, TIT FOR TAT. The slapstick fight between the Boys & Charley Hall, as the furious husband, is hilarious. Mae Busch is the wife; film mavens will recognize Billy Gilbert as the doctor.

Another favorite!

[wishkah7 · 8 February 2001]

Them Thar Hills is another favorite Laurel and Hardy episode of mine. In this one, Stan and Ollie go out into the country for Ollie's health. Along the way they encounter a fun loving wife (Mae Busch) and her exasperated husband (Charlie Hall), and they get drunk on some wishing well water that had been contaminated with alcohol by moonshiners.

The funniest part in this episode was when Stan and Ollie retaliate against Charlie Hall! Laurel and Hardy were both ingenious when it came to making episodes and movies, Stan Laurel had taken any gag he used and made it be extremely funny! Also, the way they played off each other in this episode and others were absolutely impressive. That's what made L&H so exquistite, comedy-wise. In fact, Laurel and Hardy are my second favorite comedy team of yesteryear!

Also, Charlie Hall was a great L&H regular, too! And the fun doesn't stop there! After you see Them Thar Hills, watch the bonus sequel Tit for Tat! Both episodes are a can't-miss for Laurel and Hardy fans!

Go Jump In The Well

[boblipton · 10/10 · 30 December 2020]

Mr. Hardy is suffering from gout, so Mr. Laurel proposes they buy a trailer and go stay in the country. They park on a patch of land with a well on it. Little do they know.... well, anything. In this case, revenooers have poured moonshiner's products down the well. As they drink the water, their mood rises..... but here comes married couple Charlie Hall and Mae Busch. It all ends in one of the marvelous slow motion 'tit for tat' duels that the Boys got into.

Stan and Ollie were alternating their shorts with features by this point, and could choose to make a movie short or long depending on what they wanted to do. This undoubtedly contributed to their sustained level of excellence in this period.

Too much high living

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 10 December 2016]

This Laurel&Hardy short subject opens with Ollie suffering the effects of the gout. Given his stoutness I would think that was something that Oliver Hardy might have had in real life. In any event Dr. Billy Gilbert suggests that he and Stanley go off into the mountains and get some clean country living. Ollie's been living it up too good with that rich city food. Surprisingly Gilbert, a great comic talent in his own right is little used in this short.

But anyway off go Stan and Ollie in a trailer to Them Thar Hills. But they come into some moonshiner territory where the locals have dumped some of their product into a well the boys stop at. That leads to all the rest of the gags in this film including getting a neighbor's wife drunk and the neighbor taking umbrage.

At least until the final gag Ollie may not have had his gout cured, but with all that moonshine in him, he forgot his ills.

Them Thar Hills

[Prismark10 · 10/10 · 4 March 2018]

Them Thar Hills is one of the best Laurel and Hardy shorts. It works as both unite to have slapstick fun at the protagonist than each other and it is all done so economically.

Oliver has been diagnosed with gout. It is too much high living, Stan suggests they move to the ground floor. The doctor tells them to go to the country for some simple living.

When they arrive in the country with a trailer, they get drunk from the water in the well where some bootleggers emptied Moonshine in it. They come across a married couple whose car has broken down.

The wife likes their hospitality and gets drunk with the mountain water from the well. Her crabby husband is far from pleased which leads to some tit for tat slapstick.

This is just simply enjoyable fun.

Bitter waters can be sweet.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 5 November 2016]

Needing a country vacation to recover from a case of the gout, Oliver convinces Stanley to take him to the mountains where they end up with moonshine instead of water and get an innocent passersby (Mae Busch) drunk, infuriating her husband and resulting in a funny sequence of gags where his attempts of revenge turn on him. But of course, this has to take a turn to give a final shot of either one of the two in an awkward situation, only moderately funny and not the gasping laugh I hoped for. Busch is cast against type here, for once not a predatory female. There's enough slapstick to keep this flowing, but I found it only mildly memorable.

Laurel & Hardy, along with Charlie Hall and Mae Busch, encounter each other in Them Thar Hills

[tavm · 9/10 · 11 April 2023]

One of Ollie's feet is heavily bandaged because of gout so Dr. Billy Gilbert suggests he spend some time in the woods and drink plenty of water. So Stan and Ollie rent a trailer and go to where the doctor suggests. Before their arrival, some bootleggers are arrested after they put some of their alcohol in a well. Those people are gone when our boys settle there and, well, later on as they're having a meal, a couple played by Charlie Hall and Mae Busch come by to get some gas from them. I'll stop there and just say this was another of the very funny L & H shorts I just rewatched just now. I mean, from the boys doing their version of "The Old Spinning Wheel" to their later tiff with Hall, there's hardly any slow spots. And, for once, Mae Busch isn't the antagonist for Stan & Ollie! In fact, her enjoyment with them is infectious here, that's for sure! These four must have really enjoyed themselves here to the point of a sequel made after this called Tit for Tat, which will be my next review.

Laurel and Hardy on a health Picnic is injurious to them but Helpful for your health.

[SAMTHEBESTEST · 7/10 · 8 August 2021]

Them Thar Hills (1934) : Brief Review -

Laurel and Hardy on a health Picnic is injurious to them but Helpful for your health. Them Thar Hills is another typical laugh riot from Laurel & Hardy. Just like their contemporary short comedies this one too relies on substantial situations rather than making out forceful comedy like other unintelligent people did that time. Stan and Ollie take a trip into the mountains ('the high multitude') so that Ollie can recover from gout. Bootleggers have dumped their moonshine in the well from which the boys sample their 'healthy' mountain water. Mr Hall, who has left his wife with the boys while he refuels his car is not amused at his wife's condition when he returns. I must say it has those jokes which we are fond of Today, that's almost after 9 decades. I would say watch out for few scenes which led to funny situations effortlessly. Like that water scene, Stan suspects the colour but Ollie answers, that's why Doc asked us to drink it a lot. Such a cute and innocent comedy it was. Who else did it better in 30s than them? So, their legacy is unquestionable, rather undeniable. I missed Stan's funny cries this time, maybe he could had his signature cry here too as i felt that drunkenness could have helped it to score. Ollie, as always, sensibile yet insensibly funny. When he offers a food and drink to that lady i was like, how sophistically he speaks. I mean even many rehearsed gentlemen would fail to bring that much convince on screen. Talking about comedy, it's not hysterical or completely mad but yes it is Funny and meaningfully. It depends on your taste how you like it. As for me, the sensibility always works more than dramatic proportions. A fine job Charley Rogers has done with no hard efforts at all. Easy and Simple, that's how he managed it. I will be catching the Sequel in no time.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest.

"Drink plenty of mountain water."

[rupie · 8/10 · 18 September 2002]

[possible spoiler] One of my favorite of The Boy's comic shorts. The comic premise - bootleg liquor dumped into a well of "sparkling mountain water" - is a tad weak, granted, but the upshot - the classic "get even" back-and-forth between Ollie and Charlie Hall (who always seemed to use his real name for his on-screen characters) is well worth it. What makes this scene so funny is the completely artificial - and totally hilarious - premise that one silently and uncomplainingly endures your opponent's next attack on you. (The same premise used in the film's 'sequel', 'Tit for Tat.') By the way, the song Ollie sings while preparing dinner - unwelcomingly joined in on by Stan - is an actual song called , I believe, 'There's an Old Rocking Chair,' which may be found on the wonderful collection of music written by Leroy Shield for the L&H movies and played by the Dutch group 'The Beau Hunks' on a 2 CD set (I think it's the Koch label); these CD's are essential for true L&H fans. The Boys - long may they live on in beloved memory.

Surprisingly, LOLs are AWOL

[Better_Sith_Than_Sorry · 6/10 · 13 June 2019]

Despite its reputation and high rating here, "Them Thar Hills" falls a bit short on the laugh-meter, especially when compared to L&H's other work. The humor really is sparse in this one.

Plot in a Nutshell: Stan and Ollie retreat to the mountains for some R&R, but encounter an ornery motorist (Charlie Hall) who spoils their fun.

I am not kidding when I tell you it took a full seven minutes before I laughed for the first time. Needless to say, that's not good. The entire opening sequence with Dr. Billy Gilbert, while necessary to set the scene, didn't contain anything actually funny. Then you also have a scene where cops and moonshiners battle in a shootout - again, maybe necessary for the plot, but nothing funny here either. When you only have 20 minutes to play with in these two-reelers, this is a lot of wasted time.

Eventually it picked up some and gladly it had a few good moments, but none of them 'classic' and not enough for this to be considered among their best. Previous to this I watched the L&H short "Brats" and I rated that 9/10. Why? Because I laughed 24 times in 20 minutes - over a laugh a minute (yes, I actually counted)! For "Them Thar Hills?" - 7 laughs in 20 minutes. Do the math lol. This one just isn't that great despite what you might hear. I ask you to watch this and count how many times you laugh....I'm fairly certain it won't average once a minute.

I love these guys but there are so many other shorts better than this (Big Business, Music Box, Helpmates, Brats - to name a few) that I would watch multiple times before watching this again.

Times watched: 1. Would I watch again (Y/N)? Only in parts.

Not suitable for kids!

[JohnHowardReid · 5/10 · 26 March 2018]

Copyright 18 July 1934 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. U.S. release: 21 July 1934. A Hal Roach "Laurel and Hardy" comedy. 2 reels. SYNOPSIS: High living has given Oliver a bad case of gout. Ordered by Dr Billy Gilbert to take a holiday in the mountains and drink plenty of water, Oliver obliges. Unfortunately the well water is well and truly tainted with moonshine liquor.

NOTES: Laurel and Hardy two-reelers were the most popular short subjects in the world from 1927 through 1935. This entry was so well received, it inspired a sequel: Tit for Tat.

VIEWERS' GUIDE: The 2012 British censor has classified this one as not suitable for children. We are inclined to agree.

COMMENT: Starts off brightly enough with some amusing quips and non-sequiturs, plus clever bits of well-timed slapstick. Unfortunately, once Charlie Hall returns, the farce degenerates into typical L&H demeaning violence.

Aside from a long tracking shot on location with Laurel and gouty Hardy in their car and trailer, this one has limited directorial opportunities, though the director does keep his camera firmly focused on his stars (which after all is what the fans have paid for).

Good Comedy With One of Their Most Hilarious Scenes

[Snow Leopard · 27 June 2001]

This is a good Laurel & Hardy short comedy, with one particularly hilarious sequence. With Ollie suffering from too much high living, the two take a trip to the country to live the simple life for a while, but instead they find themselves getting into one caper after another. After some adventures of their own, they encounter a pair of stranded motorists. Their extended squabble with Charlie Hall in the last part of the film is non-stop laughs, and one of their funniest sequences. That, and plenty of other laughs in the rest of the film, make "Them Thar Hills" one of the best-remembered Laurel & Hardy short features.

What a Joy That We Had Them

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 13 January 2017]

Poor Ollie. Suffering from gout, his doctor recommends he go into the country and drink lots of water. Off he and Stan go, buying a trailer, and camping where there is a well. Perfect? Nope! Unbeknownst to them, it's Prohibition and some moonshiner, to keep from being caught, have dumped their illegal alcohol into the well. Also, who should come along, but a bickering couple, Mae Busch and Charlie Hall. Mae get tired of her crabby husband and goes over to the boy's camp where they share the "water." Of course, they get incredibly drunk. Soon Charlie gets angry and the men start to outdo each other in nastiness. We all know who's going to get the worst of it. These couples are going to reprise this stuff later. This whole episode is hilarious.

One of L&H's funniest shorts, especially the "tit-for-tat" finale.

[mandzirm · 8/10 · 6 February 2000]

This is one of Laurel and Hardy's funniest two-reelers, thanks in particular to two memorable scenes. First is the delightful drunken party scene with Mae Busch, as the three are unaware that their well water has been spiked with moonshine. Finally, there is the outrageous "tit-for-tat" slapstick finale with Charlie Hall, as each character stands there allowing another character to commit some indignity upon them, calmly awaiting their chance to retaliate. The sequel, titled Tit For Tat, featured the same cast and formula, and is nearly as good.

I've never seen my dad wear a giant clown boot . . .

[pixrox1 · 7/10 · 15 April 2019]

. . . for his gout, a form of arthritis allegedly afflicting "Ollie" and instigating the road trip forming the backbone of THEM THAR HILLS. When the jagged gout blood crystals congregate painfully inside one of my dad's leg or foot joints, he's generally able to gently rub the problem cells away where they will hurt no more. My parent discovered this form of effective self-massage gout treatment the second time this crippling disease attacked his left big toe, and he was able to dissuade his third and fourth gout offensives from even gaining a toehold with a little rubbing at the first signs of gout's infiltration. Then Dad's condition wised up and took a turn for the worse, launching a surprise attack against his indefensible right knee. It was back to Square One for him, having no means of reaching INSIDE the knee to rub the gout out. This episode hung around for two debilitating weeks. Dad no longer can eat jalapeno peppers and asparagus, two of his favorite staple "treats." During THEM THAR HILLS, it's impossible for gout victims or their family members and coworkers to believe that Ollie is REALLY experiencing gout. THEM THAR HILLS is tantamount to watching a White actor don Blackface to portray "Rod King" getting beaten by the police!

Stan and Ollie's high multitude

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 30 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. 'Them Thar Hills' for me is up there with their best later efforts and certainly among their funniest, even if it's not one of their most imaginative.

Can't really find anything wrong with it, again as has been said for a few other Laurel and Hardy efforts was past caring this time as to whether the story was as thin as ice when there is so much content and energy that continually makes it compelling, on top of being riotously funny in its best moments.

From start to finish 'Them Thar Hills' is wonderful, never less than very amusing and the best moments being classic Laurel and Hardy. It is never too silly, there is a wackiness that never loses its energy and the sly wit is here, how it's all 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. One is never in doubt how things are going to end, but doesn't stop the sheer entertainment value. Do agree that the funniest part is the extended squabble between the boys and Charlie Hall, one of my favourite ever sequences of theirs.

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 'Them Thar Halls' and on the most part from 'Two Tars' onwards we are far from robbed of that. Their comic timing is impeccable and they handle the material, material more than worthy of their talents, with adept ease.

'Them Thar Hills' 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. Simple it somewhat is but it doesn't ever get overly so. The supporting cast are more than up to their level, it is very difficult to go wrong with Mae Busch. Charlie Hall has standout moments too, especially the aforementioned one.

Summarising, terrific stuff. A must for fans of the duo. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Excellent and unusual Tit for Tat comedy

[madkelly · 10/10 · 10 February 2006]

Stan and Ollie are advised to take a break for their health by their doctor 'Billy Gilbert'. They rent a very early version of a trailer and head into "Them Thar Hills" and discover a bootleg liquor den. Much humour ensues with Ollie having his shoe cut in half by the blundering Stan who mistakes it for firewood. Charley Hall and Mae Busch add to the humour arriving to find some GAS. Ollie and Stan make a fine plate of Beans and Coffee for Mae. Charlie Hall comes back to discover Mae drunk on the bootleg liquor which the boys don't know is in the well water. After a few hard words from Hall an almighty Tit for Tat battle ensues, with Hall ending up tarred and feathered. Only surpassed for battles in their later films by TIT FOR TAT.

A trip to the mountains turns into a drunken laugh riot

[jburke293 · 10/10 · 19 September 2007]

This short is particularly close to my heart as it revolves around trailer camping in the woods and mountains. Ollie is suffering from gout and the doctor recommends rest and relaxation in the mountains and plenty of fresh, clean water. Stan knows where they can rent a trailer, so they hitch up the Model T and off they go. Unknown to them, some moonshiners have been battling government men in the hills and dumped some of their illegal liquor stash in the well behind their shack. Our boys arrive on the scene after the fact and finding the place deserted, decide to set up camp and draw some water from the well. A married couple later arrives, gas can in hand, and try to buy some gas from the boys. The man goes off to retrieve the car and leaves his wife behind and hilarity ensues with her and the boys drinking the moonshine-water. The husband isn't too happy when he gets back and starts an altercation with Stan and Ollie that is simply a riot. The high point, though, is the cooking scene when Ollie starts singing and Stan tries to join in and gets clobbered with a frying pan.This one is a must have for any true L&H fan.

They are talking

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 29 June 2015]

This 20-minute movie is one of the later Laurel&Hardy short films and the two lead actors both were in their early 40s already when his was made. By now, even they had adapted to the new trend now that silent films were definitely a thing of the past. I saw there is a colored version of this short movie, but I watched the black-and-white original. Busch, Hall and Rogers are all people that Laurel & Hardy worked with in the past. So, never change a winning team? Unfortunately I did not find this one half as funny as Hardy did. He is sick and is sent to the countryside by his doctor. Of course, Laurel comes with him and the duo quickly finds a nice place next to a well. Unfortunately, the water in there includes lots of alcohol from previous occurrences at their place. They do not realize and the longer this short film gets, the more drunk they become. A couple arrives at the location as well and quickly the woman is drunk too. The man, however, does not take a sip and stays sober. He gets in trouble with our two heroes pretty quickly though. I personally did not find this short film very funny unfortunately. There was no real laugh-out-loud moment in the entire thing and I usually like these two. This has nothing to do with the fact that they are speaking now. Actually, Laurel's quote about how somebody was in there, namely him, was possibly the funniest moment about this film. One of not too many unfortunately. Not recommended.

Enjoyable short

[bob the moo · 1 September 2003]

At home with a foot in plaster, Hardy is advised to cut out rich foot and maybe take a trip to help relieve his pains. Laurel and Hardy set out for a trip to the country on a sunny day and stumble across a building that had been used as a hideout for a gang of moonshiners. Unbeknownst to Laurel and Hardy, the moonshiners were forced to dump their alcohol into the well when the police came, a fact that they only discover once they start using the well water for cooking in.

A simple set up and simple execution leads to a very entertaining short in which Laurel and Hardy, well, get wasted! Their decline into a state of merry inebriation is funny to watch and leads to an amusing game of tit for tat while an angry husband takes a feathering while awaiting his chance for retribution. When Laurel says `jump in the well to put out the fire' I started laughing in expectation!

While the routines lack a real imagination (apart from that aforementioned scene) the film is well made and it is fun to watch the duo get hammered with hilarious results. Both men do well in the film with Hardy, as usual, carrying the brunt of the physical work. The support cast are both good but really it's Laurel and Hardy's show.

Overall this short doesn't have any one scene that really screams out as great (with the possible exception of the `jump in the well' scene) but it is good-natured and funny regardless.

It's the iron in it

[krorie · 10/10 · 20 April 2006]

The comic geniuses, Laurel and Hardy, made so many hilarious shorts that it is hard to choose a best one. Certainly "The Music Box," which garnished the duo an Oscar, is as good as the best humor ever put on celluloid. Though Laurel and Hardy made at least two masterful feature films, "Way Out West" and "Sons of the Desert," their shorts are among their greatest moments on the big screen. "Them Thar Hills" is non-stop laughter both physical and verbal from beginning to end.

Mr. Hardy is in need of rest, says wise doctor Billy Gilbert. He has had too much high living. Mr. Laurel suggests that they move down to the basement, but Dr. Gilbert counters with recommending a trip to the mountains and to be sure and drink lots and lots of water. Laurel convinces Hardy to rent a hook-on trailer and the boys are off on another misadventure. Just before they decide on a camping spot near a well, a bunch of moonshiners dump their payload into the well to destroy the evidence as the revenuers close in on them. Though the idea of putting whiskey or moonshine into the drinking supply for comedic effect was not new--Charlie Chaplin used the ploy for one of his classic shorts, "The Cure," as early as 19l7--the situation is different and Laurel and Hardy adapt it to their unique brand of humor.

The two are doing just fine in an outrageously funny scene where the two prepare a meal with making a pot of coffee becoming as funny as falling off a chair backwards. Naturally they use the spiked well water for the coffee. Both proceed to get looped. Enter a couple who have run out of gas and seek the assistance of Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy. Bad mistake. what takes place is one of the funniest slapstick routines ever filmed. Aiding in the sequence is a Laurel and Hardy regular, Charley Hall, second only to the magnificent James Finlayson as a perfect foil for the boys. His companion in hilarity is another Laurel and Hardy regular, Mae Busch, one of the screens great comediennes.

Anyone who doesn't roll with laughter watching "Them Thar Hills" needs to have his/her funny bone checked out immediately. Those who enjoy "Them Thar Hills" should check out its sequel, "Tit for Tat," and let the fun continue.

PERHAPS ONE OF THEIR BEST!

[Sunsphxsuns · 10/10 · 16 January 2022]

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy made 107 films together as a comedy team (72 silent and sound short subjects, 23 features, and 12 cameo appearances in films starring others). 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.

Them Thar Hills (1934) takes place in the mountains where Ollie is trying to recuperate from a bad case of gout It arguably might be one of the best slapstick comedies in the L&H catalog. It's all about increasing levels of oneupmanship leveled against an angry, jealous husband, with each new atrocity being more profound than the previous one. And to make matters even funnier, the boys are going to be fairly "Blotto" in the process because mountain bootleggers, to escape arrest, have dumped all their illicit liquor into a water well, the source of L&H'S eventual drunkenness.

No spoilers here as usual, but I will reveal that this film was so popular with audiences it inspired the only sequel in the L&H filmography, "Tit For Tat" (1935).