Blotto (1930)

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Don't Believe the Hype

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

I would have to say that seeing Stan Laurel laugh and cry in this short at the club is probably one of the funniest things I've ever seen. It's always good for a laugh.I guess it's the contrast between his simpleton character and the overload of the sad and happy emotions he displays when he's 'drunk' which makes it so.The drunken laughing scene in Fra Diavolo comes close, but I like this Blotto scene better, since it 'goes to 11', then you add to that his deadly serious wife.I'm very surprised that Ollie can keep a straight face at the beginning of both segments. Though it's pretty funny when he too laughs uncontrollably with Stan, then wildly shakes his head 'No' when Stan wants him to tell his wife what they're laughing about. Jeff Daniels makes a similar move in Dumb and Dumber - when betting with Lloyd, though it's not as funny and is probably just coincidental.Admittedly, there's not much of a plot, but how much of a plot can you expect with a 26 minute short? Just when is this going to be available in the US on DVD?????? I'd be glad to hear of any other scenes you think top this, as I haven't seen all of their best material. I assume their Hal Roach shorts were their best.

There is little story present and the movie can mainly be split into two separate parts. The first part of the story is about Stan, who tries to sneak out of the house from his wife, to meet up with Ollie to go and have a good time in 'Rainbow club'. The second part of the movie is about Stan and Ollie, who get 'drunk' in the 'Rainbow club'. The second part of the movie is more filled with some typical good slapstick humor and hardly any words are spoken in those sequences. It's in my opinion the best part of the movie and the timing and comedy-acting is top-class!The movie has more than enough laughs in it to make "Blotto" an entertainingly watchable comical movie with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Especially the slapstick moments make this movie a fun one to watch and are good for some serious laughs.Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel are good as always and once more show the wonderful chemistry the both of them had together. Also Anita Garvin is wonderful in the role of Mrs. Laurel.The movie also provides a pretty good view on '30's nightlife, when the two enter the 'Rainbow club'.Perfectly watchable when you want to have a good and fun 26 minutes.7/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Laurel and Hardy want to go out for a night at a bar, some sneaky drinking and an all round fun time. However, Laurel is unable to get out of the house as his wife has forbidden him. He manages to wrangle his way out of the house with the use of a faked telegram.Having half the film with Laurel and Hardy separated was a bit of a risk, but one that the duo just about carry off. The plot sees Laurel trapped in his house by his wife while Hardy tries to contact him by phone. Laurel trying to play his wife is pretty amusing but, once the short moves out of the house it becomes less funny as the routines in the bar are less funny. It is still amusing but not quite as much.As often happens, a Laurel and Hardy short that lacks one strong central sequence needs to achieve a consistent level of humour. This film neither has a peak or a high consistent level, meaning that it isn't as good as others in my opinion. Laurel does good work early on with his wife, and laughs convincingly towards the end. Hardy is less well used and his looks are used for reasons which are too slight and thus undervalue them slightly. Garvin is strong as Mrs Laurel though.Overall this short needed to be consistently funny but it didn't manage to deliver it. Still funny but it lacks any parts which rise above the rest and lift the short as a whole.

A LAUREL & HARDY Comedy Short.Stan & Ollie head for an evening at a ritzy nightclub, against the wishes of a furious Mrs. Laurel. After getting BLOTTO on a mixture of cold tea & Tabasco, the Boys make a noisy spectacle of themselves. But just wait until Mrs. L. shows up with a shotgun...A very funny little film. Highlight: Stan's laughing fit. The tearjerker sung by the crooner that gets the Boys crying is `The Curse Of An Aching Heart', a popular ballad from 1913. Mrs. Laurel is played by Anita Garvin.