Laurel & Hardy in THEY GO BOOM! (1929) – A comedy that goes bust

As an early Laurel & Hardy talkie, They Go Boom! is agreeable enough but is most notable for what it is lacking. Compared to the glorious outdoor camerawork of their silent shorts, this one is pretty claustrophobic, taking place on a single set meant to represent The Boys’ fleabag apartment. The entire short is music-less, the omission of Marvin Hatley’s breezy scores only illustrating how well they complemented L&H’s comedy. And Ollie keeps saying to Stan, “Why don’t you do something for me?” until you want to kick him and say, “No, the line is, ‘Why don’t you do something to help me?'”

Still, the movie, centered around Ollie’s cold and Stan’s efforts to assist him, has its moments — the prime one being where water leaks from the wall onto Ollie’s side of the bed, and Ollie’s reaction explicitly tells us that he thinks Stan has had an accident. And any movie where diminutive Charlie Hall makes short shrift of Ollie can’t be all bad. (But what a wheezer of an ending!)

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