The Music Box
The Laurel & Hardy Moving Co. confronts a formidable assignment: delivering a player piano up a monumental staircase to the residence of Professor von Schwarzenhoffen. Their task is complicated by a sharp-tongued nursemaid and, unbeknownst to them, the impatient professor himself. Yet the primary hurdle is gravity, which relentlessly wrenches the piano back down to the foot of the stairs again and again.
Director(s)
James Parrott
Morey Lightfoot
Cast & Crew
Details
Reviews
talisencrw
This is to me the finest Laurel and Hardy film ever made, not to mention one of the greatest comedies or movies ever made. Period.
CinemaSerf
'Foundered in 1931', Laurel and Hardy decide that they have to recalibrate their extensive business empire, so armed with $3-odd, they go into the horse and cart-powered piano-delivering business. Now this is not an instrument that's going to be easy to carry on your back - even if you are Ollie, and as they attempt to get one into it's new Walnut Avenue home we just know that if it arrives at all, it's going to be as much use to music as fire guards are to chocolate! Half way up a staircase that wouldn't have looked out of place in a grand Italian palazzo, an altercation with a children's nurse reduces them to square one and attracts the attention of a local policeman who again does his bit to ensure the instrument gets nowhere nearer it's destination. Then there's the proverbial nutty professor before a good dunking and, yes well you get the drift. It's entirely predicable, but the two give us a good laugh as their misfortunes accumulate and the pair become increasingly frustrated - especially when the postie gives them some news that could have saved them the bother; they rather stupidly change their plans and soon it's not just the piano that's at risk! There's a bit of dialogue towards the end, but for the most part this is all down to facial expressions, hat adjustments and slap-stick at it's best.
