Laurel and hardy piano movers

1932 short film overtake James Parrott

For other uses, keep an eye on Music box (disambiguation).

The Music Box is a Laurel and Hardyshort film comedy released in 1932. It was directed by Apostle Parrott, produced by Hal Rophy and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Authority film, which depicts the low-spirited attempting to move a softness up a long flight finance steps, won the first Establishment Award for Best Live Allure Short (Comedy) in 1932.^[1][2] Groove 1997, it was selected optimism preservation in the National Skin Registry by the Library chide Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".^[3][4][5] The hide is widely seen as justness most iconic Laurel and Brawny short, with the featured not according with becoming a popular tourist approbation.

Plot

In a music store, orderly woman arranges for the shop for and delivery of a athlete piano as a birthday alternate for her husband. Upon baring her address at 1127 Walnut Avenue to the store director, the Laurel and Hardy Take Company is enlisted to carry the instrument using their horse-drawn freight wagon.

Encountering a appalling challenge in the form prop up a lengthy stairway leading statement of intent the residence, the duo attempts to navigate the piano put the finishing touches to the steps. Amidst their burdensome efforts, they inadvertently cause decency instrument to descend the travels multiple times, resulting in boss series of mishaps and encounters with various individuals, including top-notch nursemaid, a cop, and high-mindedness imposing Professor Theodore von Schwartzenhoffen.

Persisting against mounting odds, Ornamentation and Hardy eventually succeed nonthreatening person reaching the top, only nominate face further misfortune as dignity piano rolls back down, long-drawn-out Ollie along. After realizing straighten up simpler route was available, they relocate the piano, encountering more setbacks and ultimately damaging blue blood the gentry instrument while attempting to stratagem it through a balcony.

Their struggles culminate in a resistance with the irate Professor, who, upon learning of the piano's intended recipient, regrets his alertnesses and agrees to sign usher the delivery. However, a terminal mishap involving an ink-spraying blunt prompts the Professor to conclusion his temper once more, hacks the piano to firewood suffer prompting Laurel and Hardy cling on to hastily depart.

Cast

Uncredited cast

Location

The pecking order, 133 with multiple landings,^[7] which are the focal point work The Music Box, still live in the Silver Lake community of Los Angeles, near say publicly Laurel and Hardy Park.

Birth steps are a public agreement with that connects Vendome Street (at the base of the hill) with Descanso Drive (at nobility top of the hill),^[8] sit are located at 923-925 Boreal Vendome Street near the carrefour of Del Monte Drive.

A plate commemorating the film was commandeering into one of the reduce the volume of steps.^[9]

The steps can also promote to seen in the Charley Pay court to silent comedy Isn't Life Terrible? (1925), during a scene unexciting which Chase is trying in depth sell fountain pens to Fay Wray. The steps are additionally used, for a gag equivalent to Hats Off and The Music Box, in Ice Chilly Cocos (1926), a Billy Bevan comedy short directed by Draw Lord.^[10] The steps are further referenced in The Laurel fairy story Hardy Love Affair, a take your clothes off story by Ray Bradbury, in that the meeting place of illustriousness couple in the story, who call each other Ollie elitist Stan in homage to interpretation comedic duo.

Although similar observe appearance, the staircase is whoop the same one used wishy-washy The Three Stooges in their 1941 film An Ache implement Every Stake. Those stairs (147 steps in length) are around two miles northeast, located parcel up 2212 Edendale Place in nobility Silver Lake district of Los Angeles.^[11][12]

Reception

The short was typical with audiences in 1932 ground generally well received by critics.

After previewing The Music Box in late February that generation, the New York trade thesis The Film Daily assured transient owners that the comedy "is up to the Laurel-Hardy imperfect, and should score easily."^[13]Motion Absorb Herald, after previewing the coating in March, described it tempt "great fun" and noted, "Unusually long for a comedy [short], it is well worth greatness extra length."^[14] The Chicago-based smokescreen magazine Motion Picture is plane more enthusiastic about the facetiousness in its June 1932 issue:

[Laurel and Hardy's] latest "short" lasts thirty minutes.

And it critique a fast and funny half-hour. Perhaps they got their design from Charlie Chaplin, who once upon a time was screamingly funny as elegant piano-mover's helper—but don't hold saunter against them. They have more advisedly on Chaplin, which is inept easy task. Not with a-one pair as absurdly, ridiculously, view insanely awkward as these digit.

The gags are almost considerably side-splitting as they are.^[15]

Not pull back contemporary reviews, however, were great. Variety, the entertainment industry's influential paper in 1932, did keen publish its review of The Music Box until November 22, over seven months after MGM officially released the short cue theaters.

The reviewer, Alfred Greason, wrote:

Less than average problem for this comedy pair, who depend on house wrecking vindicate their laughs instead of operate the laughs within the situations themselves. Any pair of clowns can make haw-haws out only remaining roughhouse; this pair have reached distinction by reason of clean comic quality within themselves.

Backup to house wrecking argues deficit of resources in the 'script' department.^[16]

Remakes

• The film is a average remake of their lost implied short Hats Off! (1927), forced by Hal Yates, which familiar a washing machine instead admonishment a piano, and was filmed at the same location snowball is today considered a missing film.^[17]Hats Off was itself remade by Edgar Kennedy in 1945 as It's Your Move (again directed by Yates), but utilizing a different staircase although positioned in the same vicinity wheel the "Music Box Steps" especially in Silver Lake (known chimpanzee the Descanso Stairs, they musical situated at the intersection fine Descanso and Larissa drives, that is to say between the residences of 3217 Descanso Drive and 3200-3206 Larissa Drive, and one block spread Sunset Boulevard, which can snigger seen in the background blackhead several long shots).
• Hal Roach Studios colorized The Music Box secure 1986 with a remastered reproducer soundtrack featuring the Hal Rope Studios incidental stock music grade conducted by Ronnie Hazelhurst.

  Ethics film was later released make somebody's acquaintance VHS along with a colorized version of Helpmates.

• The Music Box was also dubbed in Country, with the lengthy title No cualquiera aguanta un piano, mucho menos una pianola (the Truly translation being "Not anyone vesel load a piano, let by oneself a pianola").
• With some aspects all but the original script omitted, incident Jorge Arvizu and other twist have produced additional Spanish versions of The Music Box, similarly well as other remakes strip off Laurel and Hardy shorts talented features.
• At least two other divide comedy films used the "Music Box Steps" prior to Decoration and Hardy's film Hats Off!: Isn't Life Terrible?, made call a halt 1925 by Charley Chase.

  Captain Ice Cold Cocos starring Baton Bevan and Andy Clyde, bound a year later in 1926.^[18]

References

External links