The Lucky Dog

Starring: Stan Laurel, Florence Gilbert, Oliver Hardy, Jack Lloyd
Directed by: Jess Robbins
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Comedy, Short
Length: 17 minutes
1921

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A poor man (Stan Laurel) tries to impress a beautiful woman (Florence Gilbert) while avoiding a thief (Oliver Hardy).

Review:

Tim: The Lucky Dog is an interesting short film because it marks the very first time Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy appeared in a film together. What's even more interesting is that they still years away from being partnered up. They weren't a comedy duo here, they both just happened to appear in the same film.

The movie clocks in just under 17 minutes and tells a fairly typical slapstick comedic story. The film is silent, so the visual is everything. Laurel is the star here, a kind but bumbling man who continually finds himself in challenging situations. He's thrown out for not paying his rent, adopts a stray dog, runs into a thief (and ends up with him money) and engages in a series of other misadventures and mistakes. It's all pretty fun to watch and the timing of the gags is pretty strong. I did laugh a number of times at the sight gags.

Laurel did a good job for the most part, although it's hard to distinguish him from others doing similar work in this time period. I thought the makeup for Laurel was atrocious (the racoon eye look is absurd), but that's a product of the times. Laurel's timing and pratfalls were humorous, but he was a bit forgettable in the role. Oliver Hardy just had a small supporting performance, but his presence looms large (physically, obviously, but also his impact on the film). It was fun seeing Laurel and Hardy's scenes together, recognizing that neither man had any clue how important they would be to each other in the future.

The Lucky Dog is an interesting silent short film. The story is humorous enough, but Laurel and Hardy are really the main appeal of this film. This is actually the first time I've seen either man on the screen, so I'm looking forward to exploring their evolution in future films.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



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