Synopsis:

Laurel and Hardy's first feature recut as a (rather long) short.

Intentions:

Although a massive fan of the legendary duo I never warmed to this film, the result of filler; a subplot that makes me (and likely any modern viewer) cringe and a scene that makes me wince! By removing these items I aimed to make a more enjoyable presentation of the great comedic talent within.

Change List:

• Cut Stan’s “Amos 'n' Andy” comment as they are being led to their cell. • Slightly trimmed sequence of Stan fumbling about in the bunk. • Removed 15-odd minute block after solitary confinement conversation, Stan and Ollie no longer escape and hide out in disguise (the aforementioned cringeworthy scene). • No more "Farm in Michigan" song, filler. • No more dentist scene, this sort of thing makes me wince! • Trimmed the scene where the Warden discusses the Tiger’s planned riot with the guards to remove redundant dialogue. Repeated a section of music to smooth over a cut, some dialogue played over a (slowed-down) insert shot of Laurel and Hardy eavesdropping is slightly softened to aid the impression of them listening through the door. • Removed seven seconds during dinner, where Tiger openly suspects Stan of betraying him. • Removed first instance of Stan and Ollie entering the cell block during the riot (where Tiger comes at them with a knife), to avoid the second (concluding) instance from becoming repetitive (in the original version it also begs the question why Tiger does not immediately dispatch them when they come in the second time). • Removed Warden's daughter/fire rescue scene that was added in reshoots and variably included on older cuts of the film and a bit of a distraction from the main action in my opinion. Also, if this this praiseworthy act took place shouldn’t it be mentioned when the Warden hands Laurel and Hardy their pardons? I originally also removed Stan and Ollie from the scenes where they eavesdrop on the Warden and their subsequent short-lived hunger strike, reinstated on the encouragement of Dwight Fry and on reflection I missed the callback to their first talking scene together in "Unaccustomed As We Are" a couple of years earlier.

Additional Notes:

I simply aimed to remove items that detracted from my viewing experience, the excision of which having no effect on the continuity of what remains behind. Sourced from PAL DVD, slowed down from 25 to 24 FPS and exported at 768x560p H265.

Other Sources:

Special Thanks:

Many thanks to Dwight Fry for previewing this edit and making some helpful suggestions.