Liberty (1929 film)

Last updated

Liberty
L&H Liberty 1929.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Leo McCarey
Written by Leo McCarey
H.M. Walker
Produced by Hal Roach
Starring
Cinematography George Stevens
Edited by Richard C. Currier
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • January 26, 1929 (1929-01-26)
Running time
20 min.
CountryUnited States
Languages Silent film
English (Original intertitles)

Liberty is an American silent two-reeler film, directed by Leo McCarey starring comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. It was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on January 26, 1929. [1]

Contents

Plot

Stan and Ollie are prison escapees running down the road with a police officer firing a shotgun at them. They meet up with two accomplices in a car and, in their haste to change into street clothes, they wind up wearing each other's pants. Tossing their prison uniforms out the window, they attract the attention of a motorcycle police officer, but get out of the car without him seeing. They go looking for places to swap pants: the alley where a cop is grabbing a smoke and a lady screams at the sight of them; behind some crates with another cop nearby; and behind a seafood shop, where a crab accidentally finds its way into Stan's trousers, causing him problems with nipping. Not paying attention to where they are going, Ollie topples a record player outside a music shop as records cover the sidewalk and the owner is not amused. A cop chases the boys to a construction site, where they evade him by riding an elevator to the top floor of an unfinished building. Atop the girders, 20 stories in the air, they finally switch trousers, contend with the crab, and nearly fall to their death a few dozen times. Finally, they manage to catch the next elevator, reach the ground safely, and make their getaway, failing to notice the cop who has been squashed into a dwarf by their elevator.

Cast

Related Research Articles

<i>Big Business</i> (1929 film) 1929 film

Big Business is a 1929 silent Laurel and Hardy comedy short subject directed by James W. Horne and supervised by Leo McCarey from a McCarey (uncredited) and H. M. Walker script. The film, largely about tit-for-tat vandalism between Laurel and Hardy as Christmas tree salesmen and the man who rejects them, was deemed culturally significant and entered into the National Film Registry in 1992.

<i>We Faw Down</i> 1928 film

We Faw Down is a silent short subject directed by Leo McCarey starring comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. It was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on December 29, 1928. It was remade in part with their film Sons of the Desert in 1933.

<i>Pardon Us</i> 1931 film

Pardon Us is a 1931 American pre-Code Laurel and Hardy film. It was the duo's first starring feature-length comedy film, produced by Hal Roach and Stan Laurel, directed by James Parrott, and originally distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1931.

<i>Unaccustomed As We Are</i> 1929 film

Unaccustomed As We Are is the first sound film comedy starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, released on May 4, 1929.

<i>Putting Pants on Philip</i> 1927 silent comedy short film by Clyde Bruckman

Putting Pants On Philip is a silent short film starring British/American comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. Made in 1927, it is their first "official" film together as a team. The plot involves Laurel as Philip, a young Scot newly arrived in the United States, in full kilted splendor, suffering mishaps involving the kilt. His uncle, played by Hardy, is shown trying to put trousers on him.

<i>Block-Heads</i> 1938 film by John G. Blystone

Block-Heads is a 1938 comedy film directed by John G. Blystone and starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. It was produced by Hal Roach Studios for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film, a reworking of elements from the Laurel and Hardy shorts We Faw Down (1928) and Unaccustomed As We Are (1929), was Roach's final film for MGM.

<i>Saps at Sea</i> 1940 film by Gordon Douglas

Saps at Sea is a 1940 American comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas, distributed by United Artists. It was Laurel and Hardy's last film produced by the Hal Roach Studios, as well as the last film to feature Ben Turpin and Harry Bernard.

<i>The Second Hundred Years</i> (film) 1927 film

The Second Hundred Years is a 1927 American silent comedy short film starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy prior to their official billing as the duo Laurel and Hardy. The team appeared in a total of 107 films between 1921 and 1951.

<i>The Finishing Touch</i> 1928 film

The Finishing Touch is a 1928 short comedy silent film produced by Hal Roach, directed by Clyde Bruckman and starring Laurel and Hardy. It was released February 25, 1928 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<i>Wrong Again</i> 1929 film

Wrong Again is a 1929 American two-reel silent comedy film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Laurel and Hardy. It was filmed in October and November 1928, and released February 23, 1929, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Although a silent film, it was released with a synchronized music and sound-effects track in theaters equipped for sound.

<i>Leave Em Laughing</i> 1928 film

Leave 'Em Laughing is a 1928 two-reel silent film starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Produced by the Hal Roach Studios, it was shot in October 1927 and released January 28, 1928 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<i>Nothing but Trouble</i> (1944 film) 1944 slapstick comedy movie with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy directed by Sam Taylor

Nothing But Trouble is a 1944 Laurel and Hardy feature film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directed by Sam Taylor

<i>Jitterbugs</i> 1943 film by Malcolm St. Clair

Jitterbugs is a 1943 Laurel and Hardy feature film produced by Sol M. Wurtzel and directed by Mal St.Clair.

<i>Tit for Tat</i> (1935 film) 1935 American film

Tit for Tat is a 1935 short comedy film starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. It is the only direct sequel they made, following the story of Them Thar Hills, which was released the previous year and includes the same two supporting characters, Mr. and Mrs. Hall, portrayed by Charlie Hall and Mae Busch. This "two-reeler" is notable too for being nominated for an Academy Award as Best Live Action Short Film (Comedy) of 1935, although it did not win. It also has a central theme similar to the comedy duo's 1929 silent short Big Business. In the opening scene of Tit for Tat, Oliver places a sign in the front window of his and Stan's electrical store. It reads "Open for Big Business", an allusion to the escalating revenge and "reciprocal destruction" common to both films.

<i>Busy Bodies</i> 1933 film

Busy Bodies is a 1933 short comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy.

<i>Swiss Miss</i> (film) 1938 film by Hal Roach, John G. Blystone

Swiss Miss is a 1938 comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy. It was directed by John G. Blystone, and produced by Hal Roach. The film features Walter Woolf King, Della Lind and Eric Blore.

<i>The Hoose-Gow</i> 1929 film

The Hoose-Gow is a 1929 short film starring Laurel and Hardy, directed by James Parrott and produced by Hal Roach.

<i>Me and My Pal</i> (1933 film) 1933 American film

Me and My Pal is a 1933 pre-Code short film starring Laurel and Hardy, directed by Lloyd French and Charles Rogers, and produced by Hal Roach. In 2016, it was one of several Laurel and Hardy films to be restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

<i>Going Bye-Bye!</i> 1934 American film

Going Bye Bye is a 1934 American pre-Code comedy short film starring Laurel and Hardy.

<i>County Hospital</i> (film) 1932 film

County Hospital is a Laurel and Hardy short film made in 1932. It was directed by James Parrott, produced by Hal Roach and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Ollie is in hospital with a broken leg, Stan comes to visit and ends up getting Ollie kicked out; on the way home Stan crashes the car.

References

  1. Everson, William K. (1967), The Complete Films of Laurel & Hardy, Citadel Press, pp. 73–75, ISBN   0806501464.