Them Thar Hills

Last updated
Them Thar Hills
L&H Them Thar Hills 1934.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed by Charley Rogers
Written byStan Laurel
H.M. Walker
Produced by Hal Roach
Starring Stan Laurel
Oliver Hardy
Mae Busch
Charlie Hall
Billy Gilbert
Cinematography Art Lloyd
Edited by Bert Jordan
Music by Billy Hill (song "The Old Spinning Wheel")
Marvin Hatley
Leroy Shield
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • July 21, 1934 (1934-07-21)
Running time
20 min 28 sec
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Them Thar Hills is a 1934 American comedy short film directed by Charley Rogers and starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. [1] The film was so well received by audiences that producer Hal Roach and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer made a sequel, Tit for Tat , which was released five months later, in January 1935. [1]

Contents

Plot

At the behest of a medical practitioner, Stan and Ollie embark on a therapeutic retreat to the mountainous environs, with the aim of facilitating Ollie's convalescence from gout. Their sojourn leads them to a secluded site adjacent to an erstwhile abode of moonshiners, who, in a last-ditch effort to evade Prohibition authorities, disposed of their contraband by inundating a proximate well with copious quantities of illicit liquor. Unaware of the tainted nature of the water source, Stan and Ollie unwittingly incorporate it into their daily regimen, employing it for culinary purposes, most notably in the preparation of coffee.

Stan's discernment of an anomalous hue in the potable fluid elicits Ollie's dismissive ascription of its peculiarity to the purportedly endemic presence of iron in mountainous aquifers, ostensibly fortifying its therapeutic efficacy for the nervous system.

The narrative unfolds with the fortuitous arrival of a stranded couple beset by vehicular misfortune, whose interaction with Stan and Ollie serves as a catalyst for ensuing comedic entanglements. While the husband, characterized by a disposition of irascibility, ventures to procure fuel with Stan's assistance, his amiable spouse forms an affable rapport with the affable duo, finding solace in their genial company and libations of the potent "mountain water".

Upon the husband's return, the unforeseen inebriation of the trio precipitates a crescendo of discord, culminating in a sequence of retaliatory antics, emblematic of a "tit for tat" paradigm. The ensuing chaos is epitomized by the destruction of the travelers' domicile, the ignominious treatment of the aggrieved husband, and Ollie's inadvertent immersion in the well, catalyzing an explosive denouement.

Cast [2]

Uncredited

Related Research Articles

<i>Sons of the Desert</i> 1933 film by William A. Seiter

Sons of the Desert is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy. Directed by William A. Seiter, it was released in the United States on December 29, 1933. In the United Kingdom, the film was originally released under the title Fraternally Yours.

<i>Way Out West</i> (1937 film) 1937 film by James W. Horne

Way Out West is a 1937 Laurel and Hardy comedy film directed by James W. Horne, produced by Stan Laurel, and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was the second picture for which Stan Laurel was credited as producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Hall (actor, born 1899)</span> English actor (1899–1959)

Charlie Hall was an English film actor. He is best known as the "Little Nemesis" of Laurel and Hardy. He performed in nearly 50 films with them, making Hall the most frequent supporting actor in the comedy duo's productions.

<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>Double Whoopee</i> 1929 film

Double Whoopee is a 1929 Hal Roach Studios silent short comedy starring Laurel and Hardy. It was shot during February 1929 and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on May 18.

<i>Two Tars</i> 1928 film by James Parrott

Two Tars is a silent short subject directed by James Parrott starring comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. It was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on November 3, 1928

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

Block-Heads is a 1938 American 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>They Go Boom</i> 1929 film

They Go Boom is a 1929 short comedy film directed by James Parrott and starring Laurel and Hardy.

<i>Bacon Grabbers</i> 1929 film

Bacon Grabbers is a 1929 silent comedy short starring Laurel and Hardy.

<i>Angora Love</i> 1929 American silent film

Angora Love is the final silent film made by Laurel and Hardy, released on December 14, 1929.

<i>Another Fine Mess</i> 1930 short film by James Parrott

Another Fine Mess is a 1930 short comedy film directed by James Parrott and starring Laurel and Hardy. It is based on the 1908 play Home from the Honeymoon by Arthur J. Jefferson, Stan Laurel's father, and is a remake of their earlier silent film Duck Soup.

<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>The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case</i> 1930 short film by James Parrott

The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case is a Laurel and Hardy pre-Code comedy film released in 1930. It is one of a handful of three-reel comedies they made, running 28 minutes. It was directed by James Parrott, produced by Hal Roach and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<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>The Fixer Uppers</i> 1935 American film

The Fixer Uppers is a 1935 American short comedy film directed by Charles Rogers, starring Laurel and Hardy, and produced by Hal Roach.

<i>Any Old Port!</i> 1932 film

Any Old Port! is an American 1932 pre-Code comedy short film directed by James W. Horne and starring Laurel and Hardy. It was produced by Hal Roach.

<i>Their First Mistake</i> 1932 film

Their First Mistake is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy short starring Laurel and Hardy. Directed by George Marshall, the film was produced by Hal Roach and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charley Rogers</span> British actor (1887–1956)

Charles Rogers was an English film actor, director and screenwriter best known for his association with Laurel and Hardy. He was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, and was the son of provincial English playwright Charles Rogers, and brother of actors John Rogers and Gerald Rogers.

References

  1. 1 2 Thames, Stephanie. "Them Thar Hills (1934)", article, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), Time Warner, Inc., New York, N.Y. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Them Thar Hills (1934)". Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved January 31, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.