A Chump at Oxford

Last updated
A Chump at Oxford
L&H Chump at Oxford 1940.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Alfred J. Goulding
Written by Charley Rogers
Felix Adler
Harry Langdon [1]
Produced by Hal Roach Jr.
Hal Roach
Starring Stan Laurel
Oliver Hardy
Wilfred Lucas
James Finlayson
Anita Garvin
Forrester Harvey
Peter Cushing
Charlie Hall
Cinematography Art Lloyd
Edited byBert Jordan [1]
Music by Marvin Hatley
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
  • February 16, 1940 (1940-02-16)
Running time
42:01 (streamliner version)
62:41 (extended version)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$230,297 [2]

A Chump at Oxford is a Hal Roach comedy film produced in 1939 and released in 1940 by United Artists. It was directed by Alfred J. Goulding and was the penultimate Laurel and Hardy film made at the Roach studio. [3] [4] The title echoes the film A Yank at Oxford (1938), of which it is a partial parody.

Contents

Plot

Stan and Ollie find themselves in dire financial straits, left with only a modest sum of money. Seeking employment, they undertake a rather unconventional venture: Stan disguises himself as a maid named "Agnes" to secure a catering position at a dinner party hosted by Mr. Vanderveer. However, their plans go awry when Stan indulges in the cocktails intended for the guests, leading to a series of comical mishaps culminating in their expulsion from the premises. [1]

Subsequently, the duo embarks on a journey of self-improvement, recognizing the need for education to elevate their prospects. Their serendipitous encounter with a bank robber results in their employment at the bank, where they are offered an opportunity to pursue higher learning. Enrolling at Oxford University in England, they navigate a series of misadventures, including mistaken identities and university hazing rituals orchestrated by mischievous undergraduates.

Amidst the chaos, Stan undergoes a transformation, regaining a lost identity as Lord Paddington, a celebrated figure with remarkable intellect and physical prowess. However, his newfound status strains his relationship with Ollie, who feels marginalized and disrespected. As events unfold, including an incident involving a falling window, Stan's return to his former self fosters reconciliation and a renewed sense of camaraderie between the two friends.

Cast

Uncredited

Production

A Chump at Oxford was originally conceived as a streamliner featurette. The completed film ran 42 minutes in length. Roach's distributor, United Artists, rejected the featurette and insisted on a full-length feature film, [7] forcing Roach to add 21 more minutes of action. The added scenes, partially reworking the silent film From Soup to Nuts (1928), show Laurel and Hardy trying to find temporary jobs at the employment agency, and being assigned to work at the dinner party.

The shorter version was shelved, [8] and the longer version was released to theaters and later to television; this 63-minute print is the version most often seen today. The shorter version was ultimately released to theaters in 1943. A later reissue was further reedited, jumping abruptly from Stan and Ollie's entering the employment agency to them sweeping the streets. A 25-minute version created for television distribution is entitled Alter Ego.

As Lord Paddington, Stan Laurel employs an upper class received pronunciation accent, the only time he affected a voice different from "Stan" on film.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurel and Hardy</span> British-American comedy duo

Laurel and Hardy were a British-American comedy team during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo in the silent film era, they later successfully transitioned to "talkies". From the late 1920s to the mid-1950s, they were internationally famous for their slapstick comedy, with Laurel playing the clumsy, childlike friend to Hardy's pompous bully. Their signature theme song, known as "The Cuckoo Song", "Ku-Ku", or "The Dance of the Cuckoos" was heard over their films' opening credits, and became as emblematic of them as their bowler hats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hal Roach</span> American filmmaker (1892–1992)

Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr. was an American film and television producer, director, screenwriter, and centenarian, who was the founder of the namesake Hal Roach Studios.

<i>Big Business</i> (1929 film) 1929 American short film by James W. Horne

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>Helpmates</i> 1932 short film by James Parrott

Helpmates is a Laurel and Hardy Pre-Code short film comedy. It was directed by James Parrott, produced by Hal Roach and released by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer on January 23, 1932.

<i>Unaccustomed As We Are</i> 1929 short film by Lewis R. Foster

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

<i>Chickens Come Home</i> 1931 film

Chickens Come Home is a 1931 American pre-Code short film starring Laurel and Hardy, directed by James W. Horne and produced by Hal Roach. It was shot in January 1931 and released on February 21, 1931. It is a remake of the 1927 silent film Love 'em and Weep in which James Finlayson plays Hardy's role and Hardy plays a party guest.

<i>Our Relations</i> 1936 film by Harry Lachman

Our Relations is a 1936 American comedy film directed by Harry Lachman starring Laurel and Hardy, produced by Stan Laurel for Hal Roach Studios.

<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 short film by Fred Guiol

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>From Soup to Nuts</i> 1928 film

From Soup to Nuts is a silent short subject directed by E. Livingston Kennedy starring comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. It was released on March 24, 1928, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<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>Blotto</i> (film) 1930 film

Blotto is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film directed by James Parrott and starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. The short was produced by Hal Roach and originally distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<i>Be Big!</i> 1931 film

Be Big! is a Hal Roach three-reel comedy starring Laurel and Hardy. It was shot in November and December 1930, and released on February 7, 1931.

<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>Laughing Gravy</i> 1931 film

Laughing Gravy is a 1931 short film comedy starring Laurel and Hardy. It was directed by James W. Horne, produced by Hal Roach and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<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.

Hal Roach's Streamliners are a series of featurette comedy films created by Hal Roach that are longer than a short subject and shorter than a feature film, not exceeding 50 minutes in length. Twenty of the 29 features that Roach produced for United Artists were in the streamliner format. They usually consisted of five 10-minute reels.

<i>Stan & Ollie</i> 2018 film by Jon S. Baird

Stan & Ollie is a 2018 biographical comedy-drama film directed by Jon S. Baird. The script, written by Jeff Pope, was inspired by Laurel and Hardy: The British Tours by A.J. Marriot which chronicled the later years of the comedy double act Laurel and Hardy; the film stars Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly as Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. The film focuses on details of the comedy duo's personal relationship while relating how they embarked on a gruelling music hall tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland during 1953 and struggled to get another film made.

Unaccustomed as We Are is a short comedy film produced by Hal Roach and directed by Lewis R. Foster. It was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on May 4, 1929. This picture was the first "all-talking" Laurel and Hardy comedy. The working title was Their Last Word. The title was changed to Unaccustomed as We Are, a play on the familiar phrase "Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking..."

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Nash, J.R. (2019). The Encyclopedia of Best Films: A Century of All the Finest Movies, A-J. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 234. ISBN   978-1-5381-3413-9 . Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  2. ↑ Ward, Richard Lewis (2005). A history of the Hal Roach Studios. Southern Illinois University Press. p. 213. - figures are producer's share from US/Canada
  3. ↑ Aping, N. (2014). The Final Film of Laurel and Hardy: A Study of the Chaotic Making and Marketing of Atoll K. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 83. ISBN   978-0-7864-5174-6 . Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  4. ↑ Ward, R.L. (2006). A History of the Hal Roach Studios. Southern Illinois University Press. p. 114. ISBN   978-0-8093-2727-0 . Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Fetrow, A.G. (1994). Feature Films, 1940-1949: A United States Filmography . McFarland. p.  83. ISBN   978-0-89950-914-3 . Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  6. 1 2 Kael, P. (2011). 5001 Nights at the Movies. Henry Holt and Company. p. 137. ISBN   978-1-250-03357-4 . Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  7. ↑ Variety, "UA Orders Hal Roach to Tack On Footage to L-H 4-Reelers", Nov. 15, 1939, p. 2.
  8. ↑ MacGillivray, Scott, Laurel & Hardy: From the Forties Forward, iUniverse, 2009, ISBN 978-1440172373, p. 4.
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.