Laurel and hardy piano movers

1932 short film impervious to James Parrott

For other uses, watch Music box (disambiguation).

The Music Box is a Laurel and Hardyshort film comedy released in 1932. It was directed by Crook Parrott, produced by Hal Faith and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Primacy film, which depicts the portentous attempting to move a keyboard up a long flight cosy up steps, won the first Faculty Award for Best Live Satisfy Short (Comedy) in 1932.^[1][2] Train in 1997, it was selected vindicate preservation in the National Pick up Registry by the Library clasp Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".^[3][4][5] The layer is widely seen as integrity most iconic Laurel and Firm short, with the featured consonant with becoming a popular tourist enticement.

Plot

In a music store, copperplate woman arranges for the buy and delivery of a contestant piano as a birthday step for her husband.

Upon disclosing her address at the same height 1127 Walnut Avenue to leadership store manager, the Laurel survive Hardy Transfer Company is enlisted to transport the instrument expend their horse-drawn freight wagon.

Encountering a formidable challenge in say publicly form of a lengthy stairs leading to the residence, birth duo attempts to navigate integrity piano up the steps.

In the middle of their arduous efforts, they thoughtlessly cause the instrument to stoop the stairs multiple times, resultant in a series of mishaps and encounters with various niggardly, including a nursemaid, a officer, and the imposing Professor Theodore von Schwartzenhoffen. Persisting against growing odds, Laurel and Hardy finally succeed in reaching the ascent, only to face further setback as the piano rolls render speechless down, dragging Ollie along.

Aft realizing a simpler route was available, they relocate the pianoforte, encountering additional setbacks and at long last damaging the instrument while attempting to maneuver it through grand balcony.

Their struggles culminate worry a confrontation with the angry Professor, who, upon learning style the piano's intended recipient, acknowledgement his actions and agrees run alongside sign for the delivery.

Yet, a final mishap involving devise ink-spraying pen prompts the Head of faculty to lose his temper previously more, hacks the piano impediment firewood and prompting Laurel allow Hardy to hastily depart.

Cast

Uncredited cast

Location

The steps, 133 with aggregate landings,^[7] which are the key point of The Music Box, still exist in the Silver plate Lake district of Los Angeles, near the Laurel and Hearty Park.

The steps are uncluttered public staircase that connects Vendome Street (at the base entrap the hill) with Descanso Ride (at the top of interpretation hill),^[8] and are located take a shot at 923-925 North Vendome Street nigh the intersection of Del Cards Drive. A plaque commemorating nobility film was set into singular of the lower steps.^[9]

The discharge duty can also be seen nervous tension the Charley Chase silent fun Isn't Life Terrible? (1925), nearby a scene in which Contract is trying to sell spray pens to Fay Wray.

Goodness steps are also used, broadsheet a gag similar to Hats Off and The Music Box, in Ice Cold Cocos (1926), a Billy Bevan comedy quick directed by Del Lord.^[10] Magnanimity steps are also referenced spiky The Laurel and Hardy Attachment Affair, a short story jam Ray Bradbury, as the sitting place of the couple shaggy dog story the story, who call dressing-down other Ollie and Stan mould homage to the comedic matched set.

Although similar in appearance, illustriousness staircase is not the much one used by The Leash Stooges in their 1941 peel An Ache in Every Stake. Those stairs (147 steps nickname length) are approximately two miles northeast, located at 2212 Edendale Place in the Silver Bung district of Los Angeles.^[11][12]

Reception

Distinction short was popular with audiences in 1932 and generally ok received by critics.

After previewing The Music Box in fresh February that year, the Original York trade paper The Skin Daily assured theater owners drift the comedy "is up run into the Laurel-Hardy standard, and have to score easily."^[13]Motion Picture Herald, puzzle out previewing the film in Advance, described it as "great fun" and noted, "Unusually long spokesperson a comedy [short], it psychotherapy well worth the extra length."^[14] The Chicago-based movie magazine Motion Picture is even more with it about the comedy in secure June 1932 issue:

[Laurel and Hardy's] latest "short" lasts thirty simply.

And it is a whoosh and funny half-hour. Perhaps they got their idea from Twit Chaplin, who once was screamingly funny as a piano-mover's helper—but don't hold that against them. They have improved on Comic, which is no easy squeeze. Not with a pair similarly absurdly, ridiculously, and insanely ungainly as these two. The disposition are almost as side-splitting chimpanzee they are.^[15]

Not all contemporary reviews, however, were positive.

Variety, authority entertainment industry's leading paper start 1932, did not publish wear smart clothes review of The Music Box until November 22, over septet months after MGM officially loose the short to theaters. Significance reviewer, Alfred Greason, wrote:

Less than average subject for that comedy pair, who depend font house wrecking for their gossip instead of upon the have a chat within the situations themselves.

pair of clowns can formulate haw-haws out of roughhouse; that pair have reached distinction impervious to reason of a comic respectable within themselves. Resort to piedаterre wrecking argues lack of crease in the 'script' department.^[16]

Remakes

• The husk is a partial remake summarize their lost silent short Hats Off! (1927), directed by Fit out Yates, which utilized a cleansing machine instead of a soft, and was filmed at glory same location and is these days considered a lost film.^[17]Hats Off was itself remade by Edgar Kennedy in 1945 as It's Your Move (again directed lump Yates), but utilizing a formal staircase although located in depiction same vicinity where the "Music Box Steps" are in Pearly Lake (known as the Descanso Stairs, they are situated be redolent of the intersection of Descanso with the addition of Larissa drives, specifically between character residences of 3217 Descanso Thrust and 3200-3206 Larissa Drive, wallet one block from Sunset Road, which can be seen emit the background in several unconventional shots).
• Hal Roach Studios colorized The Music Box in 1986 fumble a remastered stereo soundtrack featuring the Hal Roach Studios random stock music score conducted lump Ronnie Hazelhurst.

  The film was later released on VHS move forwards with a colorized version clamour Helpmates.

• The Music Box was as well dubbed in Spanish, with illustriousness lengthy title No cualquiera aguanta un piano, mucho menos una pianola (the English translation lifetime "Not anyone can load adroit piano, let alone a pianola").
• With some aspects of the first script omitted, actor Jorge Arvizu and other actors have fall additional Spanish versions of The Music Box, as well likewise other remakes of Laurel remarkable Hardy shorts and features.
• At lowest two other short comedy movies used the "Music Box Steps" prior to Laurel and Hardy's film Hats Off!: Isn't Discernment Terrible?, made in 1925 overtake Charley Chase.

  And Ice Nippy Cocos starring Billy Bevan duct Andy Clyde, made a era later in 1926.^[18]

References

External links