krorie The comic geniuses, Laurel and Hardy, made so many hilarious shorts that it is hard to choose a best one. Certainly "The Music Box," which garnished the duo an Oscar, is as good as the best humor ever put on celluloid. Though Laurel and Hardy made at least two masterful feature films, "Way Out West" and "Sons of the Desert," their shorts are among their greatest moments on the big screen. "Them Thar Hills" is non-stop laughter both physical and verbal from beginning to end.Mr. Hardy is in need of rest, says wise doctor Billy Gilbert. He has had too much high living. Mr. Laurel suggests that they move down to the basement, but Dr. Gilbert counters with recommending a trip to the mountains and to be sure and drink lots and lots of water. Laurel convinces Hardy to rent a hook-on trailer and the boys are off on another misadventure. Just before they decide on a camping spot near a well, a bunch of moonshiners dump their payload into the well to destroy the evidence as the revenuers close in on them. Though the idea of putting whiskey or moonshine into the drinking supply for comedic effect was not new--Charlie Chaplin used the ploy for one of his classic shorts, "The Cure," as early as 19l7--the situation is different and Laurel and Hardy adapt it to their unique brand of humor.The two are doing just fine in an outrageously funny scene where the two prepare a meal with making a pot of coffee becoming as funny as falling off a chair backwards. Naturally they use the spiked well water for the coffee. Both proceed to get looped. Enter a couple who have run out of gas and seek the assistance of Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy. Bad mistake. what takes place is one of the funniest slapstick routines ever filmed. Aiding in the sequence is a Laurel and Hardy regular, Charley Hall, second only to the magnificent James Finlayson as a perfect foil for the boys. His companion in hilarity is another Laurel and Hardy regular, Mae Busch, one of the screens great comediennes.Anyone who doesn't roll with laughter watching "Them Thar Hills" needs to have his/her funny bone checked out immediately. Those who enjoy "Them Thar Hills" should check out its sequel, "Tit for Tat," and let the fun continue.

Jackson Booth-Millard Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are the most famous comedy duo in history, and deservedly so, so I am happy to see any of their films. With a broken leg Ollie is recommended by The Doctor (County Hospital's Billy Gilbert) that he and Stan should get away from the home life, so Stan has the idea that they rent a trailer and take it to the countryside. Before they get to their location, some bandits throw stolen alcohol into the near well, and after everyone is gone, Ollie and Stan soon arrive and park their trailer. As they try to get some food and coffee organised, they don't realise that there is alcohol in the water they are drinking, Ollie is sure it is the lead. Soon enough they are joined by Mr. and Mrs. Hall (Charlie Hall, Mae Busch), who are looking for fuel, and while the husband sorts out their car, the wife joins Ollie and Stan getting drunk on the "healthy" mountain water. Mr. Hall realises the alcohol in the water, and he starts an argument with Ollie and Stan, and they respond covering with his hair on his chin, a plunger his forehead and some treacle or whatever and feathers, the film ends with Hall getting the last laugh though when he sets Ollie's backside alight, and he jumps into the well! Filled with wonderful slapstick and all classic comedy you could want from a black and white film, it is an enjoyable film. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were number 7 on The Comedians' Comedian. Very good!

Theo Robertson Stan and Ollie hire a trailer and go for a camping trip to the remote countryside , get accidentally drunk ( It can happen you know ) and that`s basically it as far as the threadbare plot goes . However the film feels more cohesive than some of the other L & H shorts which are sometimes a series of set piece prat falls with little regard to the over all plot . There`s also a very memorable ditty that goes La la la lala lala la la la Pom Pom Which will disappear into your head and then reappear in your memory sometime in the future and will have you scratching your head asking " Where does that song come from ? " Just like everyone else on this page I liked THEM THAR HILLS but wouldn`t say it`s the greatest ever L & H short . In fact I wouldn`t even say it`s the greatest short featuring Mr and Mrs Hall because the sequel TIT FOR TAT released the following year is even better

Snow Leopard This is a good Laurel & Hardy short comedy, with one particularly hilarious sequence. With Ollie suffering from too much high living, the two take a trip to the country to live the simple life for a while, but instead they find themselves getting into one caper after another. After some adventures of their own, they encounter a pair of stranded motorists. Their extended squabble with Charlie Hall in the last part of the film is non-stop laughs, and one of their funniest sequences. That, and plenty of other laughs in the rest of the film, make "Them Thar Hills" one of the best-remembered Laurel & Hardy short features.