Come Clean (1931) starring Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Mae Busch, Charlie Hall
In Come Clean, no good deed goes unpunished. On their way to get ice cream for their wives, they rescue a drowning woman. Who then decides that they’re now obligated to take care of her! How to tell their wives?
Come Clean is a very funny Laurel and Hardy short film. It begins innocently enough, with Mr. & Mrs. Hardy enjoying a quiet evening at home …
Oliver: Darling, isn’t it wonderful to be alone?
Mrs. Hardy: Oh, it certainly is, honey. And what a relief not to be bothered with those Laurels tonight.
Oliver: Now we can have a nice quiet evening. Nothing to mar our happiness.
Mrs. Hardy: Oh, Poppa! [the Laurels ring the doorbell]
At first, the Hardys pretend to not be at home. But Stan writes them a note, and sticks it under the door. And when Stan sees it being pulled into the apartment, it’s obvious that they are home after all. So, the Hardys decide to put a good face on things, and then invite their “friends” the Laurels in. And soon, the wives send Stan and Oliver out to get ice cream:
At the Ice Cream Parlor
Ice Cream Attendant: What can I do for you?
Oliver: We’d like a quart of your best ice cream, please.
Ice Cream Attendant: Yes, sir. What flavor?
Oliver: What flavors have you?
Ice Cream Attendant: Strawberry, Pineapple, and Vanilla.
Oliver: [to Stanley] What Flavor do you want?
Stanley: I’ll have chocolate.
Ice Cream Attendant: I’m sorry, but we’re out of chocolate.
Stanley: Have you any mustachio?
Ice Cream Attendant: No, we’re out of mustachio.
Stanley: You’re out of mustachio?
Ice Cream Attendant: [angry] Yes!
Stanley: He’s out of mustachio.
Oliver: Mm-Hm.
Stanley: What other flavors are you out of?
Ice Cream Attendant: Strawberry… We’re out out of Orange, Gooseberry and Chocolate!
Stanley: Alright, I’ll have it without Chocolate!
No good deed goes unpunished
On their way back home, Stan and Ollie prevent a shrewish woman named Kate (Mae Busch) from committing suicide. The ungrateful Kate demands that they now look after her.
Kate: Where am I? What happened?
Stanley: We saved your life.
Kate: You’ve got a lot of nerve, butting into other people’s affairs. Well, now that you’ve saved me, you can take care of me.
And so the boys spend a frantic evening trying to keep her out of sight from their wives. She’s eventually hidden in the Hardys’ bathroom with Stan. But Kate is soon exposed. Not only that, The doorman has called a policeman. Kate’s arrested as a wanted criminal! And then Stan is informed that he is entitled to a $1,000 reward for her capture! When Stan suggests spending the money on ice cream, Ollie pulls the bathtub plug (where Stan was sitting) and flushes him down the plumbing!
Cast
- Stan Laurel (Angora Love) … Stan
- Oliver Hardy (Below Zero) … Ollie
- Mae Busch (Oliver the Eighth) … Kate
- Gertrude Astor (Tassels in the Air) … Mrs. Hardy
- Linda Loredo … Mrs. Laurel
- Charlie Hall (Any Old Port) … Ice cream attendant
Trivia
- Silent film actor Tiny Sandford has a minor appearance as a doorman
- Gordon Douglas, who has a small role as the hotel desk clerk, later became a major director and directed Zenobia (1939) and Saps at Sea (1940),