Dirty Work (1933) starring Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy
Dirty Work – mix Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy as inept chimney sweeps, with a mad scientist and his rejuvenation potion …
Review
Dirty Work is an absolutely hilarious Laurel and Hardy comedy! It’s short, with tons of funny verbal humor, as well as the boys’ trademark slapstick. The basic premise is that they’re a pair of (inept) chimney sweeps, who’ve been hired by a Professor Noodle, to clean his chimney. As they proceed to do their typical, destructive, slapstick …. The professor is putting his finishing touches on his work of twenty years. A rejuvenation formula! To make people young again. At the end, Ollie unintentionally “tests” it for the professor …
Comedy highlights
- First, Stan “helping” Ollie take off his coat
- Stan breaking, then “silencing” the clock.
- Stan pushing the chimney sweep up the chimney …. And knocking Oliver off the roof!
- Oliver unintentionally pulling Stan up the chimney
- Needing another extension for the chimney sweep, Stan uses a rifle! And it goes off …. And shoots a duck!
- Stan accidentally knocks Ollie all the way off the roof.
- Later, Stan pulls Ollie down — destroying the brick chimney on the roof!
- The bricks, then falling on Ollie’s head is hilarious! It’s literally a study in comedic timing.
- Cleaning up their mess, Stan “shovels up” the carpet.
- Stan accidentally shoveling the ashes into Ollie’s pants!
- Hand me the eye dropper
- I have nothing to say.
Be sure to check out the Dirty Work photo gallery as well.
Cast
- Stan Laurel (Pack Up Your Troubles) … Stan
- Oliver Hardy (Sons of the Desert) … Ollie
- Samuel Adams (Pick a Star, Violent is the Word for Curly) … Jessup the butler. Funny, though slightly odd, butler. He gets covered in soot by Stan and Ollie.
- Jiggs … Chimpanzee
- Lucien Littlefield (Scared Stiff, The Little Foxes) … Professor Noodle. The mad scientist, who does quite a funny performance.