In Slipping Wives, Priscilla is married to an artist named Leon. However, Leon is not showing much interest in her. So she hatches a plan to make him jealous with Stan. But he doesn’t get along with their butler, Oliver.
Slipping Wives (1927) starring Priscilla Dean, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy
Slipping Wives is one of the early Laurel and Hardy films where they’re not partners, but antagonists. There’s a fair amount of slapstick comedy in the 20 minute short, and it’s enjoyable, complete with a happy ending for the estranged couple.
Comedy highlights
- Squirtz accidentally puts his silk top hat on the artist’s paint palette — nearly walking off with the palette unawares.
- Ferdinand arriving with a load of paint supplies. Which Jarvis insists must be delivered through the servants entrance. Which leads to a fight, a puddle of spilled paint, which Jarvis lands face-down in.
- Jarvis insists Ferdinand must take a bath before donning the master’s clothes. Which leads to a comic chase, ending with Jarvis falling into the bathwater. Who then dunks Ferdinand in it repeatedly!
- Stan, pretending to be a novelist, tells a warped version of Samson and Delilah
- Jarvis, who strongly dislikes Stan, has to share a bedroom with him!
- Final chase scene.
Editorial Reviews
Priscilla Dean is feeling unwanted by her husband and hires Stan Laurel as her paramour to make her husband jealous. Unfortunately for Stan, the couple’s butler, Oliver Hardy, takes an immediate dislike to the dimwitted rival, making his life miserable.
Cast of characters
- Priscilla Dean (The Gray Ghost) … The Neglected Wife
- Herbert Rawlinson (Dark Victory) … Leon – the Husband
- Stan Laurel (Sons of the Desert) … Ferdinand Flamingo aka Lionel Ironsides
- Oliver Hardy (Way Out West) … Jarvis – the Butler
- Albert Conti (The Black Cat 1934) … Hon. Winchester Squirtz
Trivia
- Partially remade in 1935 as The Fixer-Uppers with Stan and Ollie and as a more complete remake in 1937 as Man Bites Love Bug with Charley Chase.
- This was the 4th film In which Stan and Ollie appeared together although in their first two they were unrelated characters so that their third film –Duck Soup, was their first real film together although here they are again reduced to unrelated roles, It was however the first in their long string of comedies involving jealous wives, angry husbands and gold diggers, The others in the cast were former big name stars who had lost their popularity and were reduced to appearing as supporting actors. in 2 reel comedies.
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