Laurel and Hardy‘s short film Twice Two (1933)
Synopsis of Laurel and Hardy’s short film, Twice Two starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy
In Twice Two, brain specialist Oliver Hardy and his assistant Stan Laurel married each other’s sister a year ago. They phone their wives to plan a special anniversary dinner … But the wives have a special dinner at home planned, which falls apart once the wives start fighting with each other.
review of Laurel and Hardy’s short film, Twice Two
In Twice Two Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy play dual roles, playing both their regular characters as well as their own sisters. Stan has married Ollie’s sister and vice versa, and the short film (30 minutes in length) deals with the simple subject of them trying to celebrate their one-year anniversary. The pacing of the short film is very quick, with lots of room for the boys’ classic comedy, both as themselves and as their sisters.
Some highlights include:
- Oliver typing on an old-style manual typewriter, with the carriage knocking over Ollie’s glass of water and soaking his hat.
- Stan and Ollie, fighting “through” the telephone, ending with Ollie’s “ink” gag backfiring on him
- Stan, at dinner, doing a funny bit with simply trying to eat a bowl of soup
- The “girls” trying to add an extension to the table, resulting in Oliver’s sister ending up with a face full of cake
- Stan attempting to purchase ice cream at the corner drug store — and repetitively calling home for more instructions from his wife
- The cat-fight between the “girls”
In all, Twice Too is a very funny, very enjoyable Laurel and Hardy short film, and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.
Trivia for Twice Two starring Laurel and Hardy
- The other films in which Laurel and Hardy play dual roles are Brats and Our Relations.
- The voice of Mrs. Hardy (Stan’s sister) is dubbed by Carol Tevis, whose voice is dubbed on the Munchkin singers in the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz.
- The voice of Mrs. Laurel (Oliver’s sister) is dubbed by Mae Wallace (who also appeared with Laurel and Hardy in County Hospital as a Nurse).
- This is the second time Stan Laurel appears in drag as Oliver Hardy’s wife; the first was That’s My Wife four years earlier, in which, after Ollie’s real wife leaves him, he enlists Stan to dress in drag and pass him off to his rich uncle as his wife. Stan also dressed in drag three years earlier, briefly, in Another Fine Mess, being passed off to prospective house tenants as a maid. Subsequently, Stan would appear in drag once more, ten years later, in Jitterbugs, briefly, as a Boston matron.
- It was the last film directed for them by James Parrott.
Funny movie quotes from Twice Two starring Laurel and Hardy
Oliver (Oliver Hardy): Baby, how about we go out to dinner?
Stanley (Stan Laurel): [butting in] That’s a good idea. Let’s go to Foo-Yung’s and get some sukiyaki.
Oliver (Oliver Hardy): “Sukiyaki.” Hmph!
Stanley (Stan Laurel): Ollie said we should go out to dinner to celebrate our university.
Oliver (Oliver Hardy): Well what did she say?
Stanley (Stan Laurel): She told me not to tell you that she’s got a surprise for you.
Oliver (Oliver Hardy): Well don’t tell me.
Stanley (Stan Laurel): I won’t. I can keep a secret.
Mrs. Laurel (Oliver Hardy): Where’s the ice cream?
Stanley (Stan Laurel): They didn’t have any.
Mrs. Laurel (Oliver Hardy): Well why didn’t you go somewhere else?
Stanley (Stan Laurel): Well I spent the fifteen cents calling you up.
Mrs. Laurel (Oliver Hardy): “Spent the fifteen cents calling me up.” Hmph!
Stanley (Stan Laurel): Fanny.
Mrs. Laurel (Oliver Hardy): What?
Stanley (Stan Laurel): Would you go to the kitchen and get the horse’s radish?
Mrs. Laurel (Oliver Hardy): You go get it yourself. “Horse’s radish”! Hmph!
Fight!
Oliver (Oliver Hardy): Can we stop this quarreling to get dinner over with so I can find out what the surprise is?!?
Mrs. Laurel (Oliver Hardy): [To Stan] Oh! So you did tell him, didn’t you?
[Stan nods. Mrs. Laurel looks at the ceiling and when Stan does so too she smashes a plate on his neck]
Mrs. Laurel (Oliver Hardy): Now let that be a lesson to you!
Mrs. Hardy (Stan Laurel): Why don’t you leave him alone. You’re always picking on him. Pick pick pick pick.
Mrs. Laurel (Oliver Hardy): You keep your big mouth out of this!
Mrs. Hardy (Stan Laurel): [gasp] Did you hear what she said?
Oliver (Oliver Hardy): [gives a little nod]
Mrs. Hardy (Stan Laurel): [crying] I haven’t got a big mouth have I?
Oliver (Oliver Hardy): [shakes his head]
Delivery boy: Does Mrs. Laurel live here?
Mrs. Hardy (Stan Laurel): Mmm-hmm.
Delivery boy: Will you see that she gets this cake?
Mrs. Hardy (Stan Laurel): I certainly will.
[takes the cake and goes to her]
Mrs. Hardy (Stan Laurel): The man said to be sure you got this.
Mrs. Laurel (Oliver Hardy): Thank you.
Mrs. Hardy (Stan Laurel): [slams the cake into her face]