Pack Up Your Troubles (1932) Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Don Dillaway, Jackie Lyn Dufton, Mary Carr Movie Review

Pack Up Your Troubles (1932)   4/54/54/54/54/5


Pack Up Your Troubles (1932)

Are You Mr. Smith

When Stan & Ollie's friend dies in the trenches fighting in the war in France they know his baby girl has been left an orphan. So on returning home they decide to try and find their friend's father in order to have him raise the child but as their friend was called Smith finding his father is not that simple. After ending up stopping a wedding thanks to the misunderstanding that the groom is the baby's father they find themselves having to dodge the Welfare Association and only end up getting blamed for a bank robbery when they inadvertently knocked down the bank manager.

Whilst that seems a lot of synopsis it really isn't when it comes to "Pack Up Your Troubles" because like so many Laurel & Hardy movies the storyline may start with one thing but end up some where completely else when the movie is over. As such I reckon when the writing team actually came up with a story idea it was only ever enough for half a movie and so they added on sketches at the beginning and end. As such "Pack Up Your Troubles" actually starts with Laurel & Hardy trying to doge joining up before of course messing up during army training.

And to be honest "Pack Up Your Troubles" does seem to have more storyline than you find in other Laurel & Hardy movies which for me helps because it means there is often purpose to many of the gags rather than just comedy and chaos for the sake of it. Although it is hard not to laugh watching Stan do his hair in the trenches with a fork and a shiny frying pan. I could go on because there are some really entertaining one of gags which add variety to all the chaos you expect from a Laurel & Hardy movie.

What this all boils down to is that "Pack Up Your Troubles" is one of my favourite Laurel & Hardy movies because the humour doesn't feel repetitive and with enough storyline driving it there is often a reason for the gags rather than just humour for humour sake.


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