Busy Bodies

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy spend an eventful day at a construction site, where they antagonize their coworkers and foreman while constantly screwing up the simplest of chores., This is one of Laurel and Hardy’s most entertaining sound shorts, and perhaps its beauty is in its utter comic simplicity — there’s no plot, just a lot of great, well-paced gags. Stan and Ollie are cheerfully driving to work and listening to their “car radio” — actually a gramophone, hooked up to the dashboard. They playfully give co-worker Charlie Hall a scare by honking their horn at him; the ill-tempered Hall is not amused. Then the boys get to work and the real mayhem begins. For example, Stan gets Ollie’s fingers trapped in a sticky window frame, and when Ollie asks, “Would you mind opening the window?” he opens a totally different one. Stan ends an argument with Hall by giving him a cigar. But it’s not exactly a peace offering, as Stan immediately lets the foreman (Tiny Sanford) know that Hall has lit it up in a “no smoking” area. Simple construction chores are treacherous in Stan and Ollie’s hands — the seat is shaved off of Ollie’s overalls, then a paint brush dipped in glue winds up stuck to his chin. When they finally destroy the foreman’s shack — and almost destroy the poor foreman in the process — the boys decide it’s time to make a fast retreat. In their haste, they drive their car through a saw, slicing it nicely in two. Stan happily discovers, though, that the “radio” still works; Ollie is not so thrilled and chases him away.