Be Big!

[StevePulaski]

Be Big! (1931)
Directed by: James W. Horne

Hardy and Laurel fight to get their boots on in Be Big!.

Rating: ★★

Be Big! should be one of those early, late-1800's film shorts that lasted about a minute or a minute and a half in length and were clearly spur-of-the-moment and provided a momentary relief from the drudgery of ones day. Instead, it's a nearly thirty-minute long, failed attempt at comedy from one of America's most famous comedy duos, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. The short concerns the two men about to go to Atlantic City with their wives until Hardy abruptly changes plans when his pal calls and informs him of a stag party that is taking place in their honor. In order to get out of the trip, Hardy pretends to be ill and in pain and implores Laurel to stay behind, promising to meet the wives in the morning. The plan would be fool-proof if those executing it weren't fools themselves, as much of the short concerns Laurel attempting to pull the boots off of Hardy's feet, resulting in mishaps galore.

What ensues is a repetitive and dreadfully overlong account of Laurel attempting to undress Hardy, and being that this is a film with sound and dialog, it clearly functions in that time when screenwriting with vocal dialog was something to still be practiced, resulting in Be Big! playing like a silent comedy in terms of its simple narrative. Because of this, the simplicity of the short is also its greatest issue, with the short never reaching comedic heights in terms of writing or performances, and we're robbed of the great situational comedy typically brought on by the team of director James W. Horne and writer H.M. Walker.

Be Big! does have one memorable thing about it; it's what I was practically telling the short's ambition and scope to do while watching it.

Starring: Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Directed by: James W. Horne.