The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case
About The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case
Stan and Ollie have been fishing for their supper when Ollie reads that Ebenezer Laurel is dead. They go to the mansion for the will. The old man was murdered, and the police hold every possible heir, Stan included. A butler calls the relatives one by one to the telephone in the study, and each one vanishes. Stan and Ollie spend the night in the room where the body was found, scared by a cat's eyes, sheets over the furniture, and a bat. They fight the killer, then wake up. The house, the murder, and the inheritance were a dream they shared.
Cast & crew
More about The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case
James Parrott directed. Hal Roach produced. H. M. Walker wrote the dialogue. Richard C. Currier edited. Elner Raguse was recording engineer. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released the English version on 6 September 1930. Production was in May 1930. It is a three-reel comedy. A Spanish-language version runs 47 minutes.
Themes
Look
George Stevens photographed the short. Walter Lundin is also credited.
Music
Marvin Hatley and Nathaniel Shilkret are credited for the music. The film is a talkie, with dialogue by H. M. Walker.
Preservation
The English version survives and is in the public domain in the United States as of 1 January 2026. The French-language version is listed as lost.
Notes
- The English print timed for release is 29 minutes 43 seconds.
- Other language versions are Feu mon oncle (French), Noche de duendes (Spanish), and Spuk um Mitternacht (German, 1931). The French version is listed as lost.
- Editor Bert Jordan later cut out-takes from this film and Way Out West into a gag reel for Laurel, using the working title That's That.
Scenes
- The butler sends each relative into the study to answer the telephone, and the room is empty afterward.
- A cat's eyes and a sheeted chair frighten them in the murder room.
- They wake up back where the fishing story started.
Also available
- Internet Archive (the-laurelhardy-murder-case_1930)
