Kind of an odd title, don't you think? Well even though Laurel and Hardy were just beginning to perform as a comedy team in 1927, their comic timing already seemed to be pretty good as evidenced by the hat gag performed outside the Whitechapel Graveyard. Both work the sleight of hand gimmick well enough that you have to keep an eye on those hats to recall which one is which.
We've all heard the expression 'afraid of one's shadow' but I believe this is the first time I've ever seen it actually demonstrated. And speaking of shadows, I thought the goat provided an interesting version of a devil on the graveyard wall. That was pretty clever.
If you think about what's going on in the story it can be pretty gruesome, as an escaped convict called The Tipton Slasher (Noah Young) intends to carry out a promise he made in court when found guilty by Judge Foozle (James Finlayson). Utilizing tools of the trade, the Slasher uses a large knife and sword in his attempt to ward off Stan and Ollie's detective characters on his way to do away with the Judge. The Slasher must have had a serious impact on him, if you watch closely, the soap bubbles in the bath water as the Judge tries to avoid the convict disappear from one scene to the next.
We've all heard the expression 'afraid of one's shadow' but I believe this is the first time I've ever seen it actually demonstrated. And speaking of shadows, I thought the goat provided an interesting version of a devil on the graveyard wall. That was pretty clever.
If you think about what's going on in the story it can be pretty gruesome, as an escaped convict called The Tipton Slasher (Noah Young) intends to carry out a promise he made in court when found guilty by Judge Foozle (James Finlayson). Utilizing tools of the trade, the Slasher uses a large knife and sword in his attempt to ward off Stan and Ollie's detective characters on his way to do away with the Judge. The Slasher must have had a serious impact on him, if you watch closely, the soap bubbles in the bath water as the Judge tries to avoid the convict disappear from one scene to the next.