Sempre nei guai

Some very good comedy films have been made about butlers and maids. One of the all-time funniest is "Standing Room Only" of 1944, in which Fred MacMurray and Paulette Goddard have to take such jobs in wartime Washington, D. C. - just in order to have a place to sleep at night. Well, this Laurel and Hardy film picks up on that shortage of labor that existed during World War II, especially for domestic help in the nation's capital.

Stan is a butler and Ollie is a chef who specializes in Steak a' la Hardy. Of course, this is after the boys have tried their hand before the war at working in the restaurants of Europe. They have been summarily tossed out in several countries. There's always something said in whatever language it is, that's an unmistakable reference to Steak a' la Hardy.

Well, it's wartime when the boys are back home and in desperation go to the unemployment office. After some preliminary comedy that insults their future employers, the boys wind up working for Mrs. Elvira Hawkley. Mary Boland reinforces the Laurel and Hardy comedy in her role. A sub-plot with a young king displaced from a small European country during the war takes some of the time, and only adds a little humor toward then end.

Although this is in the later years of the duo, Stan and Ollie still have what it takes to make people laugh. It's not among their funniest, but still a good comedy. The long scene with people trying to cut into Ollie's masterpiece steak is a riot. It's harder than rubber. And, of course, Stan causes various mishaps at the table.

The boys clearly did their part during the war, with some comedy films to give people a laugh during a somber time. After the war they would make only one more film together as both ended their movie careers.