The Lucky Dog

MOVIE #1,400 • 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿 • 02.26.24 2024 is the year of the serialized posting projects here at the movie website. Many are saying this, but especially me, the author of these words. And today we start another long journey: a biweekly chronological exploration of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. I have a special place in my heart for these old chaps, as my brother and I wore out a copy of March of the Wooden Soldiers (perhaps better known as Babes in Toyland, their 1934 Christmas classic — we had the 1991 colorized version on VHS). But we have a while before we get to that one. L&H started out in the silent era and their first short is the 1924 two-reeler, The Lucky Dog. While both performers feature prominently, this isn’t technically a showcase for their work as a duo (Laurel is the top-billed lead and Hardy is the villain).

This is pure slapstick with Stan playing a hapless everyman who comes across a puppy and is then mugged by Oliver, and — naturally — shenanigans ensue. Late in the game Hardy tries to murder Laurel but his gun won't work so Laurel offers to fix it, which is just so simple and good conceptually. The bad guys then try to use a stick of dynamite but the dog picks it up like a bone and runs outside. For, you see, in the end, the real “lucky dog” is Laurel.

There’s a bunch of fun tricks in this, as well, from scratching animation directly onto the filmstock, to some reverse-shot work with a train…


In total, the duo made a whopping 106 films together, so this is gonna take a LONG time to get through, but please... come along for the journey.

𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕃𝔸𝕌ℝ𝔼𝕃 & ℍ𝔸ℝ𝔻𝕐 𝔽𝕀𝕃𝕄𝕆𝔾ℝ𝔸ℙℍ𝕐 ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎 𝕊𝔼ℝ𝕀𝔼𝕊
new posts every other monday

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CHRONOLOGICALLY
⫷ MOVIE #1,399 - (YOU ARE HERE) - MOVIE #1,401 ⫸

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The Lucky Dog (1921) is the first film to include Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy together in a film before they became the famous comedy duo of Laurel and Hardy. Although they appear in scenes together, Laurel and Hardy play independently. Laurel is the star as the hero of the film and Hardy plays the main villain opposite him. The film was screened as two reels, but some versions end abruptly after the first reel when Laurel is robbed by Hardy. It was released on December 1, 1921.