Laughing Gravy

PLOT

On a snowy winter's night, Laurel and Hardy try to keep their pet dog 'Laughing Gravy' hidden from their landlord, mostly without success. The landlord eventually orders them to leave, but fate takes a hand.

Stan and Ollie are in bed, when Stan’s hiccups wake up Ollie. Oliver, after suffering in silence for a few moments, wakes up Stan. Stan, in a very clownish way, drinks a glass of water and tries to go back to sleep, only to wake up the dog, whose barking rouses their landlord. The landlord throws the dog out, and Stan decides that he’s going to rescue his dog. Ollie insists on doing it, however, since Stan will wake up the landlord. Ollie succeeds in finding Laughing Gravy, only to be locked out of the building. This basic scenario is repeated several times, resulting in Ollie falling into a frozen barrel of rainwater, locking himself out of the apartment window, climbing down (and destroying) the brick chimney, etc. Eventually, the boys are going to be thrown out of the apartment (after having driven their poor landlord to the point of distraction), when the movie takes a very unexpected turn. Stan receives a letter, informing him that he’s inherited his uncle's fortune on the condition that he breaks off all contact with Oliver Hardy. Stan receives a check for $1000 to seal the deal. At first, Stan doesn’t show Ollie the letter, until Oliver, in a very funny extended scene “guilts” Stan into sharing the letter. With Oliver’s blessing, Stan prepares to leave forever. At the last moment, however, Stan tears up the letter and returns to Oliver. Puffed up, Oliver thinks that Stan gave up the money for him, but Stan tells him that he did it for his dog.

The short film ends with Stan and Ollie about to be thrown out by their landlord, only to get a reprieve. The entire house has been quarantined for two months, and nobody can leave for that time. The suffering landlord, unable to take that, picks up a rifle and walks away. Stan, Ollie and the policeman hear a shot, and the sound of the landlord's body hitting on the floor. The three remove their hats and walk away; the policeman closes the door.

CAST

Stan Laurel as Stan

Oliver Hardy as Ollie

Charlie Hall as The landlord

Harry Bernard as The Policeman