The Hoose Gow 🪓🚔 Laurel and Hardy 🤣🎬

"The Hoose-Gow" is a 1929 short film directed by James Parrott and produced by Hal Roach, featuring the renowned comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. The film, running for about 20 minutes, revolves around two vagabonds mistakenly arrested and incarcerated in a western jail, or "hoosegow," leading to a series of humorous and slapstick situations.

The film's title, derived from a colloquial term for jail commonly used in the American West, sets the tone for the humor and overall theme of the story. Laurel and Hardy's impeccable comic timing and effortless chemistry make the film entertaining.

The duo's trademark antics, including witty one-liners, clever visual gags, and exaggerated physical comedy, keep the audience engaged throughout the film. "The Hoose-Gow" is widely regarded as one of Laurel and Hardy's best early works, showcasing the beginning of their successful and iconic partnership.

Did you know that Oliver Hardy got injured during the filming of "The Hoose-Gow"? In a scene where Stan Laurel keeps nicking him with a pickaxe, a real one is substituted instead of the rubber one that was initially planned. Unfortunately, Hardy moved too close to Laurel during his backswing and ended up with a cut on his rear.

Interestingly, "The Hoose-Gow" was filmed before Laurel and Hardy adopted "The Cukoos" as their theme song. Instead, the famous song "Ain't She Sweet" was played during the credits. However, re-issues of the film later replaced it with their more familiar theme.

Did you notice that Ham Kinsey, who played a prisoner in the film, later became Stan Laurel's stand-in? Baldwin Cooke, another prisoner, and his wife Alice played in a three-act with Stan in England.

In the film, the governor is played by James Finlayson, who addresses the prison warden as "Sandford." Interestingly, "Sandford" was actually the actual name of the actor playing the warden, Tiny Sandford.

Lastly, if you're a car enthusiast, you might be interested to know that the police van that transports the boys to prison is a 1928 Studebaker Big Six. The governor arrives at the prison farm in a 1916 Locomobile Model 48 Touring Car, followed by a 1923 Cadillac Type 61 Phaeton. It's worth noting that the Locomobile is the car that gets its radiator filled with rice. Also, if the entrance to the prison looks familiar, it's because it's the same one seen in "The Second 100 Years" (1927).