Habeas Corpus (1928)
Loony scientist hires Laurel and Hardy to raid the cemetery to keep him supplied with dead bodies for his experiments.
- James Parrott
- Leo McCarey
Rating: 6.7/10 by 26 users
Alternative Title:
Dick und Doof - Der Beamte im Sack - DE
Habeas corpus - IT
Country:
United States of America
Language:
No Language
Runtime: 00 hour 20 minutes
Budget: $0
Revenue: $0
Plot Keyword: cemetery, black and white, silent film, short film
They buried somebody too soon! Starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, Habeas Corpus is directed by James Parrott and photographed by Len Powers. Plot finds Stan and Ollie as a couple of drifters short of cash who agree to do a bit of grave robbing to earn themselves $500, courtesy of the mad professor Padilla (Richard Carle). But the cemetery at night is not a fun place to be... Not so much Burke & Hare, more like Berk & Berk! Not a prime short from the boys but lots to enjoy. The frenetic organ swirls as Stan & Ollie prat about down at the cemetery. After the tone is set via a fun escapade with wet paint, the spooky shenanigans begin - which constitutes the boys scaring each other even without outside influences! There's the usual visual ticks, the various looks at the camera, which are supplemented by some animal participation (including the world's fastest cat and a fun tortoise). An extended sequence of them trying to get over the wall of the cemetery is overplayed, but after an Ollie wrecking ball moment and a quite brilliant and hilarious body bag sequence of events, this short is back on track and showing why they would become legends of cinema. 7/10
