Helpmates

"Helpmates" (1932) is a Laurel and Hardy short comedy you can watch online on iFILM. Directed by James Parrott for the Hal Roach Studios, it runs twenty minutes and wastes none of them.

Ollie threw a party last night while his wife was out of town. This morning: a telegram saying she's coming home early. He calls Stan. Together they are going to put the house in order before she walks in the door. They are not going to put the house in order. Every fix introduces a new problem, Parrott times the escalation perfectly, and what starts as a cleaning comedy ends somewhere more drastic than either character planned.

The duo in peak form — Stan's baffled helpfulness against Ollie's mounting fury — working a simple premise until it snaps. Stream "Helpmates" (1932) online on iFILM.