The Hoose-Gow (1929, James Parrott)

The Stop Button Posted by on May 6, 2012

The Hoose-Gow is something of an early talkie mess. The shots are paced for a silent movie, leaving long awkward pauses in the soundtrack. The short’s synchronized sound is a fledgling effort. The stock sounds, when used, are obvious. Parrott’s direction is problematic throughout, with read more

The Nightlife (1930, James Parrott)

The Stop Button Posted by on Apr 15, 2012

The Nightlife is an unfunny mess of asynchronous sound. If I’ve ever seen a Laurel and Hardy picture before, I can’t remember, and maybe starting off with one of their Spanish-language pictures was a bad idea. There’s no ambient sound for most of the short and it often feels like read more

The Tin Man (1935, James Parrott)

The Stop Button Posted by on Jan 19, 2012

I’m wondering if all the Thelma Todd and Patsy Kelly shorts–the team being one of Hal Roach’s attempts at a female Laurel and hardy–are as bad as The Tin Man. For a while, it seems like Todd is much worse than Kelly, but once Kelly’s acting opposite someone else… read more