One Good Turn (1931)

Synopsis of One Good Turn

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are victims of the depression in this tworeeler. They do have an old car, a tent and some clothes, though, so things could be worse. With Stan's help, things do get worse -- their tent goes up in flames and their laundry shrinks down to minuscule size. They are forced to beg for food and a kindly old lady (Mary Carr) offers to fix them a meal. They chop some wood (always dangerous in Laurel and Hardy's world) until they're called to the kitchen. While eating they overhear an argument between the old lady and a cruel-sounding man (James Finlayson). Her mortgage money has been stolen and the man is threatening to throw her out on the street. The boys are horrified when they hear this; what they don't know is that it is merely a scene being rehearsed for a local playhouse. Stan and Ollie want to help the old lady, as she helped them, so they try to auction off their car to come up with the money. The car winds up in pieces and Stan somehow gets his hands on a bystander's wallet. Ollie, thinking that the wallet belongs to the old lady, angrily drags Stan back to her to fess up. But the old lady finally tells them the truth about the play. Stan has been bullied by Ollie long enough and he fights back, chasing Ollie to the woodshed and chopping at it until it collapses on him. This ending is one of the few times in Laurel and Hardy films that Stan exacts revenge for the abuse he has received from Ollie. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Director(s):

James W. Horne

Writer(s):

H.M. Walker

Producer(s):

Hal Roach

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