alexanderdavies-99382 "Going Bye Bye" was one of the last short films Laurel and Hardy made before they embraced feature films full time. This 1934 short is an absolute riot! Stan and Ollie are instrumental in the apprehension of a notorious killer Butch (played by character actor Walter Long). The opening scene is in court as Butch is found guilty and he swears revenge against the boys. They don't exactly make life easy for themselves by antagonising him! Stan and Ollie agree they need to leave town as soon as possible but they are very low on funds. As a result, they place an advert in a local newspaper to invite someone to travel with them and share expenses. Ollie was silly enough to entrust Stan the job of writing the advert. The expression on Ollie's face and his reaction are priceless! An excellent comedy short with loads of laughs and a good story.

rsoonsa A two reel short produced by Hal Roach for M-G-M, this piece utilizes a well-worn Laurel and Hardy plot line gambit: an outrageous sequence of physical affronts being heaped one upon another, targeting various victims, with the action opening here within a court room setting where "Butch" Long (Walter Long), a brutal criminal, is being tried for murder, and is convicted based upon testimony given by Stan and Ollie, although the former's tendency to speak according to whim occurs after the presiding justice imposes a sentence of life imprisonment upon Butch, and Laurel loudly asks of the judge: "Aren't you going to hang him?" Stan's less than discreet utterance effectually guarantees Butch's unremitting hatred, and the comical pair elect to leave town in case prison fails to contain the maddened felon who, while yet in the court room, vows to escape, track down the "squealers", tear off their legs, and wind them around their necks. In order to gain assistance with travel expenses, Stan and Ollie place a newspaper advertisement requesting a solvent companion for their upcoming trip, the ad catching the eye of an attractive woman (Mae Busch) who meets with their approval, and the trio is about to leave when we learn that she is, in fact, the girl friend of Butch who has freshly escaped from prison. Most of this work is composed of merely silly slapstick, although there are some episodes during which Laurel and Hardy engage in dialogue that is enhanced by Stan's non-sequiturs, and craggy-faced Walter Long is always a valuable addition to a film. Weak development and erratic pacing result in a short that is inferior as a whole to the cinema standard established by the two comics.

lyndon-dickens Apart from their wonderful ability to perform slapstick, Laurel and Hardy were more than capable of sit-com and subtlety as shown in this wonderful short.How many people notice the running gag of never putting the flowers down once they enter the apartment?It is also one of the few chances to check out Walter Long, a great Laurel and Hardy stooge who really should have appeared in more of their films. It's also worth seeing him in the shorts "Any Old Port" and "The Live Ghost" as well as an appearance in the film "Pardon Us" as 'The Tiger'.

Ron Oliver A LAUREL & HARDY Comedy Short.Stan & Ollie are GOING BYE-BYE! Butch, a notoriously violent criminal has threatened them with great bodily harm for squealing on him. Wanting to get out of town fast, and not aware that Butch has escaped the police, the Boys arrange to travel with a shady lady to share expenses. Naturally, she turns out to be Butch's girlfriend and the hilarity begins when they all show up at her apartment...A very funny little film - the slapstick `trunk sequence' is wonderful. That's Mae Busch as the girlfriend and Walter Long as Butch.