Directed by: James Parrott, supervised by Leo McCarey

Starring: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Kay Deslys, Edna Marion, Viola Richard, Edgar Kennedy, Charlie Hall

STORY

A peaceful Sunday at the Hardy household is about to become anything but peaceful when Stan Laurel arrives at the front door, golf clubs in hand, ready to spend the day with his best friend. Ollie, however, is perfectly content staying home with Mrs. Hardy and is considerably less enthusiastic about Stan’s unexpected visit.

Naturally, getting Stan out of the house proves much more difficult than simply asking him to leave. Before long, the boys’ familiar combination of good intentions, wounded dignity and accidental destruction has disrupted the Hardy home, and Stan and Ollie finally set off for the golf course.

There they meet two attractive young women and attempt to impress them, even pretending to be successful bankers. A seemingly innocent stop for sodas immediately causes trouble when the boys discover they do not have enough money to pay the bill, forcing Stan to leave his watch behind. Things only deteriorate once they actually reach the golf course.

An increasingly irritated golfer, played by Edgar Kennedy, becomes entangled in their misadventures, tempers flare and the supposedly civilized game of golf eventually dissolves into an enormous mud-slinging battle involving practically everyone within throwing distance.

Should Married Men Go Home? is classic Laurel and Hardy escalation: begin with something as ordinary as a friend dropping by on Sunday morning, add one small disaster after another, and keep building until the entire world seems to have descended into chaos. Stan’s innocent bewilderment and Ollie’s desperate attempts to maintain his dignity are already beautifully established, giving us the comic relationship that would make Laurel and Hardy one of the most beloved teams in motion-picture history.

AIN BACKSTAGE SECRETS & AINTOIDS

THE OFFICIAL LAUREL AND HARDY TEAM ARRIVES

This little comedy holds an enormously important place in Laurel and Hardy history. Should Married Men Go Home? was the first Hal Roach film officially released as part of the Laurel and Hardy series. Although Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy had already appeared together in numerous films, those earlier pictures had been released under Hal Roach’s broader “All-Star” banner. Here, Laurel and Hardy were officially being presented as the team audiences would come to know and love.

LEO McCAREY HELPED CREATE THE MAGIC

James Parrott directed the film, while the great Leo McCarey served as supervising director and also worked on the story. McCarey played an enormously important role in the development of the Laurel and Hardy screen partnership, helping shape the personalities, rhythms and comic relationship that transformed Stan and Ollie into a genuine team.

A FUTURE HOLLYWOOD GIANT BEHIND THE CAMERA

The cinematographer was George Stevens — years before he became one of Hollywood’s great directors. Stevens would eventually direct such classics as A Place in the Sun, Shane and Giant. Before becoming an acclaimed filmmaker in his own right, he spent years behind the camera at Hal Roach Studios photographing comedy, including the wonderfully controlled chaos of Laurel and Hardy.

THE FILM HAD A DIFFERENT NAME

During production, Should Married Men Go Home? carried the working title Follow Through — an appropriate title for a comedy built around a supposedly innocent afternoon of golf. Production took place primarily in March 1928, with additional scenes and retakes filmed in May.

THE BOYS REALLY WENT GOLFING

The golf sequences were not simply created on a studio backlot. Location filming took place at Fox Hills Golf Course and Westwood Public Golf Course in March 1928, giving the increasingly ridiculous golf battle a genuine course on which to unfold.

EDGAR KENNEDY JOINS THE MAYHEM

Edgar Kennedy appears as the increasingly aggravated golfer who gets drawn into Stan and Ollie’s escalating disaster. Kennedy became one of the most recognizable comic supporting actors in Hollywood and would work repeatedly with Laurel and Hardy. His ability to turn mounting irritation into explosive frustration made him an ideal opponent for the boys.

AINTOID: LOOK WAY UP

Among the golfers is John Aasen, an actor famous for his extraordinary height. Standing approximately seven feet tall, Aasen appears as the aptly described “Very Tall Golfer,” providing one of the film’s wonderful visual contrasts alongside Stan and Ollie.

AINTOID: FROM SUNDAY MORNING TO ALL-OUT WAR

The structure demonstrates one of Laurel and Hardy’s greatest comic weapons: escalation. Stan merely wants Ollie to come out and play golf. That simple request leads to destruction inside the Hardy home, financial embarrassment at the soda fountain, trouble on the golf course and finally an all-out mud battle. In Laurel and Hardy’s world, the smallest inconvenience can become a catastrophe — and watching them get there is half the fun.