The Hoose-Gow

The Hoose-Gow is a 1929 American short comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy, directed by James Parrott, and produced by Hal Roach.

The Hoose-Gow
Title card
Directed by	James Parrott
Written by	H.M. Walker Nat Hoffberg Leo McCarey
Produced by	Hal Roach
Starring	Stan Laurel Oliver Hardy
Cinematography	Paul Kerschner Len Powers George Stevens
Edited by	Richard C. Currier
Music by	William Axt Spencer Williams
Production company	Hal Roach Studios
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	November 16, 1929 (1929-11-16)
Running time	20:07
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy find themselves embroiled in a comedic misadventure upon their arrival as new inmates at a prison, purportedly implicated in a hold-up raid, an assertion they vehemently deny to a prison officer, claiming mere bystander status.

During their initial encounter with the prison guard, the duo's attempt to communicate with friends beyond the prison wall results in the unexpected appearance of a rope ladder. Seizing the opportunity for escape, their cohorts hastily retreat, leaving Stan and Ollie stranded outside when the guard inadvertently shuts the door on them. Their subsequent return is marked by the indignity of shotgun fire, leaving the seats of their trousers in tatters.

Assigned to outdoor labor, Stan and Ollie find themselves thrust into the peculiar dynamics of prison life, where fellow inmates humorously designate the guard's dinner table as their own. Tasked with felling a tree, their clumsy efforts culminate in a calamitous event as the timber collapses onto the guard's tent, coinciding inconveniently with the arrival of the prison governor.

Subsequently reassigned to ditch-digging duty alongside their fellow convicts, the hapless duo's plight worsens when Stan's errant pick-axe inadvertently punctures the radiator of the governor's car, instigating a series of farcical events. In a misguided attempt to rectify the situation, they endeavor to remedy the damage by filling the radiator with dry rice, following the advice of a fellow inmate. However, their makeshift repair yields unexpected consequences as the rice transforms into a chaotic eruption resembling rice pudding, sparking a whimsical rice-throwing melee involving the visiting governor and his entourage.

Cast

• Stan Laurel as Stan
• Oliver Hardy as Ollie
• Tiny Sandford as Warden
• Jimmy Finlayson as Governor
• Charlie Hall as Treetop Lookout
• Leo Willis as Leo
• Ellinor Vanderveer as Governor's guest
• Retta Palmer as Governor's guest
• Sam Lufkin as Prison camp officer
• Leo Sulky as Prison guard
• Dick Sutherland as Cook
• Eddie Dunn as Prisoner
• Chet Brandenburg as Prisoner
• Ed Brandenburg as Prisoner
• Baldwin Cooke as Prisoner
• Charles Dorety as Prisoner
• Ham Kinsey as Prisoner
• Tiny Ward as Prisoner
• Blackie Whiteford as Prisoner

Filming Locations

The "jail" location is 1601 Marengo Street. The gate still stands today.

The "prison camp" scenes were filmed at the Hal Roach Studios Ranch property, which was located between South Robertson Blvd and South Canfield Avenue from David Avenue to Hillsboro Avenue.

External links

• The Hoose-Gow at IMDb
• Synopsis at AllMovie
• The Hoose-Gow at the TCM Movie Database
• The Hoose-Gow at Rotten Tomatoes