Hal Roach Starting with “O”

Okay Toots! (1935) — Charley Chase

Overview

  • Type: Two-reel comedy short (~18 minutes)
  • Studio: Hal Roach Studios
  • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Directors: Charley Chase, William H. Terhune
  • Writers: Charley Chase, H.M. Walker
  • Cinematography: Francis Corby
  • Editor: William Terhune
  • Release Date: 1935
  • Genre: Domestic farce, surreal slapstick
  • Language: English

Cast

  • Charley Chase as Charley — a stockbroker with a short fuse
  • Jeanie Roberts as Emily “Toots” Chase — his wife
  • Constance Bergen as Mrs. Brown — the boss’s wife
  • Ferdinand Munier as Mr. Brown — Charley’s boss
  • Supporting cast includes Hattie McDaniel (as the maid), Bess Flowers, Charlie Hall, Baldwin Cooke, and Polly Chase (uncredited)

Plot Summary

Charley Chase plays a hot-tempered stockbroker who gets rich by accident and then tangled in domestic chaos. After a stressful day involving parking mishaps and office politics, he returns home to find his wife Toots consulting a psychic. The psychic’s powers apparently cause Charley and Toots to switch bodies — or at least voices — leading to a surreal and hilarious identity crisis.

Charley, now speaking in Toots’ squeaky voice, must navigate a dinner party, flirtations from his boss’s wife, and a maid who’s far too familiar. Meanwhile, Toots (with Charley’s voice) tries to manage the household. The film builds to a comic crescendo of mistaken identity, gender role confusion, and slapstick gags before the spell is broken.

Style & Legacy

  • A bold pre-Code gender-swap farce, blending surrealism with Chase’s trademark embarrassment comedy
  • Features Hattie McDaniel in a rare early comic role, delivering one of the film’s best lines
  • Noted for its voice-switch gag, mirror scene, and ensemble timing
  • One of Chase’s more experimental shorts, pushing boundaries of identity and domestic satire
  • Often cited as a cult favorite for its inventive premise and vocal comedy

Streaming Availability

You can watch Okay Toots! (1935) in full on:

YouTube – Full Short Film

Internet Archive – #162 on the list

The Old Bull (1932) — Pitts & Todd

Overview

  • Type: Two-reel comedy short (~19 minutes)
  • Studio: Hal Roach Studios
  • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Director: George Marshall
  • Writer: H.M. Walker
  • Release Date: 1932
  • Genre: Rural farce, animal comedy
  • Language: English

Cast

  • ZaSu Pitts as ZaSu — the nervous driver
  • Thelma Todd as Thelma — the confident companion
  • Otto Fries as Mr. Bailey — the angry farmer
  • Bobby Burns as a farmhand (uncredited)
  • Supporting cast includes a ginger tabby cat and a lion (yes, really)

Plot Summary

Thelma and ZaSu borrow a car for a countryside outing. When ZaSu takes the wheel, she panics at the sight of a bull being led by three rustics and crashes through a barn. The farmer (Otto Fries) demands compensation and confiscates the car.

Stranded, the women try to walk to town but end up circling back to the same farm. As night falls, they overhear a radio bulletin warning of a lion escaped from a traveling circus. Thelma devises a plan to fake a lion’s roar using a pail and string, scaring the men inside while ZaSu sneaks into the barn to retrieve the car.

In a twist, a real lion appears — and a ginger tabby cat is briefly mistaken for it. The final chase involves livestock, slapstick, and a chaotic escape.

Style & Legacy

  • Part of the Pitts and Todd comedy series, known for its female-led slapstick and social satire
  • Features George Marshall’s direction, blending rural Americana with animal gags
  • Noted for its lion scare gag, radio misdirection, and cat-as-lion moment
  • Often praised for ZaSu Pitts’ physical comedy and Thelma Todd’s confident foil
  • Followed by Show Business (1932), continuing the duo’s misadventures

Availability

Internet Archive – #98 on the list

 Oliver the Eighth (1934) — Laurel & Hardy

Overview

  • Type: Two-reel comedy short (~27 minutes)
  • Studio: Hal Roach Studios
  • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Director: Lloyd French
  • Writers: H.M. Walker (titles), Leo McCarey (story)
  • Cinematography: Art Lloyd
  • Editor: Bert Jordan
  • Music: Marvin Hatley, Leroy Shield
  • Release Date: January 13, 1934
  • Genre: Comedy horror, slapstick, dream farce
  • Language: English

Cast

  • Stan Laurel as Stanley
  • Oliver Hardy as Oliver
  • Mae Busch as Mrs. Fox — the widow
  • Jack Barty as Jitters — the butler
  • Supporting cast includes Baldwin Cooke and Charlie Hall (uncredited)

Plot Summary

Stan and Ollie run a barbershop when they spot a newspaper ad from a wealthy widow seeking a husband. Ollie secretly responds to the ad, hoping to marry into money, but Stan finds out and insists on tagging along. The widow, Mrs. Fox, invites Ollie to her mansion — unaware that she has a deadly habit of marrying men named Oliver and murdering them.

At the mansion, they meet Jitters, a bizarre butler who warns them of the widow’s homicidal tendencies. Stan and Ollie are locked in a bedroom, and Ollie devises a contraption to keep Stan awake in case of danger. Chaos ensues as the widow appears with a knife, and just as she’s about to strike, Ollie wakes up — revealing the entire ordeal was a dream.

Style & Legacy

  • A rare Laurel & Hardy horror-comedy hybrid, blending suspense with slapstick
  • Features Mae Busch’s chilling performance as the widow and Jack Barty’s eccentric butler
  • Noted for its dream-sequence twist, gothic mansion setting, and dark humor
  • Frequently cited as one of their more surreal and atmospheric shorts
  • The title is a pun on Henry VIII, referencing Ollie as the eighth “Oliver” targeted by the widow

Streaming Availability

You can watch Oliver the Eighth (1934) in full on:

On the Loose (1931) — Pitts & Todd

Overview

  • Type: Two-reel comedy short (~20 minutes)
  • Studio: Hal Roach Studios
  • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Director: Hal Roach
  • Writer: H.M. Walker
  • Music: Leroy Shield
  • Release Date: December 26, 1931
  • Genre: Domestic farce, dating satire
  • Language: English

Cast

  • ZaSu Pitts as ZaSu
  • Thelma Todd as Thelma
  • John Loder as Mr. Loder — the suitor
  • Claud Allister as Mr. Loder’s friend
  • Billy Gilbert as Pierre — the dressmaker
  • Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy (uncredited cameo) as themselves
  • Supporting cast includes Otto Fries and Dorothy Layton

Plot Summary

ZaSu and Thelma are roommates in New York, lamenting their string of uninspired dates — all of which end up at Coney Island. After being splashed by a passing car, they meet a charming man (John Loder) who offers to buy them new clothes and take them out. But once again, the date ends up at Coney Island, and the women are thoroughly unimpressed.

Back at home, they’re visited by Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, who invite them out — to Coney Island. In a fit of comic rage, ZaSu and Thelma pelt the duo with household objects, sending them fleeing. Laurel and Hardy’s cameo lasts just 41 seconds but adds a meta-comic punch to the ending.

Style & Legacy

  • Fifth entry in the Pitts and Todd series, known for its female-led slapstick and social satire
  • A rare Laurel & Hardy crossover cameo, used as a punchline to the film’s central gag
  • Features Billy Gilbert’s flustered dressmaker role, adding comic tension
  • Noted for its pre-Code boldness, dating commentary, and ensemble timing
  • Often praised for its pacing and the chemistry between Pitts and Todd

Streaming Availability

You can watch On the Loose (1931) in full on:

On the Wrong Trek (1936) — Charley Chase

Overview

  • Type: Two-reel comedy short (~18 minutes)
  • Studio: Hal Roach Studios
  • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Directors: Charley Chase, Harold Law
  • Writers: H.M. Walker, Charley Chase
  • Release Date: June 11, 1936
  • Genre: Domestic vacation farce
  • Language: English

Cast

  • Charley Chase as Charley — the optimistic husband
  • Rosina Lawrence as Mrs. Chase — his supportive wife
  • Clarence Wilson as Mr. Wilson — the car owner
  • Bonita Weber as the mother-in-law — the overbearing travel companion
  • Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy as hitchhikers (uncredited cameo)
  • Supporting cast includes Harry Bernard, Bud Jamison, and Joe Bordeaux

Plot Summary

Charley Chase recounts his disastrous California vacation to coworkers. He sets off with his wife and mother-in-law, determined to enjoy the great outdoors. But things quickly unravel: the car breaks down, a good Samaritan’s vehicle is wrecked, and they’re robbed by a gang of hobos.

In a musical interlude, Charley and Rosina perform a song-and-dance routine to cheer up the hobos. The short ends with Charley encountering two confused hitchhikers — revealed to be Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy — who add one final layer of comic chaos.

Style & Legacy

  • One of Chase’s final Hal Roach shorts before transitioning to Columbia Pictures
  • Features a rare Laurel & Hardy cameo, with Charley mocking Stan’s mannerisms
  • Noted for its vacation-gone-wrong structure, musical number, and ensemble slapstick
  • Often praised for its gentle charm, family humor, and meta-comedy
  • A standout example of Chase’s blend of physical comedy and narrative storytelling

Streaming Availability

You can watch On the Wrong Trek (1936) in full on:

YouTube – Full Short Film

Internet Archive – Full Short Film

One Good Turn (1931) — Laurel & Hardy

Overview

  • Type: Two-reel comedy short (~20 minutes)
  • Studio: Hal Roach Studios
  • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Director: James W. Horne
  • Writers: H.M. Walker, Stan Laurel, James Parrott
  • Cinematography: Art Lloyd
  • Editor: Richard C. Currier
  • Music: Marvin Hatley, Leroy Shield
  • Release Date: October 31, 1931
  • Genre: Slapstick, mistaken identity, Depression-era farce
  • Language: English

Cast

  • Stan Laurel as Stan
  • Oliver Hardy as Ollie
  • Mary Carr as the kindly old lady
  • James Finlayson as the “landlord” (actually a community theater actor)
  • Billy Gilbert as the drunken wallet-dropper
  • Supporting cast includes Gordon Douglas, Dorothy Granger, Snub Pollard, and Lyle Tayo as community players

Plot Summary

During the Great Depression, Stan and Ollie are down on their luck and begging for food. A kind elderly woman (Mary Carr) offers them sandwiches, but while in her home, they overhear what they believe is a conversation about her being evicted by a cruel landlord (James Finlayson). In reality, it’s a rehearsal for a community play.

Moved by her supposed plight, Stan and Ollie decide to sell their car to help her. At the auction, a drunken man (Billy Gilbert) drops his wallet into Stan’s pocket, leading Ollie to wrongly accuse Stan of theft. The misunderstanding escalates until they return to the woman’s house and discover the truth. In a rare reversal, Stan retaliates against Ollie for the false accusation, chasing him around and destroying the woman’s home in the process.

Style & Legacy

  • One of the few Laurel & Hardy shorts to feature Stan Laurel physically retaliating against Ollie, written to amuse Stan’s daughter who disliked seeing her father always get hit
  • Features Billy Gilbert’s first appearance in a Laurel & Hardy film
  • Noted for its Depression-era themes, misunderstood charity, and ensemble timing
  • Combines gentle pathos with slapstick chaos, ending in a rare moment of role reversal
  • Often praised for its pacing, character interplay, and comic escalation

Streaming Availability

You can watch One Good Turn (1931) in full on:

One of the Smiths (1931) — Charley Chase

Overview

  • Type: Two-reel comedy short (~20 minutes)
  • Studio: Hal Roach Studios
  • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Director: James Parrott
  • Writers: H.M. Walker (titles), Charley Chase (story)
  • Release Date: 1931
  • Genre: Rural farce, musical slapstick
  • Language: English

Cast

  • Charley Chase as Charley — a musical instrument salesman
  • Peggy Howard as Peggy — a local girl
  • James Finlayson as Mr. Smith — the eccentric hillbilly patriarch
  • Supporting cast includes Baldwin Cooke and other Hal Roach regulars

Plot Summary

Charley Chase works for a mail-order musical instrument company that’s been receiving orders from the Ozarks — but no payments. Sent to investigate, Charley travels by train with a tuba in tow, annoying passengers and staff with his insistence on keeping the instrument close at all times.

Upon arriving in the rural town of Beaver Dam, Charley pretends to be a cousin of the Smith family to infiltrate their home and uncover the mystery of the unpaid instruments. He discovers that Mr. Smith (James Finlayson) has been using the instruments for unconventional purposes — including as furniture and farm tools.

The film culminates in a barn dance where Charley performs “Handsome Jim,” showcasing his surprisingly strong singing voice and one-legged dance routine. The musical number and slapstick finale bring the story to a satisfying close.

Style & Legacy

  • Directed by James Parrott, Charley Chase’s real-life brother
  • Features Finlayson in a rare non-villainous role, playing a rustic eccentric
  • Noted for its train sequence, musical interlude, and Ozark stereotypes
  • Chase’s performance includes impressive physical comedy, especially his one-legged dance
  • While the first half is slower, the second half delivers classic Hal Roach ensemble energy

Streaming Availability

You can watch One of the Smiths (1931) in full on:

YouTube – Full Short Film

Internet Archive – #59 on the list

One-Horse Farmers (1934) — Todd & Kelly

Overview

  • Type: Two-reel comedy short (~17 minutes)
  • Studio: Hal Roach Studios
  • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Director: Gus Meins
  • Writers: H.M. Walker (titles), Hal Roach story team
  • Release Date: 1934
  • Genre: Rural farce, real estate satire
  • Language: English

Cast

  • Thelma Todd as Thelma
  • Patsy Kelly as Patsy
  • James C. Morton as Paradise Acres promoter
  • Billy Bletcher, Nora Cecil, Charlie Hall, Fred Holmes, Jack “Tiny” Lipson as subway passengers (uncredited)
  • Supporting cast includes Bonita Weber and Baldwin Cooke

Plot Summary

Thelma and Patsy, weary of city life and crowded subways, are lured by a slick promoter into buying a “dream home” in Paradise Acres. They arrive to find the house sitting on a sand trap, surrounded by barren land and eccentric neighbors. Their attempts to settle in are met with windstorms, collapsing furniture, and livestock intrusions.

As the weather worsens, their home becomes the only structure left standing, forcing displaced neighbors to crowd in. The film ends with a chaotic scene of overcrowding, slapstick mishaps, and Patsy’s exasperated realization that country life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Style & Legacy

  • Part of the Todd–Kelly series, which followed the successful Pitts–Todd comedies
  • Features Gus Meins’ direction, known for physical comedy and ensemble chaos
  • Noted for its real estate satire, windstorm gag, and subway-to-farm contrast
  • A standout entry for its visual comedy, especially the collapsing house and sand trap reveal
  • Often praised for its pacing and the chemistry between Todd and Kelly, despite lacking the warmth of the earlier Pitts–Todd duo

Streaming Availability

You can watch One-Horse Farmers (1934) in full on: YouTube – Full Short Film

One Track Minds (1933) — Pitts & Todd

Overview

  • Type: Two-reel comedy short (~20 minutes)
  • Studio: Hal Roach Studios
  • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Director: Gus Meins
  • Writers: H.M. Walker (titles), Hal Roach story team
  • Release Date: 1933
  • Genre: Train farce, Hollywood satire
  • Language: English

Cast

  • ZaSu Pitts as ZaSu — the nervous companion
  • Thelma Todd as Thelma — the confident screen test hopeful
  • Billy Gilbert as the train conductor
  • Lucien Prival as Von Sternheim — the pompous film director
  • Jack Clifford as the hard-of-hearing beekeeper
  • Sterling Holloway as the snack vendor
  • Cameos include Baldwin Cooke, Charlie Hall, and George “Spanky” McFarland as train passengers

Plot Summary

Thelma Todd wins a screen test with Roaring Lion Studios and boards a train to Hollywood with her friend ZaSu Pitts. Their journey quickly devolves into chaos as they encounter a series of eccentric passengers: a deaf beekeeper with a suitcase full of bees, a snack vendor with a toy airplane, and a pompous director (Von Sternheim) who demands their seats.

Unbeknownst to the girls, Von Sternheim is the very man Thelma must impress at her screen test. Their initial run-in with him goes poorly, setting the stage for a series of comic misunderstandings. The train becomes a rolling madhouse of slapstick gags, including a loose toupee, bee attacks, and mistaken identities.

Style & Legacy

  • The final entry in the Pitts & Todd series, which ran from 1931 to 1933
  • Features Sterling Holloway in an early comic role and Billy Gilbert’s signature flustered delivery
  • Noted for its train-bound setting, ensemble slapstick, and meta-Hollywood satire
  • Often praised for its pacing and comic timing, especially in the second half
  • A transitional piece before Hal Roach replaced Pitts with Patsy Kelly in future shorts

Streaming Availability

You can watch One Track Minds (1933) in full on:

YouTube – Full Short Film

Internet Archive – #128 on the list

Opened By Mistake (1934) — Todd & Kelly

Overview

  • Type: Two-reel comedy short (~19 minutes)
  • Studio: Hal Roach Studios
  • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Director: James Parrott
  • Cinematography: Art Lloyd
  • Editor: Louis McManus
  • Release Date: October 6, 1934
  • Genre: Hospital farce, mistaken identity
  • Language: English

Cast

  • Thelma Todd as Thelma — a nurse trying to help her friend
  • Patsy Kelly as Patsy — a fired telephone operator in need of shelter
  • Nora Cecil as Head Nurse
  • William Burress as Banker — Patsy’s former boss
  • James P. Burtis, Charlie Hall, Robert McKenzie, and others in supporting roles

Plot Summary

After losing her job as a telephone operator and falling behind on rent, Patsy seeks refuge at the hospital where her friend Thelma works as a nurse. Thelma, worried about losing her job, sneaks Patsy into an empty patient room. Unfortunately, that room is reserved for a patient scheduled for emergency surgery.

When the head nurse discovers Patsy, she’s mistaken for the surgical patient. Thelma tries to convince Patsy to go through with the operation to avoid suspicion, leading to a series of slapstick gags involving doctors, nurses, and a very confused Patsy. The climax features a chaotic operating room scene and a barrage of wisecracks.

Style & Legacy

  • A standout entry in the Todd–Kelly series, known for its fast-paced dialogue and physical comedy
  • Features pre-Code humor, including mistaken surgery and gender-role reversals
  • Noted for its hospital setting, ensemble timing, and Kelly’s crossword gag (“What General is buried in Grant’s Tomb?”)
  • Directed by James Parrott, who also helmed many Laurel & Hardy shorts
  • Often praised for its pacing and the chemistry between Todd and Kelly

Streaming Availability

You can watch Opened By Mistake (1934) in full on: YouTube – Full Short Film

Our Wife (1931) — Laurel & Hardy

Overview

  • Type: Two-reel comedy short (~21 minutes)
  • Studio: Hal Roach Studios
  • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Director: James W. Horne
  • Writer: H.M. Walker
  • Cinematography: Jack Stevens
  • Editor: Richard C. Currier
  • Music: Marvin Hatley, Leroy Shield
  • Release Date: May 16, 1931
  • Genre: Slapstick, elopement farce
  • Language: English

Cast

  • Stan Laurel as Stan — the best man
  • Oliver Hardy as Ollie — the groom
  • Babe London as Dulcy — Ollie’s bride
  • James Finlayson as Dulcy’s father — the disapproving patriarch
  • Ben Turpin as the cross-eyed Justice of the Peace
  • Supporting cast includes Blanche Payson and Charley Rogers

Plot Summary

Ollie is preparing to marry his sweetheart Dulcy, with Stan as his best man. But when Dulcy’s father sees a photo of Ollie, he forbids the wedding. The trio decides to elope, and Stan is sent to rent a car. He returns with a comically tiny American Austin coupe, barely large enough for one person.

The three squeeze into the car, with Stan’s head poking through the roof and their suitcase jammed between them. After a chaotic drive, they arrive at the Justice of the Peace’s home, where a cross-eyed officiant (Ben Turpin) mistakenly marries Ollie and Stan. The film ends with Ollie’s horrified reaction and Stan’s oblivious delight.

Style & Legacy

  • Features one of Laurel & Hardy’s most iconic visual gags: the tiny car and the cramped elopement
  • Includes Finlayson’s legendary double-takes and pratfalls, especially his stair tumble
  • Ben Turpin’s cameo adds surreal charm to the final scene
  • Noted for its tight pacing, physical comedy, and role reversals
  • A fan favorite for its blend of romantic farce and slapstick absurdity

Streaming & References

You can watch Our Wife (1931) in full on: