User reviews

"Going Bye-Bye !" shows the screen's greatest comic double-act in brilliant form. It is in fact their last short comedy film classic - another five more two-reelers followed followed (though only one of these - "Them Thar Hills" - approaches the standard of this one). Long is at his fearsome best, and the dialogue ("Excuse me, I have milk in my ear"), characterisations and slapstick are wonderful. This is up there with Stan and Ollie's best. A must.

This is one of the better Laurel & Hardy two reelers I have seen. The good thing with this short film is that it is not only entertaining and making you smile, the gags still work as good as they probably did back then. I laughed a lot with this short. Only the last five minutes are a little less funny, but those minutes are very original. The final gag belongs to the best I have seen in a Laurel & Hardy short.

The story shows us how Laurel & Hardy are responsible for the conviction of a criminal. The criminal tells them that when he comes out he will harm them very badly. Laurel & Hardy plan to leave town. They want to take a passenger to share expenses. A lady offers to go along and of course she knows the criminal who by that time has escaped.

The story is predictable, some of the gags are too, but they all work. Highly recommended.

This is so very funny. Walter Long plays Butch, a murderer who Stan and Ollie have helped convicted. With that stern, ugly, threatening smirk, Butch tells them in court that he will escape, catch them, and tie their legs around their necks. He goes off to prison, but, of course, he escapes and the fun starts. The boys leave town but they need some financial aid and advertise for a travelling companion. It turns out to be Mae Bush, who is Butch's girlfriend. The arrive a her apartment shortly after Butch, who hides in a steamer trunk. The boys are take with Mae who is quite voluptuous in a 1930's kind of way. Butch realizes he can't get out of the trunk and much of the episode involves the duo trying to get him out, not realizing they are about to seal their fates. Tremendous character acting by Long and a really great plot.

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.

Doing their civic duty for once, Laurel and Hardy are witnesses in a case that sees a violent felon go down for life. The criminal swears bloody revenge and Laurel and hardy decide it's best for them to leave town. Needing help with the gas money they advertise for a travelling companion and their luck is in when a lady replies. Meanwhile the criminal escapes jail and heads to his girlfriend's house for shelter – just before our heroes arrive to pick her up as their travelling companion.

Despite the dark starting to this film it turns out to be very funny. The film worried me a little as it appeared to be slightly violent in it's threats etc at the start but it soon feel back into routines and slapstick that they do so well. The later routines with the trunk were a little disappointing as they were uninspired but still quite funny – in fact once the criminal turns up in the flat it all had an air of inevitability about it that sapped the film's energy a bit.

Nevertheless it is still funny and Oliver and Stan are on good form in the early scenes with both good physical work and nice dialogue based routines between the two. It isn't one of their best that I've seen but even them on an off day is very funny and well worth a watch.

This is a very simple made Laurel & Hardy short with an almost non-existent and not that great story. However the gags in the movie are absolutely hilarious and are the reason why this is one of the better Laurel & Hardy comedy shorts.

It's a very consistent movie that remains funny throughout its entire running time. It has some absolute priceless visual jokes in it and a really funny ending.

It's always fun to see Walter Long in a villainous role in any Laurel & Hardy movie, so this one included. He probably is also one of the reasons that makes this movie oh so fun and hilarious to watch. Also a couple of other Laurel & Hardy regulars show up again.

Simple comedy short but the humor in it is absolutely priceless and its timing spot-on!

8/10

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If you're a Laurel and Hardy fan, you know that anything with Mae Busch is a classic. GOING BYE BYE is filled with gags and one liners, well directed by veteran Charley Rogers. Rogers may have just let he cameras roll and had the boys improvise their material, which was the key to their success.

Stan and Ollie's testimony have locked away tough guy Walter Long --for LIFE! Of course, Long declares somehow, someway he'll get out of prison and wrap their legs around their necks! The boys decide to get outta' town fast and advertise for a companion to pay expenses. Who else but Mae Busch --Long's gal pal? Long, as can be expected, crashes out of the big house and there's trouble brewin'!

Lots of goofy material, especially Long locked inside a trunk and the boys trying to get him out --not knowing who he is. By the way, watch the room fall apart! An interesting footnote, mentioned many times, Stan Laurel liked using Walter Long as a heavy, because --as he put it --he had absolutely no comedic ability. Best as a bad guy with NO smiles.

Mae Busch is a stylish dresser in this one, looking fabulous.

This short is one of a handful that was colored for vhs back in the 1980s and 90s, but the old black and white prints have never lost their charm. Also remastered blu ray.

GOING BYE BYE is a Laurel and Hardy short that is possibly best remembered for its grotesque final scene . I use the word grotesque but you don`t have to be The Masked Magician to work out how the physical trick is achieved . Oh hold on I`m starting at the end .

The story gets off to a good start as Stan shows that despite all his innocence he does have a common sense approach to retribution - " Aren`t you gonna hang him ? " , and there`s other funny scenes and lines throughout the story . However there is a problem and that is the plot towards the end revolves around the quite remarkable coincidence of someone answering an advert who knows someone that Stan and Ollie don`t want to meet

As some other people have said this isn`t the greatest Stan and Ollie short ( To my dying day I claim THE LAUREL AND HARDY MURDER CASE is their greatest moment ) but as everyone else has pointed out it`s still funny

"Going Bye-Bye!" has one of the more memorable endings in the Laurel and Hardy catalog, and I'm guessing it's for this reason that many people have rated this short so highly. It currently enjoys a rather generous 7.7/10 rating here; clearly a fanboy-favorite.

Plot In a Nutshell: Two friends (Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy) decide to skip town after giving evidence at a trial that convicts a menacing thug (Walter Long), whose sworn vengeance on them now seems possible after his escape from a prison train.

Why I rated it a '6': As usual with Laurel and Hardy films, there are some funny moments here. The opening scene in the courtroom mostly works and Stan's wanted ad in the newspaper is good for a few laughs. Their later attempts to open a locked chest have some solid comedy as well. But, as also seems to be the usual with L&H, they manage to include some rather unfunny bits which can't be overlooked when making an assessment.

At one point Stan calls Ollie to the telephone but, instead of handing him the telephone receiver, Stan hands him an open can of condensed milk. Ollie proceeds to hold the open can up to his ear and....well, you can get the visual. I did not find this funny in the least. I don't see how a person can't tell the feel of a tin can compared to the feel of a telephone, such that you would actually hold the can up to your ear. Sorry, not buying that. And sadly, they did this bit, not once, but twice! Wow guys. Bad call.

There is another scene where Stan is pressing a doorbell multiple times, then the last time, he accidentally presses his finger into Ollie's face instead. What? Exactly how would that happen? I don't think so. This film does have its good moments, but as described, it also has the capacity to elicit from you a number of groans. Beware the reviewers rating this exceptionally high, they seem to be the same people who rate every L&H film at perfect or near-perfect levels. I'm convinced that if Laurel and Hardy made a film where they just stared out the window for 20 minutes, these fanboys would rate it a 10 and call it a 'masterpiece.' Sure.

In William Everson's anthology of L&H films, he described "Going Bye-Bye!" as "a particularly slick, though never really distinguished, welding of violent slapstick and situational humor." I'd agree with that.

6/10. Mildly entertaining, but really nothing more. Would I watch again (Y/N)?: That's a maybe. It's certainly not the first thing I'd pick when I wanted a laugh.

Laurel and Hardy's testimony have helped convict Walter Long. He announces that he's going to bust out of prison and kill them. They prepare to leave town, but don't have enough money. They advertise in the paper and Mae Busch answers. If that's not enough trouble, she's Long's girlfriend. If that's not enough trouble, he's escaped and coming along with them. However, he's locked in a trunk. Always ineptly helpful, the Boy's try to get him out.

This is the short with the immortal line, "I have milk in my ear." Filled with ridiculous details, this is one of Stan and Ollie's best short..... which can be said of an astonishing number of them.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were comedic geniuses, individually and together, and their partnership was deservedly iconic and one of the best there was. They left behind a large body of work, a vast majority of it being entertaining to classic comedy, at their best they were hilarious and their best efforts were great examples of how to do comedy without being juvenile or distasteful.

Although a vast majority of Laurel and Hardy's previous efforts ranged from above average to very good ('45 Minutes from Hollywood' being the only misfire and mainly worth seeing as a curiosity piece and for historical interest, and even that wasn't a complete mess), 'Two Tars' for me was their first truly classic one with close to flawless execution. 'Going Bye-Bye!' for me is up there with their best later efforts and certainly among their funniest.

Can't really find anything wrong with it, was past caring this time as to whether the story was as thin as ice when there is so much content and energy that continually makes the film compelling, on top of being riotously funny in its best moments.

From start to finish 'Going Bye-Bye!' is wonderful, never less than very amusing and the best moments being classic Laurel and Hardy. It is never too silly, there is a wackiness that never loses its energy and the sly wit is here, how it's all executed actually doesn't feel too familiar and it doesn't get repetitive. A lot happens yet it doesn't ever feel rushed or over-stuffed. The second half especially is a sheer delight and hilarious, despite the viewer being in no doubt how things were going to end.

Laurel and Hardy are on top form here, both are well used, both have material worthy of them and they're equal rather than one being funnier than the other (before Laurel tended to be funnier and more interesting than Hardy, who tended to be underused). Their chemistry feels like a partnership here too, before 'Two Tars' you were yearning for more scenes with them together but in 'Going Bye-Bye!' and on the most part from 'Two Tars' onwards we are far from robbed of that. Their comic timing is impeccable and they handle the material, material more than worthy of their talents, with adept ease.

'Going Bye-Bye!' looks good visually, is full of energy and the direction gets the best out of the stars, is at ease with the material and doesn't let it get too busy or static. Simple it somewhat is but it doesn't ever get overly so. The supporting cast are more than up to their level, especially a truly fearsome Walter Long.

In summary, one of Laurel and Hardy's best. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This short is one of the best they did (The Music Box being the best). Not only do you have the somewhat predictable storyline of Stan and Ollie ending up with the girlfriend of the villain they have just helped put behind bars for the rest of his life, it also shows Stan Laurel's brilliance. After placing the advertisement in the newspaper (the wording of which is another Laurel piece of work) watch the bunch of flowers that Ollie brings when they go to meet Butch's girlfriend. Stan and Ollie spend the rest of this short passing the flowers back and forth without thought in the middle of all the chaos. They're still in Ollie's hands at the end. This one thing turned what would have been just another slapstick into pure genius. Whtch this episode! It's one of the best.

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'.

This time, Stan and Ollie help convict a criminal who swears revenge on them, forcing them to try and leave town. Sure enough, all manner of mishaps result. I think that my favorite part of "Going Bye-Bye" was the whole scene with the telephone. It's the sort of movie where you could turn off the sound and it would still be a riot.

One can see Laurel and Hardy's influence on the relationship between Gilligan and the Skipper. The characters in Gore Verbinski's "Mouse Hunt" also do a lot of things that are similar to Laurel and Hardy. It just goes to show that these guys were a comedy team for the ages. I understand that they co-starred in a movie in the early 1920s a few years before they became a team - and Hardy had appeared in a number of shorts, billed as Babe - but once they became a team, things took off.

Anyway, really funny.

Stan & Ollie testify against a dangerous criminal "Butch" who swears revenge and then promptly escapes from jail and goes looking for them. Laurel & Hardy meanwhile prepare to get out of town and, by a million to one chance, find themselves in Butch's apartment. To say any more would be giving the (wonderful) plot away, so you'll have to watch it. of course, I'm sure most people on Planet Earth have already seen this delightful "short". It's not one of L&H's best but still VERY funny. The film is greatly assisted by Walter Long (the ultimate comedy tough guy) who plays "Butch". I've just seen Going Bye Bye on BBC2. The restored version is magnificent. It looks as if it was made yesterday! Well worth watching.

"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.

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.

The critic in me says that the entire film is structured for the sole purpose of the sight gag with which the film ends. But, OH, WHAT A SIGHT GAG!

I saw this the other night at a local arts club screening, but available nowhere else. Why isn't this (or for matter, their masterpiece "The Music Box") on video?