''County Hospital'' is a

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American Double act, comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–19 ...

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

made in 1932. It was directed by

James Parrott James Parrott (August 2, 1897 – May 10, 1939) was an American actor and film director; and the younger brother of film comedian Charley Chase. Biography Early years James Gibbons Parrott was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Charles and Blanch ...

, produced by

Hal Roach Harry Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr.Randy Skretvedt, Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director, a ...

and distributed by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

. Ollie is in hospital with a broken leg, Stan comes to visit and ends up getting Ollie kicked out; on the way home Stan crashes the car.

Plot

Ollie is in the county hospital with a broken leg. Stan pays him a visit (he did not have anything ''else'' to do) bearing a "thoughtful" gift of a bag of hard-boiled eggs and nuts. Ollie complains he cannot eat hard-boiled eggs or nuts and asks Stan why he did not bring a box of candy. Stan explains boxes of candy cost too much and that Ollie did not pay him for the last box he had brought him. While eating an egg, Stan knocks over a jug of water and Ollie hits him on the head with a bedpan. The doctor (

Billy Gilbert William Gilbert Barron (September 12, 1894 – September 23, 1971), known professionally as Billy Gilbert, was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his comic sneeze routines. He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects ...

) comes in to examine Ollie and tells him he should be in the hospital for at least two months. In a slapstick sequence, Stan uses the traction weight to break a nut and Ollie's plastered leg hits the doctor on the head. The doctor grabs the weight in anger and falls out of the window. Ollie's leg flies up to the ceiling as the doctor dangles precariously. The angry doctor orders both patient and guest out of the hospital at once. "You had nothing else to do so you thought you'd come around and see me," says an irritated Ollie. "Here I was for the first time in my life having a nice peaceful time and you had to come and spoil it. Get my clothes." Before leaving, Stan first manages to destroy a pair of trousers belonging to Ollie's roommate (who is also going home) and then accidentally sits on a hypodermic needle loaded with sedative. The nurse comes in, discovers this and nearly collapses into hysterical laughter. Stan attempts to drive Ollie home, but is nearly asleep at the wheel due to the sedative, and the car careens wildly through the streets in a token comic "reckless driving" sequence of traffic chaos until Stan finally smashes the car between two streetcars, bending it into a 90 degree angle so that he can only drive round and round in circles.

Cast

Filming locations

The front-entrance facade of Culver City's 1928 City Hall building at 9770 Culver Blvd. was used as the exterior of the "County Hospital" where

Stan Laurel Stan Laurel (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson; 16 June 1890 – 23 February 1965) was an English comic actor, writer, and film director who was one half of the comedy double act, duo Laurel and Hardy. He appeared with his comedy partner Oliver Ha ...

makes an unwelcome visit to the recuperating

Oliver Hardy Oliver Norvell Hardy (born Norvell Hardy; January 18, 1892 – August 7, 1957) was an American comic actor and one half of Laurel and Hardy, the double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted from 1926 to 1957. He appeared with his c ...

. The facade of the City Hall was salvaged as the freestanding frontispiece of its 1995 replacement. Filming locations for the final car sequence included Culver Boulevard, Duquesne Avenue, Tilden Avenue, Washington Boulevard, West 48th Street, and Second Avenue.Filming Locations - County Hospital (1932) - Laurel and Hardy (2019 Version), YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek8FezI2XMw&t=405s

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:County Hospital (1932 Film) 1932 films 1932 comedy films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Films directed by James Parrott Films set in hospitals Laurel and Hardy (film series) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer short films Films with screenplays by H. M. Walker 1932 short films American comedy short films 1930s American films