''On the Loose'' is a 1931 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorshi ...

comedy

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

released 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 ...

, produced and directed 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 starring

ZaSu Pitts Zasu Pitts (; January 3, 1894 – June 7, 1963) was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas, including Erich von Stroheim's epic 1924 silent film ''Greed'', and comedies, transitioning successfully to mostly comedy films with the ...

and

Thelma Todd Thelma Alice Todd (July 29, 1906 – December 16, 1935) was an American actress and businesswoman who carried the nicknames "The Ice Cream Blonde" and "Hot Toddy". Appearing in about 120 feature films and shorts between 1926 and 1935, sh ...

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 ...

make a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...

Plot

The short begins with Thelma and ZaSu entering their shared New York apartment and complaining about all of the cheap, monotonous

dates Date or dates may refer to: *Date (fruit), the fruit of the date palm (''Phoenix dactylifera'') Social activity *Dating, a form of courtship involving social activity, with the aim of assessing a potential partner **Group dating * Play date, a ...

they recently have endured. In every case their boyfriends have taken them to

Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...

. The next day, while stopping along a city sidewalk, a passing car splashes them with mud and water. The young male driver stops and offers to buy them some new clothes. They accept his offer and later agree to go on a date, which yet again involves a trip, to Coney Island. The date does not go well, and they are relieved to go home.

Laurel and Hardy cameo

At the end of the film there is a knock at Thelma and ZaSu's apartment door. Stan and Ollie appear and ask them to go on a date to Coney Island. Angered by the offer, the frustrated roommates start throwing

ornaments An ornament is something used for decoration. Ornament may also refer to: Decoration *Ornament (art), any purely decorative element in architecture and the decorative arts *Biological ornament, a characteristic of animals that appear to serve on ...

at Stan and Oliver who beat a hasty retreat. Laurel and Hardy are on screen for only 41 seconds.

Cast

as ZaSu *

as Thelma * John Loder as Mr. Loder *

Claud Allister Claud Allister (born William Claud Michael Palmer, 3 October 1888 – 26 July 1970) was an English actor with an extensive film career in both Britain and Hollywood, where he appeared in more than 70 films between 1929 and 1955. Life and ...

as Mr. Loder's friend *

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 ...

as Pierre, the dressmaker *

Otto Fries Otto Hugo Fries (October 28, 1887 – September 15, 1938) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1920 and 1938. Biography Fries was born in St. Louis, Missouri and died in 1938 in Los Angeles, California a ...

(uncredited) as the belligerent bully *

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 ...

(uncredited) as Stan * Oliver Hardy (uncredited) as Ollie *

Dorothy Layton Dorothy Layton (August 13, 1912 – June 4, 2009) was an American film actress of the early 1930s. Life Born as Dorothy Ann Wannenwetsch in Cincinnati, Ohio, Layton was selected as one of the "WAMPAS Baby Stars" for 1932. Layton acted in eigh ...

(uncredited) as bully's girlfriend

External links

On The Loose
at the

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

1931 films 1931 comedy films Films directed by Hal Roach Films set in amusement parks American black-and-white films 1931 short films American comedy short films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films English-language comedy films {{short-comedy-film-stub