Be Big!
Encyclopedia
Be Big! is a Hal Roach three-reel comedy starring Laurel and Hardy
. It was shot in November and December 1930, and released on February 7, 1931 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
. Dialogue was by H.M. Walker and direction by James Parrott
.
Ollie pretends to be sick and sends the wives on ahead, promising that he and Stan will meet them in the morning. The pair dress in their lodge gear and there are scenes of a lengthy struggle to pull one of Stan's boots off Ollie's foot. The wives then return having missed their train and with no obvious escape route Stan and Ollie take to a bed in fear and in response to Stan's plea of "What'll I do?", Ollie replies "Be big!".
, another short from the same year.
Les Carottiers was the French version; it replaced Isabelle Keith with Germaine de Neel as Mrs. Hardy and Jean De Briac in Baldwin Cooke's role of "Cookie."
The Spanish version, Los Calavaras, featured Linda Loredo
as Mrs. Hardy.
Laurel and Hardy delivered their French and Spanish lines phonetically from cue cards in both foreign versions. Anita Garvin played Mrs. Laurel in all three films; she mouthed her foreign lines phonetically, on-camera but off-mic, while a voice actress just off-camera spoke into a "hot" mic.
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
. It was shot in November and December 1930, and released on February 7, 1931 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
. Dialogue was by H.M. Walker and direction by James Parrott
James Parrott
James Parrott , was an American actor and film director; and the younger brother of film comedian Charley Chase.-Early years:...
.
Opening title
Mr. Hardy is a man of great care, caution and discretion — Mr Laurel is married, too —Plot
Laurel and Hardy are almost on their way to Atlantic City with their wives, when Ollie gets a phone call from Cookie, a lodge buddy. Cookie tells Ollie that a stag party is taking place that night in their honor and reveals irresistible details of the event when Ollie says they won't be able to attend.Ollie pretends to be sick and sends the wives on ahead, promising that he and Stan will meet them in the morning. The pair dress in their lodge gear and there are scenes of a lengthy struggle to pull one of Stan's boots off Ollie's foot. The wives then return having missed their train and with no obvious escape route Stan and Ollie take to a bed in fear and in response to Stan's plea of "What'll I do?", Ollie replies "Be big!".
Cast
- Stan LaurelStan LaurelArthur Stanley "Stan" Jefferson , better known as Stan Laurel, was an English comic actor, writer and film director, famous as the first half of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy. His film acting career stretched between 1917 and 1951 and included a starring role in the Academy Award winning film...
as Stan - Oliver HardyOliver HardyOliver Hardy was an American comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy, the classic double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted nearly 30 years, from 1927 to 1955.-Early life:...
as Ollie - Anita GarvinAnita GarvinAnita Garvin was an American actress and comedienne who appeared in both silent and sound films. She is best known for her work with comedians Laurel and Hardy and Charley Chase....
as Mrs. Laurel (uncredited) - Charlie Hall as Bellhop (uncredited)
- Isabelle KeithIsabelle KeithIsabelle Keith was an American actress. She was born on May 27, 1898 in New York, New York, and died July 20, 1979 in Mill Valley, California. She appeared in 42 films between 1919 and 1936, most of them from the M-G-M studio....
as Mrs. Hardy (uncredited) - Baldwin CookeBaldwin CookeBaldwin Cooke, also known as Baldy Cooke , was a comedic American actor. Born in New York, Cooke and his wife, Alice, toured in vaudeville with Stan Laurel, remaining close friends over the years. He appeared in some thirty Laurel and Hardy comedies...
as Cookie (uncredited) - Jack HillJack Hill (actor)Jack Hill was an American actor, who appeared in scores of Laurel & Hardy comedies.-Filmography:* A Quiet Street * Stage Fright * Dogs of War * Back Stage...
as Passerby at station (uncredited) - Ham KinseyHam KinseyHam Kinsey , was an American actor. He appeared in 39 films between 1926 and 1936 mostly at the Hal Roach Studios where he supported Our Gang and Laurel and Hardy.He died in Los Angeles, California, USA....
as Passerby at station (uncredited) - Chet BrandenburgChet BrandenburgChet Brandenburg , was an American actor. He appeared in 33 films between 1924 and 1957.He was born in Kentucky and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.-Selected filmography:* The Pinch Singer...
as Cab driver (uncredited) - Jean De BriacJean De BriacJean De Briac was a French film actor. He appeared in 122 films between 1920 and 1962.He was born in France and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:*Around the World in Eighteen Days...
— dress extra (uncredited)
Foreign versions
Be Big! was filmed in two extended foreign language versions immediately upon completion of its English incarnation. These foreign versions combined the story of the English original with that of Laughing GravyLaughing Gravy
Laughing Gravy is a 1931 short film comedy starring Laurel and Hardy. It was directed by James W.Horne, produced by Hal Roach and distributed by MGM.- Synopsis :...
, another short from the same year.
Les Carottiers was the French version; it replaced Isabelle Keith with Germaine de Neel as Mrs. Hardy and Jean De Briac in Baldwin Cooke's role of "Cookie."
The Spanish version, Los Calavaras, featured Linda Loredo
Linda Loredo
Linda Loredo was an American-born actress and dancer of Mexican descent. Today, she is most commonly associated with Spanish language versions of Laurel and Hardy short subjects...
as Mrs. Hardy.
Laurel and Hardy delivered their French and Spanish lines phonetically from cue cards in both foreign versions. Anita Garvin played Mrs. Laurel in all three films; she mouthed her foreign lines phonetically, on-camera but off-mic, while a voice actress just off-camera spoke into a "hot" mic.
Miscellany
- The opening titles on the film credit James Parrott as director and Art Lloyd as director of photography, but all contemporary publicity and promotional materials name James W. HorneJames W. HorneJames Wesley Horne was an early American actor, screenwriter and film director. He began his career as an actor under director Sidney Olcott at Kalem Studios in 1913 and directed his first film for the company two years later....
as director and Jack Stevens as photographer. - Jean De Briac served a more important role around the L&H unit than as just a dress extra — he was also Laurel's and Hardy's dialogue coach on the French language version, Les Carottiers (in which he also played Cookie).
- This was Anita Garvin's last-ever appearance in a Laurel and Hardy short; since 1927's Why Girls Love SailorsWhy Girls Love SailorsWhy Girls Love Sailors is a comedy short silent film directed by Fred Guiol for Hal Roach Studios starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy before they had become the comedy team of Laurel and Hardy. It was shot during February 1927 and released July 17, 1927, by Pathé Exchange...
, she had graced over a dozen L&H short subjects. She would return in seven years for their feature Swiss MissSwiss MissSwiss Miss is a brand name for cocoa powder and pudding products sold by American food company, ConAgra Foods, Inc. Created with a blend of "dark European cocoa", Swiss Miss is a well-established brand of instant hot chocolate in America...
and again in 1940 in A Chump at OxfordA Chump at OxfordA Chump at Oxford, directed by Alfred J. Goulding and released in 1940 by United Artists, was the penultimate Laurel and Hardy film made at the Hal Roach studios. Originally released as a streamliner featurette at forty minutes long, twenty minutes of footage largely unrelated to the main plot...
.