The Chimp (1932)

• Year: 1932
• Released: 21 May 1932
• Country: United States
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• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022759/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_chimp
• Metacritics:
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: Passed
• Genre: Short, Comedy
• Runtime: 25 min
• Writer: H.M. Walker
• Director: James Parrott
• Cast: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Bobby Burns
• Keywords: black and white, short film, circus, gorilla, flea circus,

	6.9/10
	60% – Audience

The Chimp Storyline

In lieu of back wages, the defunct circus that Stanley and Oliver have been working for pay them off with a flea circus and a trained chimpanzee named “Ethel.” Unfortunately, that’s also the name of their landlord’s wife, and after the boys sneak the ape into their room, the jealous man draws some unfortunate conclusions when he overhears Oliver ordering Ethel to “come to bed.”

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The Chimp Movie Reviews

Monkeyshines With Mr. Laurel & Mr. Hardy

A LAUREL & HARDY Comedy Short. In lieu of salaries, a bankrupt circus gives its property away to its workers. Stan gets the flea circus – Ollie is given Ethel, THE CHIMP. The big simian takes an immediate dislike to Ollie, but becomes very fond of Stan. Deciding to sell Ethel to the zoo, the Boys look for a hotel to spend the night. Trying to do so with a great, hairy beast in tow is hard enough; an escaped lion and a volatile landlord only ensure that getting a good night’s sleep will be almost impossible.

A very funny little film, with genuine belly laughs. Watching Stan dance with Ethel is priceless. That’s James Finlayson as the circus Ringmaster; Billy Gilbert plays the dyspeptic landlord.

Laurel & Hardy’s only foray into a circus picture

As mentioned in reviewing LAUGHING GRAVING, the plot of that film was based on the silent L & H comedy ANGORA LOVE, and the same plot was used (with changes) in THE CHIMP. LAUGHING GRAVY described how the boys attempts to hide a cute little dog from landlord Charley Hall eventually lead to that worthy’s self-destruction. THE CHIMP does not quite end that way, although there is a chance that Ethyl the Chimp may hurt somebody at the conclusion.

The beginning of THE CHIMP makes one wish it was a longer feature film. It is a comedy that starts off in a circus, which is on it’s last legs. The clumsiness of Stan and Ollie (culminating in their firing a cannon upward so it destroys the big-top tent) leads to the bankruptcy of the circus, and the division of the animals between the employees (they are to draw lots for them – Jimmy Finleyson, the circus ringmaster, is certain he’ll draw the cuckoo bird). The boys end up with Ethyl, who in the course of the short does something neither Angora Love the goat nor Laughing Gravy the dog ever did – she keeps demonstrating she is smarter than the two humans who got her. In fact, at one point she even gives Ollie a stare of disdain at a particularly stupid action of his.

This intelligence leads to certain activities that could not be done in the earlier versions. In LAUGHING GRAVY Stan frets about his dog’s freezing in the blizzard-like cold outside. In THE CHIMP, we see how really smart Ethyl is – she is supposed to be boxed up in a crate that Ollie is putting together. Instead she puts Ollie into the crate and starts sealing it!

The conclusion is when they sneak the chimp into their rooms. Landlord Billy Gilbert is as rule conscious as landlord Charley Hall had been. When earlier he saw the chimp with Stan and Ollie he insists that they keep him outside. Stan says he might get pemonia. Ollie frowns and corrects Stan: “He means penumonia!” Gilbert smashes the language difficulty, saying “I don’t care if you all get penumonia – keep that beast out of here!” But, as I said, Ethyl is sneaked back in. Soon she is dancing up a storm (wearing a tutu) and actually dancing cheek to cheek with a frightened Stan. Ollie yells, “Ethyl, will you stop that and come to bed.” Unfortunately Gilbert is a jealous husband, whose wife is named Ethyl. He bursts in and melodramatically denounces the figure under the bed cover as a fallen woman. Just then the real Ethyl turns up, and the Chimp removes the cover and makes a quizzical grunt noise. Gilbert is furious and insists they take Ethyl out. But she does not want to go, and finding Gilbert’s pistol on the floor starts firing it – and Stan and Ollie run about the room in a panic as the short ends.

A very amusing short – and one that shows how low the level of the boys’ mental abilities was in comparison to the animal kingdom.

a guy in an ape suit,…nuff said?!

I love Laurel and Hardy movies, so keep this in mind before you read this mediocre review. Don’t just assume I can’t stand their movies! Stan and Ollie are stuck with taking care of a guy in a cheap ape costume–though in the movie, the ape is SUPPOSED to be real. Okay. Well, to me it just looks like a guy in a cheap ape costume and I HATE when movies put people in crappy ape costumes. It never looks real and the plots, as in this film, are really corny and impossible to believe. In this case, it’s a female ape (it really does NOT look like an orangutan, chimp OR gorilla) and it is in love with Stanley. Not only is this extremely contrived, but it’s really nasty as well.

The final verdict–stick with Laurel and Hardy, not “Laurel and Hardy and guy in crappy ape costume”.