The Second Hundred Years (film)

This article is about the 1927 silent short film starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. For the 1967-68 ABC sitcom, see The Second Hundred Years (TV series).

The Second Hundred Years
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Fred Guiol
Written by	Leo McCarey (story) H.M. Walker (titles)
Produced by	Hal Roach
Starring	Stan Laurel Oliver Hardy
Cinematography	George Stevens
Edited by	Richard C. Currier
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	October 8, 1927 (1927-10-08)
Running time	22:36
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

The Second Hundred Years (a.k.a. The Second 100 Years) is a 1927 American silent comedy short film starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy prior to their official billing as the duo Laurel and Hardy. The team appeared in a total of 107 films between 1921 and 1951.

Plot

Full Movie

Stan and Ollie are two inmates sharing a prison cell. Together, they devise a plan to escape by digging a tunnel. However, their escape attempt takes an unexpected turn when they accidentally emerge through the floor of the warden's office. After a brief pursuit, they are apprehended and returned to their cell.

Undeterred, Stan and Ollie disguise themselves as painters and exit the prison during a meal break, posing as members of a painting crew. As they paint everything in sight, including a parked car and a passerby, they attract the attention of a vigilant policeman. In a bid to evade capture, they hijack a limousine and don the evening attire of its occupants, who happen to be French prison officials visiting the governor.

Mistaken for the French dignitaries, Stan and Ollie attend a banquet hosted by the governor. Amidst comical mishaps, such as Stan's struggle with a wayward cherry, they manage to maintain their charade until they are recognized by their fellow inmates and the real French officials. A chase ensues, leading to their eventual return to prison.

Cast

• Stan Laurel as Little Goofy
• Oliver Hardy as Big Goofy
• Charlie Hall as Convict
• James Finlayson as Gov. Browne Van Dyke
• Otto Fries as Lecoque
• Rosemary Theby as Dinner Guest
• Ellinor Van der Veer as Countess de Cognac
• Dorothy Coburn as Flapper
• Tiny Sandford as Guard
• William Gillespie as Extra
• Frank Brownlee as Prison Warden
• Edgar Dearing as Officer
• Charles A. Bachman as Officer
• Bob O'Conor as Voitrex
• Eugene Pallette as Dinner Guest

Notes

• Laurel and Hardy's heads were shaved for their appearance in this film; their hair had not yet grown back in their roles in Max Davidson's Call Of The Cuckoo (1927), released a week after The Second Hundred Years.
• The Three Stooges would paint their prison uniforms black in 1941's So Long Mr. Chumps.

Filming Locations

The "prison" gate is at 1601 Marengo Street in Los Angeles. The chase scenes were filmed on Main Street in Culver City.

The Sons of the Desert

Chapters of The Sons of the Desert, the international Laurel and Hardy Appreciation Society, called "Tents", all take their names from Laurel and Hardy films; there is a The Second Hundred Years Tent on Long Island, New York.

External links

• The Second Hundred Years at IMDb
• Synopsis at AllMovie
• The Second Hundred Years at Rotten Tomatoes