Pardon Us

Pardon Us is a 1931 American pre-Code Laurel and Hardy film. It was the duo's first starring feature-length comedy film, produced by Hal Roach and Stan Laurel, directed by James Parrott, and originally distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1931.

Plot
Set during Prohibition, Stan and Ollie are outside Malt and Hops, a store offering ingredients for brewing. Ollie announces his intention to brew 15 gallons of beer, prompting Stan's concern over their capacity to consume such a quantity. Ollie's retort reveals their plan to sell what they cannot drink. Subsequently, the scene shifts to the duo's arrival in handcuffs at prison, charged with concocting and distributing their own homebrew, marking their incarceration as prisoners 44633 and 44634.

Upon arrival, Stan's loose tooth inadvertently provokes the governor, drawing further attention to their predicament. Assigned to cell 14 alongside five other inmates, including the notorious "Tiger," the toughest prisoner, Stan's recurrent razzberry, caused by his loose tooth, earns him unexpected respect from the intimidating Tiger, fostering an unlikely friendship. Amidst shared bunk beds and prison school, their antics inadvertently land them in solitary confinement, amplifying the bleakness of prison life.

During a riot, Stan and Ollie seize the opportunity to escape, becoming fugitives with a bounty on their heads. Their flight leads them to a cotton plantation, where they hide in blackface to evade detection. A musical interlude sees Ollie serenading with "Lazy Moon" while Stan dances, only for his blackface to wash off, exposing their true identities. Their discovery, triggered by Stan's involuntary razzberry, leads to their prompt return to prison.

Subsequent events see Ollie inadvertently undergoing dental treatment intended for Stan, culminating in the extraction of the wrong tooth. Tricked into breaking a hunger strike promise with the false allure of a lavish feast, they confront disappointment and unrest in the mess hall. Amidst escalating tension and a plan for rebellion, Stan's accidental discharge of a Tommy gun prematurely triggers chaos, thwarting the planned riot.

Amidst the pandemonium, the warden's daughter becomes trapped in a burning building, prompting Stan and Ollie's valiant attempt at rescue. However, their comedic missteps, including an inadvertent discharge of the Tommy gun, inadvertently quell the riot, earning them a written pardon from the grateful warden. Despite their accidental antics and misinterpretations, they hastily exit the prison, marking the culmination of their tumultuous journey.

Production
After the release of MGM's hit The Big House with Chester Morris and Wallace Beery, producer Hal Roach decided to feature Laurel and Hardy in a two-reeler spoofing the current prison drama. Roach felt that since his product was currently being released through MGM, he would be able to borrow existing sets used in The Big House to keep costs down. MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer agreed to the idea, on the proviso that the duo appear in a film for MGM in the near future. Infuriated, Roach turned down the offer, and hired set designer Frank Durloff to build an exact replica of the needed prison sets.

Pardon Us began production as The Rap in June 1930. To Roach's dismay, shooting went over schedule, with enough surplus for two prison-themed films. As a result, it was decided that The Rap be released as a full-length feature film, Laurel and Hardy's first as stars. Previewed in August 1930, the film ran 70 minutes, and was subject to lukewarm reviews, in which critics stated that the movie needed a bit of tightening. Stan Laurel decided to withdraw Pardon Us from general distribution to add new scenes and delete unnecessary ones. Leroy Shield's musical score was added (many songs already appearing in Our Gang and Laurel and Hardy short films), and the film was eventually released on August 15, 1931, a year after its first preview.

June Marlowe (who was simultaneously appearing as school marm Miss Crabtree in the Our Gang series) appears only briefly in the film despite her receiving billing after Laurel and Hardy. An elaborate deleted sequence was filmed, in which the convicts set the prison on fire as part of their escape plan and the warden's daughter is seen screaming from her second floor bedroom.

Stan Laurel did not find this sequence satisfactory, and re-filmed the much simpler ending involving the boys holding the convicts at bay with a machine gun. In the released version, June Marlowe does not appear in this scene at all. However, she does appear in the Spanish version of Pardon Us, which was entitled De Bote en Bote ("From Cell to Cell"). This version still exists, with an alternate ending which shows Stan looking at their prison mugshots at the end, much to the disgust of Ollie, who rips them up. Pardon Us was released in the UK under the title Jailbirds.

Foreign-language versions
During the early era of sound cinema, Hollywood studios frequently produced foreign language versions of their films, utilizing the same sets, costumes, and production elements. While many of these adaptations have been lost, the Spanish-language rendition of Pardon Us stands as a notable exception, titled De Bote en Bote.

In addition to the Spanish version, counterparts were created in other languages, including Italian (Muraglie), German (Hinter Schloss und Riegel), and French (Sous Les Verrous). Regrettably, the French and Italian iterations have been lost, though fragments of the German version were unearthed in 1999 and are accessible on DVD.

These foreign-language adaptations were filmed concurrently with the English version, featuring actors who were fluent in the respective languages. American actors assumed major roles, while local talent took on supporting characters. To navigate linguistic challenges, language coaches assisted in reciting lines, while monolingual performers relied on phonetically transcribed cue cards positioned just outside the camera's view. This method, predating modern dubbing techniques, allowed for seamless dialogue delivery but proved costly and labor-intensive.

Laurel and Hardy's popularity rendered them indispensable, leading to foreign-language versions of Pardon Us and other productions such as Blotto, Chickens Come Home and Below Zero. The duo, along with other cast members, delivered their lines phonetically, with minor roles occasionally being recast, as exemplified by Boris Karloff portraying "The Tiger" in the French version prior to his iconic role in Frankenstein released in November 1931.

Availability
Three prints of different length are in circulation today. In the mid-1980s, 3M issued a series of L&H films on laserdisc and used the preview print of Pardon Us. It ran nine minutes longer than all previous prints, and contained additional scenes with the warden, solitary confinement, and second performance of "Hand Me Down My Silver Trumpet Gabriel". This version has been shown several times on the cable network American Movie Classics. The 64-minute version also aired on TCM's April Fools' Day salute to Laurel and Hardy.

In 2004, Universal Studios issued the complete 1930 preview version on DVD, which includes added scenes taken from preview copies. This version, running at 70 minutes, was also released in 2011 as part of Laurel and Hardy: The Essential Collection. Originally, a music score was not added to the lost segment. This was resolved by adding Shield's music cues recreated by The Beau Hunks, a Dutch revivalist music ensemble, on their 1994 CD The Beau Hunks Play the Original Little Rascals Music.