Product Details

• Actors: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Edgar Kennedy, Mae Busch, Thelma Todd
• Directors: Hal Roach, Lewis R. Foster
• Writers: H.M. Walker, Leo McCarey
• Producers: Hal Roach
• Format: Black & White, Silent, NTSC
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Image Entertainment
• VHS Release Date: December 15, 1998
• Run Time: 39 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00000I21G
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #422,981 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Contains both the silent (18 min.) and sound versions (21 min.).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Stan and Ollie Speak!, May 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Laurel & Hardy: Unaccustomed As We Are [VHS] (VHS Tape)

In 1929, The Hal Roach studio was wired for sound (several months ahead of Roach's distributor, MGM!). In short order, Laurel and Hardy got their first crack at making one of those new fangled talking pictures. The result, UNACCUSTOMED AS WE ARE, seems quite primitive through our modern jaded eyes, but of course was a sensation when it was released. It's still a very funny picture, in spite of it's slightly awkward pacing and the occasional self-consciousness of the actors. Laurel and Hardy and their wonderful supporting cast (Mae Busch, Thelma Todd, Edgar Kennedy) all have good moments, and there are some inventive uses of sound which, while routine today, were quite novel in 1929 (i.e.Stan trips and falls down the stairs; while his descent is unseen, the soundtack plays a hilariously exaggerated series of bumps, thuds, crashes, etc.). The best gag in the film involves Mae's nagging and a gramophone (Sorry,I can't do it justice). The videotape also includes a silent version of the film, released to theatres that were not yet equipped for sound. But be forewarned: For some odd reason, the silent version comes first on this tape.By the way, this film was closely reworked by Laurel and Hardy in 1938 as the 2nd half of their hilarious feature film, BLOCKHEADS.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The first full talkie by Laurel & Hardy, May 13, 2001

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Laurel & Hardy: Unaccustomed As We Are [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"Unaccustomed as We Are" is the first full talkie by Laurel & Hardy, which means no silent version was issued by Hal Roach's studio. Hardy brings Laurel home for a home cooked meal by his wife (Mae Busch), who storms out of the apartment at this imposition. Thelma Todd plays the friendly blonde next door who takes pity on the boys and makes dinner for them. Unfortunately she accidentally burns her dress and as soon as she has taken it off both her husband, cop Edgar Kennedy, and Ollie's wife suddenly return. Thelma hides in the trunk and then the comedy takes an interesting twist. Kennedy figures out what is going on and decides to have some fun of his own, making Laurel & Hardy bring the trunk over to his apartment. In the end both wives go after their husbands with pretty much everything in the kitchen. This 1929 two-reeler was directed by Lewis Foster from a story by Leo McCarey, who was writing most of the boys' comedies at this point. "Unaccustomed as We Are" is representative of early attempts at sound comedies, with sound effects used to convey action off screen. The entire plot eventually ends up as the last reel of Laurel & Hardy's 1938 feature "Blockheads."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A transitional film, January 10, 2010

By 

M. Shepherd "Midwest" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Laurel & Hardy: Unaccustomed As We Are [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This film was made as both a silent and a talking film. A as a transitional film, it was really neither fish nor foul. Both versions

are decent comedies, but could have been much better. They were still trying to find their footing doing talkies. But make the

transition to talking films they did, and their later efforts were much better.

Even if it`s not a great comedy there are still plenty of laughs to be had in it.