Who payed the critics

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Blistering performances.

This short film's direction is twofold. One is to avoid their wive's control over them (they always seemed to have wives who were much smarter, and much meaner than them) by stealing some alcohol from them. The other is to see what happens to them as they drink the tea that has replaced the liquor. The title of the film tells us that someone is going to get really drunk. Of course, they have already blown it before they go to the bottle club (taking a risk during prohibition) because of Ollie's big mouth (he is overheard by his wife). Anyway, the scene at the club is hilarious because the power of suggestion is more powerful than the realities of the human body. This is laugh riot. Will they pay a price for their actions? That's the question.

I second an earlier poster who wishes "Blotto" was available here in the U.S. I've been longing to see this movie for years because I understand there's a scene where the boys smash hundreds of pieces of glassware. Oddly enough this type of glass, known as Ruba Rombic and made by the now-defunct Consolidated Glass Co. in Penna., is highly collectible and worth a fortune these days. It was pretty avant garde in its day, borrowing its design from cubism.Anyway, if someone knows where to obtain "Blotto" on VHS, please post. It is a testament to the comic skills of Laurel and Hardy that they can make almost any story or situation, no matter how slight, really funny.

I would have to say that seeing Stan Laurel laugh and cry in this short at the club is probably one of the funniest things I've ever seen. It's always good for a laugh.I guess it's the contrast between his simpleton character and the overload of the sad and happy emotions he displays when he's 'drunk' which makes it so.The drunken laughing scene in Fra Diavolo comes close, but I like this Blotto scene better, since it 'goes to 11', then you add to that his deadly serious wife.I'm very surprised that Ollie can keep a straight face at the beginning of both segments. Though it's pretty funny when he too laughs uncontrollably with Stan, then wildly shakes his head 'No' when Stan wants him to tell his wife what they're laughing about. Jeff Daniels makes a similar move in Dumb and Dumber - when betting with Lloyd, though it's not as funny and is probably just coincidental.Admittedly, there's not much of a plot, but how much of a plot can you expect with a 26 minute short? Just when is this going to be available in the US on DVD?????? I'd be glad to hear of any other scenes you think top this, as I haven't seen all of their best material. I assume their Hal Roach shorts were their best.

The basic plot of this Laurel and Hardy short has been seen in movies and especially TV by other comedians. I remember a HONEYMOONERS episode that "liberally borrowed" from this short and I recall a few other shows that also reproduced the main idea. I assume that even before Laurel and Hardy, there probably were other comedy shorts with the same plot as well! Stan is a very henpecked husband. He wants to sneak out to "play", but his wife is keeping a close eye on him. Ollie calls and convinces Stan to lie to his wife so they can both sneak off to a night club. Stan tells Ollie his wife has been hiding a bottle of liquor (since it is Prohibition) and he'll smuggle it out of the house. However, the wife is quite nosy and overhears the plan, so she substitutes cold tea in the bottle.What follows is a not particularly surprising segment where Stan and Ollie think they are getting drunk, so they start to behave very obnoxiously at the night club. In the meantime, the wife arrives with a brand new gun she purchased to shoot her husband for lying to her(that seems awfully extreme and ridiculous, I know). However, despite this being a completely stupid plot element, the final scene where she shoots at the pair is still a great sight gag.A very familiar theme that was executed very, very well with the usual Laurel and Hardy style and grace.