Oliver the Eighth

Plot

Laurel and Hardy are partners in a barber shop. Stan reads a classified ad in the newspaper from a wealthy widow (Mae Busch) looking for a new husband. Initially, only Stan plans to respond to the ad but after explaining his plans to Ollie (leading to the third use of the team's trademark "Tell me that again" routine, used previously in Towed in a Hole, The Devil's Brother, and subsequently in The Fixer Uppers) they both decide to answer the ad, shaking hands with Ollie saying "May the best man win." However, Ollie cheats on this agreement by mailing only his own response, and hiding Stan's in his hat.

The widow invites Ollie to her mansion, and when Stan discovers his unmailed response, he also goes along and demands half of whatever Ollie gets. At the widow's mansion, Laurel and Hardy encounter a deranged butler (Jack Barty) who pantomimes card tricks with imaginary cards, and serves an imaginary meal. The same butler tips off Stan and Ollie that the widow is a mass murderess, who had previously slit the throats of seven prior fiancees, all named Oliver.

Laurel and Hardy are sent upstairs, as the widow tells her butler to make sure all the doors and windows are locked. She tells Ollie, "I hope you have a nice, long sleep", as the butler plays "Taps" on a trumpet.

Unable to escape their bedroom, Stan finds a pump-action shotgun, leading to some slapstick mishaps including Stan accidentally shooting Ollie in the foot (which he mistook for a man's hand). They plan to take turns sleeping, so that one of them can watch out for the knife-wielding widow.

Ollie sets up a Rube Goldberg-style contraption to help Stan to stay awake. Tying a gold coated brick to a string, suspending it above Stan's head and then tying the other end of the string round a lit candle. Ollie then explains to Stan that he must periodically move the string in order to prevent the candle's flame burning through the string, resulting in the brick falling on Stan's head.

As usual, things go awry with the brick falling on Ollie's head, knocking him unconscious. Moments later the widow is heard walking up the stairs, sharpening a long knife. When Stan goes to get the shotgun, he gets locked in the closet as the widow enters the room. As she is about to slit Ollie's throat, a loud offscreen crash is heard.

Suddenly, Stan and Ollie are back at their barber shop, and Ollie leaps out of his chair, screaming and runs to the mirror to examine his throat. He explains to Stan, "I just had a terrible dream."

Cast