Series: All Stars w/Laurel and Hardy Director: Edgar Kennedy Producer: Hal Roach Titles: H.M. Walker Photography: Len Powers Editor: Richard C. Currier Stars: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Anita Garvin Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Released: 24 March 1928 Length: 2 reels Production No.: S-8 Filming dates: December 27, 1927 - January 5, 1928 Rating: 4/10

From Soup To Nuts

Available on BLU-RAY & DVD:

Mr & Mrs Culpepper (TINY SANDFORD and ANITA GARVIN) are hosting a dinner engagement for their friends. The new servants (Stan & Ollie) arrive and, after breaking the doorbell, are admitted into the house by the maid (EDNA MARION). Stan produces a calling card with their business on it, believing it should be placed with the calling cards of the guests. After Ollie reprimands Stan for his rude manners in wearing his hat in the house, the maid shows them to the hostess for their formal introductions. Mrs. Culpepper reads their recommendation letter The boys enter the kitchen, where Ollie's hat ends up in the maid's cooking bowl. Stan sees the chef (OTTO FRIES) working on his food preparation and politely tells him that hats are not permitted indoors. After the cook ignores Stan three times Stan takes the chefs hat and boots it up into the air. The two men then exchange smashed saucers over each others heads until Ollie comes over to break it up their fight. The guests are seated at the large dining table where the hostess struggles to eat her fruit salad on account that a cherry keeps slipping off her spoon. A dog gets underneath the table between the legs of one of the guests (DOROTHY COBURN), who then gives the host sitting next to her a nudge when she thinks he was responsible. The hostess continues to struggle with her fruit salad and is compunded by her tiara which keeps slipping down across her eyes. The dinner is in full swing when Stan and Ollie enter the room to serve the guests. Stan spills the soup all over Ollie's shoes before Ollie takes his first of many tumbles with a ridiculously oversized cake! Naturally this draws the attention of most of the guests whilst Stan thinks it's all funny.

After his accident, Ollie throws the banana peel he slipped on across the room. Stan drops a serving spoon into the soup bowl and has to try and retrieve it without putting his hands in. In the end he decides to dip plates into the bowl and serve them, but in his efforts he too slips on the banana peel and drowns the guests with the content of the dish. Mr. Culpepper, now wearing the contents formerly in Stan's dish decides to get in Stan's face over it and threatens to punch him. Stan anticipates the violence and retaliates (see 'favourite bit'). Stan orders Ollie out into the kitchen and the guests back into their chairs. Ollie fetches yet another cake but once again slips on the same banana peel and... yep, you guessed it! He then fetches a third (of course, they just seem to have loads of enormous cakes lying around the kitchen!) but chooses this time to wheel it in on a tea trolley. The hostess calls for the salad to be served - without dressing. A simple instruction which the boys misinterpret to serve the food whilst wearing a bare minimal of clothing. Ever the obedient, Stan does his duty and walks out in front of the guests semi-naked. It doesn't take long before heads start turning and tongues start wagging, as the hostess explodes with rage upon noticing the faux pas and demands an explanation from her undressed servant. Naturally the innocent Stan points the finger at Ollie, from whom he received the instruction in the first place. Mrs. Culpepper whacks Hardy so hard that he falls on the (third) cake - a cake that, it seemed, was destined never to be consumed by the guests!

Favourite bit Beefy host Tiny Sandford tries to intimidate Stan by threatening to hit him but Stan anticipates the assault and beats him to the punch. So much so that it sends Sandford on his way without retaliation. So casual!

Trivia • Copyrighted March 24, 1928. • Released as part of the All Star series. • Previewed as Let George Do It. • At the time the filming wrapped, Oliver Hardy was already filming the Our Gang comedy Barnum & Ringling, Inc. • The basic plot of the film was recreated as part of the extended scenes which were re-shot for A Chump At Oxford. In that film, Garvin reprises her role (with James Finlayson taking over Tiny Sandford's role as host) and plays the character Mrs. Vanderveer - a reference to one of the dinner guests in this film, Ellinor Vanderveer. • On the card Stan pulls out of his pocket it reads, "Laurel & Hardy - Waiters. All we ask is a chance". • After their initial introduction, Ollie definitely eyes up Anita Garvin from the rear as she walks off. • Dorothy Coburn's dress. Yummy! • Anita Garvin tries desperately not to use her fingers to pluck the cherry out of her fruit salad bowl, and yet when it falls onto the table, she uses her hand to roll it back to her dish. • When Anita Garvin's tiara falls over her eyes, she actually asks Stan to lift it back up for her again, yet earlier in the evening when it happens she lifts it back up by herself. • Ollie destroys three cakes. • Including the hosts Garvin and Sandford and guests, there are 14 people at the dinner table: From Anita's end going clockwise: Anita Garvin (at one end) -- Charles Weelock -- Ellinor Vanderveer -- Tiny Sandford -- Dorothy Coburn -- Hugh Crumplin -- Betty Boyd -- Sam Lufkin (at other end) -- Ruth Robinson -- Malcolm Letts -- Jean Lorraine -- Ernest Brinkman -- Florence Wix -- Raymond Cooper. • The dog's name is Buddy. My opinion • Average. Tired, boring, lacking in humour, predictable and a slog to get through.

	Stan Laurel Stan
	Oliver Hardy Ollie
	Anita Garvin Mrs. Culpepper, the hostess
	Tiny Sandford Mr. Culpepper
	Dorothy Coburn Guest
	Edna Marion Maid
	Ellinor Vanderveer Dinner guest
	Otto Fries Chef
	Sam Lufkin Dinner guest
	Malcolm Letts Dinner guest
	Hugh Crumplin Dinner guest
	Florence Wix Dinner guest
	Betty Boyd Dinner guest
	Ernest Brinkman Dinner guest
	Charles Wheelock Dinner guest
	Ruth Robinson Dinner guest
	Jean Lorraine Dinner guest
	Raymond Cooper Dinner guest
	Buddy The dog

CREDITS (click image to enlarge)	INTERTITLES (click image to enlarge)

POSTER (click any image to enlarge)

STILLS (click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements: Laurel And Hardy: The Magic Behind The Movies by Randy Skretvedt (book) Jerry Murbach (2 stills) Robert Demoss (cast ledgers) Jesse Brisson (identification of Malcolm Letts, Hugh Crumplin, Florence Wix, Betty Boyd, Ernest Brinkman, Charles Wheelock, Ruth Robinson, Jean Lorraine, Raymond Cooper) Robert Moulton (identification of Buddy) This page was last updated on: 03 May 2026