Series: Feature Director: Gordon Douglas Producer: Hal Roach Screenplay: Corey Ford Photography: Karl Struss, Norbert Brodine Editor: Bert Jordan Music: Marvin Hatley Sound: Warren B. Delaplain, William Randall Stars: Oliver Hardy, Harry Langdon, Billie Burke, Alice Brady, James Ellison, Jean Parker, June Lang, Step'n Fetchit, Hattie McDaniels, Phillip Hurlic Company: United Artists Released: 21 April 1939 Length: 8 reels Production No.: F-23 Filming dates: November 1938 - January 1939 Rating: 5/10

Zenobia

Available on BLU-RAY & DVD:

Mississippi 1870: Mary Tibbitt (Jean Parker), the only daughter of the town's doctor (Oliver Hardy) has just got engaged to Jeff Carter (James Ellison), the son of a very wealthy family. Mary's somewhat unusual mother (Billie Burke) summons the mumbling black servant Zero to run into town and ask for her husband Dr. Tibbitt (Hardy) to return home. When the doctor arrives home he is (eventually) told of the news. Everybody is happy, except Mary, who is concerned that Jeff's mother will not approve. The doctor is clearly offended that his daughter refers to him as "just a country doctor" and implies her family isn't as good as Jeff's. Mary vents her frustration at her father for being in debt to everybody on account of his good nature and then he tells her about his faith in the Declaration of Independence which he has hanging on his wall and how he tries to be a decent man on account of it. An argument over a missing punchbowl breaks out in the kitchen and Zeke is ordered to run along to retrieve it from the lady who borrowed it. He stops by a circus where Professor McCrackle (Harry Langdon) is trying to sell some remedy to a small crowd. The professor keeps an elephant "Zenobia" who appears to fall sick during the routine. McCrackle calls for a doctor and Zeke runs home to fetch Dr. Tibbitt. Tibbitt arrives to find the professor explaining about how "his patient" is over 100 years old and weighing more than half a ton! Of course, the doctor soon realises the patient is in fact an elephant! After a brief, but reluctant examination of the animal, Dr. Tibbitt instructs Professor McCrackle to keep the animal warm and to not make mention of their meeting!

That evening, Mrs. Carter arrives with her son Jeff and friend Virginia (June Lang) and are (eventually) welcomed into the Tibbitt house. There is some debate and disgust over what food should be served to the guests (pork and chicken being off the menu after Mrs. Carter objects). After some small talk between the host and guests, Dr. Tibbitt arrives home and is immediately drawn into the akward argument that ensues over Mrs. Carter's refusal to allow her son to marry into a family with such a different background. After faking a heart problem, the rude guest is escorted home by Jeff. Mrs. Carter then comes up with a devious scheme to organise a party - with singing and invites Mary and her family along, knowing full well that Mary cannot sing. If that wasn't bad enough, Professor McCrackle turns up at the Tibbitt house and confesses he still has a problem with his "baby". The doctor once again makes the trip to treat Zenobia and after an examination of the animal (and after being sat upon), the doctor realises that the problem is a knot in the elephant's tail. That night, Zenobia breaks free of her ankle chains and heads for the Tibbitt residence, where the doctor explains to the boy servant Zeke about the difference between white and black people. Dr. Tibbitt offers the boy a quarter if he can memorise the Declaration of Independence (it's the film's scene-stealer when it comes up later). The Tibbitt's arrive at Mrs. Carter's house along with hundreds of other guests and soon the dancing begins. Jeff arrives late with Virginia, who is determined not to let him near Mary but fortunately Dr. Tibbitt sees what is going on and interjects himself. But Mrs. Carter continues to try and sabotage her son's relationship with Mary by inviting Mary to sing for the guests. Mary nervously pulls off an astounding vocal performance much to the surprise of everybody in attendance. The applause is short-lived however when Zenobia decides to gatecrash the party and send all of the guests screaming for the exit. Professor McCrackle confronts Dr. Tibbitt and after accusing him of stealing his animal he threatens to take legal action.

That night Dr. Hibbitt is locked out of his house by his wife and has to end up sleeping outdoors on the elephant. When he wakes the next morning the doctor tries to flee the creature but it follws him everywhere he goes. Meanwhile, Mrs. Carter and Professor McCrackle hire an attorney and go over their case with him. As the trial of Dr. Hibbitt vs. Zenobia begins the doctor has to be ordered into the courtroom by the judge but of course Zenobia follows him. Throughout the proceedings the Professor is called to give a statement, followed by Mrs. Tibbitt and then Jeff. When Jeff gives his evidence supporting the Professor Mary tells him he ought to stick to his mother and forget all about her, so Jeff decides to have a heart-to-heart with the doctor. Dr. Tibbitt summons the small boy over and in the best scene from the movie, Zeke delivers his Declaration of Independence speech which brings everybody to a standstill. Having heard the boy's powerful speech Jeff confronts his mother and tells her that he is going to marry Mary whether his mother likes it or not. At that point the court recovenes and Jeff is recalled to the witness stand but fails to appear so it's down to Mrs. Carter to do the damage. Having reflected on her selfishness she withdraws her complaint and the case is dismissed. The wedding can now go ahead and everybody is at the Tibbitt residence with Mrs. Tibbitt and Mrs. Carter having now formed an unlikely alliance. The doctor concludes his business with Zenobia and Professor McCrackle and it is revealed that there is now a mini-Zenobia! Dr. Tibbitt walks his daughter down the aisle for her wedding to Jeff; the Professor leaves happy and it all works out well for everybody in the end.

Favourite bit Without any shadow of a doubt the scene steeler is Philip Hurlic reciting the Declaration of Independence speech. In a scene which spans almost two whole minutes, you cannot help but offer applause to the performance and feel just a bit overwhelmed over how amazing he delivers it. If the boy recited this from memory it is all the more breathtaking.

Trivia • Copyrighted April 11, 1939. • Also listed for May 1939. • Previewed as "It's Spring Again". • Released in the UK as "Elephants Never Forget". • This film was made during the infamous contract dispute between Stan Laurel and producer Hal Roach. • Interestingly, Jean Parker plays Oliver Hardy's daughter in this movie - she also played Hardy's love interest in the same year, in The Flying Deuces (which was filmed a few months after Zenobia during a contract break between Stan Laurel and Hal Roach). The other connection is A. Edward Sutherland, who directed The Flying Deuces, and also produced Zenobia. • This was May Wallace's last film. She died during filming. It is not known whether all her scripted scenes were completed at the time of her death. • Two of the leading ladies of the film would go on to appear in two of the most famous films ever made later the same year - Billie Burke (as Glinda the Witch of the North in The Wizard Of Oz) and Hattie McDaniel (as Mammy in Gone With The Wind, for which she received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress). • The story takes place in Carterville, Mississippi, 1870. • Mr. Dover, the gentleman who is the proud father of a baby boy at the beginning of the film, already has six daughters (hence the line from Hardy - "if at first you don't succeed....." I guess that now means Mrs. Dover can have a much-needed rest!! • When Dr. Tibbitt offers his services for free for the proud father, he receives not one word of thanks. • Dr. Tibbitt's ride home from town with Zero on the back of the cart is against a rear-projection. • I think it is quite rude that Jeff continues to badger Dr. Tibbitt about wanting to talk to him, even though Tibbitt repeatedly tells him to wait. • In an obvious attempt to not have his character of Dr. Tibbitt compared with his 'Laurel & Hardy' character, Babe has grown his moustache outwards so that it looks more mature. • During the film, Jean Parker (Mary) calls her father "Doc" four times. • Harry Langdon and Zenobia's first scene in the film comes after 13 minutes. • Zenobia is 104 years old and weights approximately 6,172 lbs, according to Professor McCrackle. • The credit roll in the film lists the family name as TIBBETT, but the hand-written note from Mrs. Carter seen in the film spells the surname Tibbitt. Later during the courtroom scenes a letter from the medical profession states the name as Tibbitt as well. Further proof is found on plaques outside of the residence which also spell the name as "Tibbitt" - so the credit roll must be wrong! Example 1, Example 2 and Example 3. • Listen out for a brief rendition of a song called "I Dreamt I Dwelt In Marble Halls" from Hardy. This was a song originally featured in The Bohemian Girl (1936). • It would appear that both Hardy and Langdon are right-handed. When they are doing their "zone" marking on the elephant, both men use their right hand to mark the spots with their chalk. Also, if you look closely you can see a faint chalk line on the elephant in the exact spot where Langdon marks her, indicating a previous take. • Hardy calls out the three zones that he wishes Langdon to mark on the elephant. When he comes to zone 4 he simply says "we'll deal with that later". Meaning the elephant's arse! • In the scene where the elephants supposedly sits on and squashes Oliver Hardy, there was a real person underneath it (probably not Hardy). Watch as the elephant gets back to her feet, a man can be seen moving underneath. Probably a stunt double. Shortly afterwards the elephant picks up Hardy in her truck, except that isn't Hardy at all. That is definitely a stuntman. • Is it just me or does Harry Langdon look a lot like Jiminy Cricket? • When Hardy is on top of the elephant in the barn, the chalk marks which are on the animal's side have been erased and re-marked yet at no time do we see them being erased. • Zenobia, in case you missed it, is the name of the elephant! She is female. • This film was obviously a sore point for Stan Laurel as it is referenced in the 2018 movie "Stan & Ollie" starring Steve Coogan and John C. Reilly. • This backdrop scene is so obvious when you can see the creases and folds in the painting behind the actors. • During the courtroom scene the Professor claims he and Zenobia have been together since she was 35 years old. But earlier in the film he claims she is 104. So that means they had been together for 70 years? Harry Langdon was 54 years old at the time of filming so I'm not sure how he figured that? My opinion • I have long had a love/hate thing going on with this film inasmuch that for the most part it's a decent enough film but there's something about Harry Langdon that bugs me. It may be seen by some that he was replacing Stan Laurel as Hardy's co-star and that is maybe why the film doesn't sit right with some fans? Aside from the negatives the film has it does also boast of some good scenes. None moreso than the fabulous reading of the Declaration of Independence by the 11 year-old Philip Hurlic. The black actors (McDaniel, Hurlic and Fetchit) are all loveable and Hardy offers a stoic performance as the good-hearted doctor. Billie Burke is out of place, Jean Parker looks nice and June Lang trundles through the film looking like she has a lemon stuck in her mouth. All in all it's an okay film, certainly worth watching once but there is a definite sparkle missing.

	Oliver Hardy Dr. Henry Tibbitt M.D.
	Harry Langdon Professor J. Thorndyke McCrackle
	Billie Burke Mrs. Bessie Tibbitt
	Alice Brady Mrs. J. Mortimer Carter
	James Ellison Jeff Carter
	Jean Parker Mary Tibbitt
	June Lang Virginia Reynolds
	Olin Howland Attorney M. Aurelius Culpepper
	J. Farrell MacDonald Judge
	Stepin Fetchit Zero
	Hattie McDaniel Dehlia
	Philip Hurlic Zeke
	Clem Bevans Sheriff
	Tommy Mack Joseph A. Miller, the butcher
	Robert Dudley Court clerk
	Harry Myers Party guest
	Hobart Cavanaugh Mr. Dover
	Fay Holderness Townswoman
	Ruth Cherrington Townswoman
	Sam Lufkin Townsman/Courtroom spectator
	Jack Hill Courtroom spectator
	Jack George Harpist
	William J. O'Brien Courtroom spectator/Barker
	Ham Kinsey Townsman (he pats Hardy on the back as he re-enters the court after the trial)
	Bob O'Conor Townsman
	Nigel De Brulier Townsman (at Zeke's recitation)
	William Bakewell Townsman (at Zeke's recitation)
	Al Thompson Townsman (at Zeke's recitation)
	Jessie Arnold Townswoman
	Jean Porter Townswoman
	Dorothy Vernon Townswoman/Courtroom spectator
	Jack Egan Townsman
	Marjorie Kane Townswoman
	Sydney Jarvis Townsman
	Joe Cunningham Townsman
	Luke Cosgrave Townsman
	Johnny Kascier Townsman on penny-farthing
	Loretta Russell Townswoman/Trial spectator
	Baldwin Cooke Trial spectator
	Paul Power Party guest
	Leila McIntyre Mrs. Langhorn
	Laura Treadwell Mrs. Barrett
	Thomas Pogue Juryman
	Edward McWade Minister
	Edna Hall Townswoman
	Tom Coleman Townsman
	Hall Johnson Choir Hall Johnson Choir
	Miss Zenobia Herself
	Wade Crosby Townsman
	Rankin Daugette Townsman
	Mark Hamilton Townsman
	Bert Howard Townsman
	John C. McCallum Townsman
	Robert McKenzie Townsman
	Edwin Richey Townsman
	Cyril Ring Townsman
	Colonel Robinson Townsman
	Rene Stone Townsman
	Arthur Thalasso Townsman
	William Worthington Townsman
	Helen Brown Townswoman
	Marie Engel Townswoman
	Mary Foy Townswoman
	Olive Hatch Townswoman
	Mary Kornman Townswoman
	Amy Busby Roy Townswoman
	Kathryn Sheldon Townswoman
	Louise Squire Townswoman
	Toni_Tree Townswoman
	May Wallace Townswoman
	Ralph Brooks Party guest
	Bess Flowers Party guest
	Babe Green Party guest
	Winifred Harris Party guest
	Ralph Brooks Party guest
	Otto Malde Party guest
	Kathleen McCormack Party guest
	Gertrude Messinger Party guest
	Frank McLure Party guest
	Peggy Moran Party guest
	Edmund Mortimer Party guest
	Doris Rankin Party guest
	Suzanne Rhoades Party guest
	Marie Wells Party guest
	Jack Baxley Barker
	Edward Broadley Servant
	Chester Conklin Farmer
	Bud Geary Courtroom spectator
	Walter Lawrence Barker
	Raymond Rayhill Powell Boy
	Jim Farley Juryman
	Joseph W. Girard Juryman
	Bob Perry Juryman
	Malcolm Waite Juryman
	Jack Egger [?]
	Wilfred Lucas [?]

UNIDENTIFIED CAST

CREDITS (click image to enlarge)

POSTERS (click any image to enlarge)

LOBBY CARDS (click any image to enlarge)

STILLS (click any image to enlarge)

STILLS (courtesy Harry Langdon Jr.) (click any image to enlarge)

PUBLICITY STILLS FOR JEAN PARKER (courtesy Richard Finegan) (click any image to enlarge)

FROM THE HERALD (click any image to enlarge)

SCREEN PICTORIAL JUNE 1939 (click any image to enlarge)

SHOT ON THE BACK LOT (click any image to enlarge)

RISQUE (click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements: Laurel OR Hardy by Rob Stone (book) Screen pictorial 1939 (image of Hardy sitting on stool) Randy Skretvedt (help and information) David Kawas (Blu-Ray) Harry Langdon Jr. (2 stills) Jesse Brisson (identification of Joe Cunningham, Luke Cosgrave, Johnny Kascier, Marjorie Kane, Jack Egan, William Bakewell, Edna Hall, Tom Coleman, Al Thompson, Jessie Arnold, Dorothy Vernon, Laura Treadwell, Leila McIntyre, Sydney Jarvis, Edward McWade, Baldwin Cooke, Ruth Cherrington) -(plus educated guess identifications of Arthur Thalasso, Jean Porter) Richard Finegan (stills, lobby card and Herald images; identification and confirmation of Jean Porter) Jack Tillmany (identification of Paul Power and Loretta Russell) This page was last updated on: 11 April 2024