The Music Box

The Music Box
Lobby card, 1932
Directed byJames Parrott
Written byH. M. Walker
Produced byHal Roach
StarringStan Laurel
Oliver Hardy
CinematographyLen Powers
Walter Lundin
Edited byRichard C. Currier
Music byHarry Graham
Marvin Hatley
Leroy Shield
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • April 16, 1932 (1932-04-16) (US)
Running time
29:16
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Music Box is a Laurel and Hardy short film comedy released in 1932. It was directed by James Parrott, produced by Hal Roach and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film, which depicts the pair attempting to move a piano up a long flight of steps, won the first Academy Award for Best Live Action Short (Comedy) in 1932.[1][2] In 1997, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[3][4][5] The film is widely seen as the most iconic Laurel and Hardy short, with the featured stairs becoming a popular tourist attraction.

  1. ^ "The 5th Academy Awards (1932) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles, California. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  2. ^ "Here Are Complete Academy Awards", Hollywood Filmograph, November 26, 1932, p. 9. Internet Archive. Retrieved May 13, 2019. The 1932 Academy Awards dinner and presentations were held at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on November 18.
  3. ^ "Film Article: The Music Box", Turner Classic Movies (TCM), Time Warner, Inc., New York, N.Y. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  4. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  5. ^ "New to the National Film Registry (December 1997) - Library of Congress Information Bulletin". www.loc.gov. Retrieved July 28, 2020.