Pardon Us Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Pardon Us Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 22, 2025

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Laurel and Hardy: The Restored Features Vol. 1 from ClassicFlix.

Laurel and Hardy fans have had a couple of banner years recently with a large number of Blu-ray offerings across several regions, which some may attribute to copyrights expiring, which indeed has happened to the pair's earliest outings up through 1929. Interestingly in that regard, though, neither of the films ClassicFlix has aggregated for its first collection of Laurel and Hardy comedies is in the public domain (yet), which may make this restoration effort especially interesting for diehard collectors. Also probably for that very same reason, neither Pardon Us nor Pack Up Your Troubles has had a previous high definition release anywhere that I've been able to track down.

One probably wouldn't immediately associate Laurel and Hardy with the sort of content that would necessitate one of those disclaimers about certain representations in the film being the product of a different time and sensibility, but kind of sadly, that's exactly what may have been needed for Pardon Us, a film whose title attains a certain irony considering the fact that this vaunted comedic duo appear in blackface for an extended sequence wherein they portray escaped prisoners who join a bunch of sharecroppers to evade capture. That unfortunate (and actually maybe a little shocking) situation aside, this is an enjoyable farce offering the pair as "hardened criminals" after having been arrested for perceived bootlegging (as in the alcoholic type, this being Prohibition and all). Stan's dental problems also enter the fray, among other obstacles the duo has to overcome.

Pardon Us Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Pardon Us is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of ClassicFlix with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. The presentation begins with a couple of informational text cards offering the following information:

Because of the many owners over the years, the films in the Hal Roach library have had a tormented past. Perhaps no film better exemplifies this fact than Pardon Us, as the best available material is marred with extensive damage such as extremely severe flicker, persistent warping and footage missing in over 40 sections.

Utilizing elements held by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, ClassicFlix spent over 300 man-hours to restore Pardon Us with a 35mm nitrate work print as the main source. Two other 35mm prints filled in 30 of the missing segments. Flicker, warping and staining was so severe in some sections, however, it could only be mitigated and not completely removed.

The English language version of Pardon Us has been available on home video in several versions over the years with varying run times. But none were the actual theatrical release version and neither did they have access to the original nitrate film material.

The restoration you are about to see was indeed culled from original nitrate film elements, and is also the original 55 minute theatrical release version of Pardon Us which thrilled audiences back in 1931.

This is another really commendable restoration effort on the part of ClassicFlix, as evidenced not just by the above verbiage but the included restoration featurette, which shows source elements in pretty degraded condition at times. While this shows some observable variances, perhaps especially when compared to the more consistent looking Pack Up Your Troubles, on the whole clarity and detail levels are quite impressive. The whole blackface sequence may have been excised at some point, understandably so, and it features a somewhat shoddier appearance, with milkier contrast and less detail. There are some relatively small signs of age related wear and tear which have made it through the restoration gauntlet.

Pardon Us Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Pardon Us features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track that simply can't evade the recording technologies of the day in this still early sound era. While dialogue is clearly and cleanly presented, there's an overall thin sound that is especially noticeable in higher registers, perhaps most audibly in the scoring choices. Optional English subtitles are available.

Pardon Us Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

ClassicFlix has packaged the two features together on one disc with the following supplements:

• Pardon Us alternate raw audio track without added music (HD; 56:42) is a fun alternate experience, and there are a few lines (as in the very opening) you can hear that aren't as audible in the theatrical version.


• Opening title sequence of the preview version of Pardon Us (HD; 2:11) features The Crane Twins "reciting" the credits.


• Alternate ending for Pardon Us (no audio) (HD; 2:29)


• Pardon Us Restoration Comparison (HD; 3:23)

Trailers for several other releases from ClassicFlix are also included. The insert sleeve has an inner print photograph of the pair operating a food truck.

Pardon Us Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's frankly hard to give an all out recommendation to a film like Pardon Us, even given historical context, simply because it may seem so positively insensitive to modern day sensibilities to see Laurel and Hardy in blackface, even if they're obviously not at all malevolent or disparaging in the unfortunate sequences. That maybe more than niggling qualm aside, ClassicFlix has done an impressive restoration of the troubled entry (with equally troubled source elements), and all of the supplements on this disc pertain to this particular film, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.