When a failing circus folds its tent, the assets are divided among unpaid employees, including roustabouts Stan and Ollie. One gets the flea circus, the other a chimp named “Ethel, ” who they try to conceal in their lodgings. Named to trade on the success of THE CHAMP, this lesser but still underrated short relied on dry, black humor. The now-restored original titles (the work of Louis McManus and Roy Seawright) may be the most imaginative ever devised for the team. Directed by James Parrott. With Billy Gilbert and James Finlayson.
