 Previewed in August 1930, the film ran 70 minutes, and was subject to lukewarm reviews, in which critics stated that the movie needed a bit of tightening.Stan Laurel decided to withdraw "Pardon Us" from general distribution to add new scenes and delete unnecessary ones.Leroy Shield's musical score was added (many songs already appearing in "Our Gang" and Laurel and Hardy short films), and the film was eventually released on August 15, 1931, a year after its first preview.