The Midnight Patrol

After decades of watching this classic, I still can't figure out what the chief of police is doing with a "barrel" of sauerkraut in his basement --which Laurel and Hardy promptly fall into!

This short is OUTRAGEOUS, and has some history behind it. Here, the boys are rookie cops who answer a variety of calls on their first night. This comedy is peppered with some of the best stock players who worked with Laurel and Hardy, including Tiny Sanford and James Morton as cops and Charlie Hall as a guy who tries to steal the rear tire off the boy's police car! Stan Laurel made it a point to include actors who appeared with him back on the London stage.

Case in point is Frank Terry, who plays the wily safecracker who argues with Stan as which day is best for "him" to appear in court? In case you didn't know, the man with the deep, deep voice on the police radio is Frank Brownlee. Brownlee became famous --or at least his voice did --when he auditioned and won parts in Walt Disney cartoons. He moved to Warner Brothers and did many voices for Bugs Bunny cartoons and the like, however.... he NEVER got credit because there was a clause in Mel Blanc's contract to only give HIM credit. Lloyd French directed this short who also went to Warner Brothers and headed hundreds of popular big band musical and comedy shorts.

Get the Laurel and Hardy dvd short subject box set. Some have been produced in the UK, so beware as they will not play on American made dvd players. Check the details.

New cops Laurel and Hardy bungle their way into arrest the Chief of Police in his own home.

Of course, that's not the only thing they bungle. They get into an argument with safecracker Frank Terry, with not a clue as to what is going on. That's one of the pleasures of Laurel & Hardy -- I almost wrote 'cartoons; -- shorts: their ability to keep going with no idea of what is going on.

It's not one of the best of the Boys' shorts. Well, they can't all be masterpieces. his one is only very funny.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were comedic geniuses, individually and together, and their partnership was deservedly iconic and one of the best there was. They left behind a large body of work, a vast majority of it being entertaining to classic comedy, at their best they were hilarious and their best efforts were great examples of how to do comedy without being juvenile or distasteful.

Although a vast majority of Laurel and Hardy's previous efforts ranged from above average to very good ('45 Minutes from Hollywood' being the only misfire and mainly worth seeing as a curiosity piece and for historical interest, and even that wasn't a complete mess), 'Two Tars' for me was their first truly classic one with close to flawless execution. Didn't find 'The Midnight Patrol' quite one of their very best, but it to me still very good.

Admittedly, the story is pretty thin, in fact there's not really much of one, and is pretty standard but the worst asset is the ending, which is both abrupt and mean-spirited in a jarring way.

Despite that, 'The Midnight Patrol' is great fun while also having a definite degree of substance, never less than very amusing and the best moments being classic hilarity. It is never too silly, there is a wackiness that never loses its energy and the sly wit is here, some of the material may not be new but how it's executed actually doesn't feel too familiar and it doesn't get repetitive. It's all simple but it is effective in its simplicity without feeling too thin. Hardy's fishpond scene is a highlight.

Laurel and Hardy are on top form here, both are well used, both have material worthy of them and they're equal rather than one being funnier than the other (before Laurel tended to be funnier and more interesting than Hardy, who tended to be underused). Their chemistry feels like a partnership here too, before 'Two Tars' you were yearning for more scenes with them together but in 'The Midnight Patrol' and on the most part from 'Two Tars' onwards we are far from robbed of that. Their comic timing is impeccable.

'The Midnight Patrol' looks good visually, is full of energy and the direction gets the best out of the stars, is at ease with the material and doesn't let it get too busy or static. The supporting cast support them well.

Concluding, very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox

We've seen Laurel and Hardy as bums, unionized workers, manual laborers, Christmas tree sales man, and men soon to be married, but never before have we seen them as police officers (that work was presumably left to the Keystone Cops). The Midnight Patrol shows Laurel and Hardy as two late night police officers, who are informed of a burglary at a nearby mansion. After being completely oblivious to another thief attempting to crack a safe at a local store until he tries to steal the boys' car, Laurel and Hardy arrive at the aforementioned mansion and need to find a way inside. The boys attempt to use a solid stone bench as a battering ram to break the door down, which results in one of the funniest Laurel and Hardy stunts in any of their shorts, as they cause complete destruction to property and end up in a barrel of sauerkraut (don't ask) before being scolded by their superiors in the harshest, most evil way.

The Midnight Patrol is a much more downtrodden, morbid short by the boys, dark and noir-ish in lighting and tone, only complimenting the early 1930's time period. Laurel and Hardy are intensely watchable here, but the humor is traded for a much more casual approach to a narrative that isn't always funny nor interesting, and, frankly, sometimes boring. However, the frightening and unexpected ending and the setup here are unique enough for Laurel and Hardy standards that The Midnight Patrol merits a watch in some respect.

Starring: Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Directed by: Lloyd French.

This is most definitely not one of the best or most memorable Laurel & Hardy shorts. It doesn't really have enough slapstick in it and the comical situations, although good, feel far fetched and perhaps a bit awkward, especially toward the ending.

They could have done something more interesting with the concept of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy joining the police force. They get themselves into some comical and dumb situations but it all is perhaps a bit too formulaic. That is the main reason why "Midnight Patrol" is an enjoyable but at the same time very forgettable Laurel & Hardy shorts.

Lloyd French never was the best or most consistent director of Laurel & Hardy movies. His movies are certainly enjoyable but lacking in originality or true creativity at the same time.

I'm beginning to sound negative but of course this movie is not an horrible one to watch. Mainly the Laurel & Hardy fans will still find plenty to enjoy in this movie, although also they have to admit that this is far from the best and/or most memorable Laurel & Hardy shorts.

7/10

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