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The silents brought us a number of classic comedians who were skilled at making the audience laugh without uttering a word. With the advent of sound, some of these comedians found the transition hard and most still relied on their old silent routines for their jokes. Bob Hope was the first comedian who's mouth provided the punchline. The Cat and the Canary was his first leading part and yet it's not designed purely for his advantage, this is a great picture, both funny and exciting.

Bob Hope is the star. He's hilarious. He's sympathetic. He's also a coward, which isn't such an asset when you're staying in a house filled with escaped lunatics, suspicious servants, and numerous trapdoors. Hope plays a radio personality who involuntarily becomes the bodyguard to a woman, Joyce, who recently inherited a lot of money. The house is filled with other guests that are upset at having lost out on the inheritance. To make matters worse, if Joyce dies within a month, the money goes to whoever was the substitute inheritor and that person's name lies in an envelope safely hidden in a safe. As guests start dying, the tension increases, as does Hope's one-liner's. "I've got goosepumps. In fact, my goosebumps have got goosebumps."

Today, the plot seems like one from an episode of Scooby-Doo but it's still fun and surprisingly smart. The cast is small but solid and the murderer is never guessed until the end. A few red herrings are thrown in but when the guilty party is revealed, it does make sense, a necessity rarely used in Hollywood today.

As a vehicle for Hope it works a charm. As a movie in itself it should be recognised as a classic.

Bohemian Girl won't rank up with the best of the Laurel and Hardy features but it's a fine attempt with a number of wonderful scenes. Only the bland singing and the overly dramatic plot stop this picture from claiming a spot alongside Way Out West and Blockheads as one of the boys finest.

The best scenes include a wonderful pickpocketing scene, a crazy wine-drinking sketch and the final image of an overgrown Ollie and a shortened Stan. Some Laurel and Hardy regulars make brief but amusing appearances. Mae Busch is as tyrannical as ever as Oliver's wife. She has the gall to have an affair right in front of her husband and yet Ollie is too much of a gentleman to stop her. James Finlayson has a nice turn as a palace guard adopting that wonderful double take of his to great effect.

Bohemian Girl is not the film that you'd show to a first time Laurel and Hardy watcher. It lacks the rhythm of their best pieces. However, for a loyal viewer, it provides a few of the boys finest routines.