Night Owls

"Night Owls" was one of the last Laurel and Hardy films for comic foil, Edgar Kennedy. He was soon to be replaced by Billy Gilbert. Released in 1930, Stan and Ollie are playing their vagrant characters who are offered the change of avoiding jail by carrying out a burglary for corrupt cop, Kennedy (who is on the verge of being fired from the force). The house in question, is none other than that of the police chief! Although this comedy short was all filmed in the "Hal Roach" studios, this doesn't affect the comedy in any way. James Finlayson is great as the put-upon butler of the said household. At one point, he takes a leaf out of Hardy's book by addressing the camera. I loved it! Stan and Ollie's attempts at burglary are like everything else they put their hand to - the final results being a disappointment. They both really squabble with each other during "Night Owls" but they always remain united against any adversity. One of their very best.

By no means this is the best short Laurel & Hardy film but it still one that offers some decent entertainment, which is thanks to the stupidity and clumsiness of the boys, especially Laurel's.

The movie and its story are rather simple. It relies on simple one comical premise; The boys trying to break in at the police chief's house, at the request of Officer Kennedy, so he can capture the boys later on and impress his chief, who is not very pleased with the 42 unsolved robberies committed on Officer Kennedy's watch. If the boys don't help Officer Kennedy out, they'll go to jail for 90 days for sleeping in a public park. Sometimes one simple comical premise is enough to fill an entire entertaining and hilarious movie with but the slapstick and moments in this movie begin to get rather tiresome after a while, since it's mostly more of the same, when the boys begin to try and break-in. The movie is perhaps lacking in great true comical originality but yet it's perfectly executed in the movie, which still makes sure that this movie is a very good and fun one to watch.

The Laurel & Hardy regulars also make sure that this movie provides some great entertainment, such as James Finlayson as Meadows, the police chief's aid and Edgar Kennedy. Kennedy's role is rather limited down, almost to an non-comical one. Baldwin Cooke also shows up in a small part as one of the police officers.

The comical situations and slapstick in the movie works out well, though it's never anything too original. It's one of the reasons why this movie is not really more than a slightly above average Laurel & Hardy short, that is perhaps a bit disappointing, despite its entertainment value.

7/10

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Police Chief Anders Randulf is upset with beat cop Edgar Kennedy because of the burglars he hasn't caught. Kennedy has a brainstorm: he offers not to run in a couple of tramps if they'll burgle the chief's house so he can catch them. It's a brilliant plan, with one small flaw: his stooges are Laurel and Hardy.

Edgar Kennedy was a brilliant comic himself, who had been one of the Keystone Kops. He had directed a couple of the Boy's silent shorts, but he was largely a supporting comic at the Roach lot. He gets a couple of good gags here, although Stan and Ollie, of course, are the main show.

Cop Edgar Kennedy is in trouble. Their have been forty-two robberies in the police chief's neighborhood and he'll be fired unless he makes an arrest. He gets an idea. Rather than run off two vagrants, Stan and Ollie, he convinces them to rob the police chief's house so he can arrest them in the process. It was a pretty good idea, if Stan and Ollie hadn't proved to be the most inept burglars in history.

"Night Owls" was the team's seventh talkie and definitely the best one to date. The concept itself is funny, and the slapstick gags are plentiful and well-performed. (My favorite bit is when the boys pretend to be cats.) Nor does it hurt that Stan and Ollie are backed up here by Edgar Kennedy and James Finlayson, two of their best foils. Stan and Ollie themselves seem very comfortable in this film. Their interplay has a smooth, naturalistic rhythm that one expects from the boys at their best.

This film isn't quite a classic, but it fine little film. The team had finally found their footing in the new medium of talking films.

I've read quite a few reviews of Laurel and Hardy films and a similar pattern is emerging, for some reason a few people want to analyse the plot. This is old fashioned comedy at its finest and some of the best slapstick that you are likely to see, the plot was never intended to be the focal point of any of their films. The same thing can be said about a number of comedy teams at the time, so I'm not sure where their critical view of a weak plot comes from, certainly die hard fans of this duo cannot be surprised about the thin plot and to be honest, who cares?

More sophisticated comedy exists, but not many films or sitcoms can touch Laurel and Hardy's brilliance. I often feel let down by comedy in modern times, Night Owls though is harmless, hilarious and it does what comedy should do, it makes you laugh and it makes you feel good. If you seek comedy films with a better plot, then by all means search for what is right for you, otherwise perhaps it's best to leave Laurel and Hardy to people who love, admire and enjoy comedy from this era, because they are far above and beyond what some people are making them out to be, on this website. Overall, I would recommend Night Owls, in my opinion it is close to the level of Helpmates and Music Box, some of their finest work.