Le grand boum

Here it is - the film that had the worst reputation for many years, due to several books about films in general and Laurel & Hardy films in particular that labeled it the team's "worst ever." Many fans who never had an opportunity to view the film took those books at their word... until they actually saw the film. Now they realize that not only is "The Big Noise" one of the best of the later films the team did for the big studios like MGM and in this case, 20th Century Fox (several of which admittedly were not among the best due to studio interference and such), but it also compares favorably to many of the classic films done during the team's golden years at the Hal Roach Studios (even besting a few of those gems, if you ask me).

Find out for yourself. This film is now available on DVD as part of a 3-disc set that also includes two other Fox L&H features, "Great Guns" (their first for Fox, and one I dislike - it tries to take square Laurel & Hardy pegs and force them through round Abbott & Costello holes, in my opinion) and "Jitterbugs" (a slightly-above average film that shows how the team could have continued their careers as character actors).

"The Big Noise" has a loopy charm that will just carry you away if you let it. It is filled with reprises of some classic L&H routines from yesterday (some think that's desperation, but I see it as an homage) and an absurd, farcical plot. This is a film that I had not seen in about 25-30 years, but had vivid memories of. When my Sons of the Desert tent (the Laurel & Hardy aficionado club) ran the film at one of our meetings, I was shocked: my memories were absolutely right on target! "The Big Noise" had stuck with me for many years. And rightfully so. One area in which it improves on a lot of the other '40s L&H films that it featured some supporting characters who were supposed to be comical, just like in the Roach films.

I will forever be baffled over this film's bad reputation. If you stack it up against some of the other '40s L&H films, at least the boys are IN the action-- they're not taking a back seat. They're also not portrayed so much as doddering old fools ("Air Raid Wardens," "A-Haunting We Will Go") or servants ("Nothing But Trouble"). They are quite close to their Roach persona's, in my opinion. The only compromise seems to be less slapstick, but that is in obvious deference to their advance ages, it seems-- I think it's okay to have a "pill as a meal" gag instead of Ollie falling in the mud since they're older here. Also, it's just absolutely crazy (in a fun, entertaining way, in my opinion) that they happen to wind up parachuting over the water and somehow there's an enemy sub in it, but that's part of the loopy charm of this movie, and I feel it has one of the best closing shots of any of the "bizarre endings" Stan favored for a lot of the films. This is a really fun film that was perfect for the times in which it was made and still can produce laughs today.

So don't believe the (negative) hype - this is NOT the team's worst. Save those darts for "A-Haunting We Will Go" and "Nothing But Trouble!"

Laurel & Hardy play two janitors at a detective agency who take the job of protecting an inventor with a new bomb themselves with predictable results in this late comedy.

This film has been unfairly labeled as one of the worst films of all time. Nonsense. While it is certainly not one of their best films, it is not their worst either. In some ways, it should probably be one of the better late features because it presents the team in their traditional, well-honed personalities rather than forcing them into being cut rate Abbott & Costellos. Some of the gags happily hearken back to earlier shorts. Still, it doesn't quite work. Why? While growing up, "The Big Noise" played frequently on the local UHF channel -- more so than any of the other late, non-Roach features. As a child, I found the film enjoyable, though even at that tender age I found it inferior to the Roach material. Is it the lack of knockabout humor? No. Is it their age? No, I don't think that's the main problem either -- even though wrinkles do work against Stan's persona. Ollie's persona, on the other hand, isn't particularly hurt by his age. (The older I get, the more I find myself concentrating on Hardy. Although he often described himself as Stan's straight man, he was nothing of the kind. He is a talented comedian who remains a joy to watch.)

It was only after a recent viewing have I been able to put my finger on the problem. The problem is the intended audience. In their heyday, Laurel & Hardy were mainstream comedians aimed at a widest possible audience. While children often take great pleasure in Laurel & Hardy films, and I'm sure most of the people reading this comment gained an appreciation for the team in their childhood, their films weren't specifically aimed at children. I think that changed at Fox and MGM. I believe these late films, "The Big Noise" in particular, were aimed primarily at children and were softened in the process.

There is hardly a description of the team that does not use the word "child-like" to describe their antics, but Laurel & Hardy, while they were often naive and innocent, were not children. (Except maybe in "Brats" and "Wild Poses.") Certainly not in the other worldly sense that Harry Langdon's persona could be labeled child-like. They were adult men and as often as not found themselves in adult situations, whether it be drinking bootleg hooch or sneaking out on their wives. Granted, you would never find the sophisticated comedy of "The Thin Man" in a Laurel & Hardy film, but they weren't necessarily childish either. Laurel & Hardy benefited from keeping their foot in the adult world. Just as the Marx Brothers were funnier against the more serious backdrop of an opera. Laurel & Hardy were funnier in real world situations we could all find ourselves in.

While World War II themed storyline of "The Big Noise" is certainly more serious than many of their classic shorts, the boys themselves are more child-like than they were at Roach. By aiming their comedy at children, they lost some but certainly not all of their wider appeal. That's the problem. That's why the film doesn't completely work for me. Still, a child like Laurel & Hardy is better than no Laurel & Hardy at all, so feel free to enjoy this film for its simple benefits regardless of what the critics say.

When I saw this movie the first time, I was greatly disappointed, and thought that the boys really had lost it. But after watching it again, I realised this view was a bit unjustified.

The movie is about Laurel and Hardy taking a job at a private home as detectives, to protect a bomb (called "The Big Noise" - thus the title of the movie) from people wanting to steal the bombs, and sell it to foreign nations.

The big flaws that this movie has, are particularly the little kid of the house trying to tease and annoy the persons in it, particularly Stan & Ollie. This may sound like fun, but it truly isn't. And the only the kid really managed to annoy, was me. Also the scene of the woman of the house trying to seduce Ollie wasn't my thing (a scare attempt to enter some love in the movie?), and finally the nazi segment. This segment is particularly disappointing, because it shows a Japanese officer saying "Heil Hitler", and the Japanese did no such thing.

But apart from that, the movie has some good scenes. All scenes with Stan and Ollie at their room in the house are hilarious. For instance Stan's unpacking of the things, when the woman trying to temp Ollie sleepwalks with a knife into the room, when Ollie disappears inside the wall (don't ask) and the card playing. Amongst other noteworthy scenes, are the dinner scene at the house and the bunker scene in a train.

So, not a classic and with flaws. But still having some original and hilarious moments.

Big Noise, The (1944)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

I was a bit shocked that Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide gave this film a BOMB because I thought it was the best of the later day L&H films. Laurel and Hardy play detectives hired to protect a new bomb made for the war but of course nothing goes as planned. While this is a far cry from their Hal Roach days, I thought there were plenty of nice laughs throughout the film to the point where I'd certainly watch this again. A lot of the gags here were "remakes" of stuff done earlier in their career but they still made me laugh.

I bought this in the mid 1990's on VHS because it wasn't on DVD at the store. I was just hungry for more of the boys films and had not read the critic's yet. It turned out that I was very surprised at the level of comedy as I was not expecting much since the 40s and on I had mostly been disappointed. I recommend this film though. Much better than Utopia, Jitterbugs, and a couple of the other later ones. This film and Nothing But Trouble were probably their last good comedies, IMO. Not as good as their vintage days, but still good and funny. You can't always go by reviews(which includes mine!) This film has more character-driven comedy than some other Fox films. Maybe the studio let them do their own thing a little more, which was what made them so great such as was Keaton's greatness too but was stifled by over-control. If you have seen their old films but ignored this one and Nothing But Trouble give these a try. I think you will be surprised. Steve