Au coup de midi

ONCE WE REALIZE that the Stan Laurel seen on the screen of this 1923 Hal Roach comedy short is a sort of "work in progress" and not the Laurel of 4 or 5 years later, then we can appreciate and properly analyze THE NOON WHISTLE. Following his teaming with Oliver Hardy, the brash, young wise guy gave way to and was superseded by our meek, dumb and lovable Stan.

IN VIEWING THIS one reel comedy, it seems in many respects to be light years behind that which would soon be the norm at the Hal Roach lot. It lacks that polished, high class look of later L & H titles such as BIG BUSINESS and DOUBLE WHOOPEE. By shear necessity, the story's pacing has to be rapid fire and hit or miss; if only for the reason of having only one reel's worth of film to get it done.

JOINING IN AS part of the cast are Roach stalwarts: James Finlayson, William Gillespie and Noah Young. Katherine Grant provides the feminine pulchritude and love interest as the bosses secretary.

CONDENSING THE ALREADY thread bare plot even more so, it boils down to this. The company boss (William Gillespie) calls in plant foreman (James Finlayson) and orders him to shake up and shape up his men into a more productive work force. In our first view of the lumber mill workers, Laurel is leading guys in group singing! The rest of the time is spent in O'Halloran's (Fin) pursuing a cagey Laurel all around the plant and lumber yard.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT we are not speaking in any derogatorily hostile manner when we refer to there being a simple and uncomplicated of a plot to follow. This is a real plus in our view; as a lack of strict adherence to the written page allows for and even demands the cast and director to work things out on the set. In that manner, gags are worked in the best light and to their fullest potential.

IN MANY RESPECTS, this periods out from Hal Roach more strongly resembles that of good friend and competitor, Mack Sennett. The impersonal approach is much in evidence; as characters are often not given names. The action is much more manic and rapid fire, pacing is obviously not a consideration.

ONE OTHER ELEMENT has occurred to us. It is that so much of the humor is expected to be generated by way of the title card. THe writing is purposely written in a manner to be a sort of written joke to itself. For example, the Boss tells the Foreman that "the employees are so lazy, that they have to lean against each other when they loaf" and the Boss also threatens to fire the Foreman, telling the secretary that she should "write up O'Halloran's hours." He then adds "I'll fix that Swede!"

LOOKING AT IT from a strictly artistic point of view, these comical title cards violate the basic principal of the silent films very elementary commitment to the visual.

BUT, PERHAPS WE are sounding all too serious; for we do recommend your screening it. If for no other reason, it helps one understand just how the comedy short evolved in the silent days and laid the groundwork for the coming of the talkie era.

Stan Laurel made quite a few short comedies for Hal Roach during the 1923-4 season, and while they tend to be amusing, fast-paced, and (usually) enjoyable there's something about Stan's characterization in these early films which the modern viewer is likely to find off-putting. In sharp contrast to the dull-witted, well-intentioned and lovable Stan of the best Laurel & Hardy films, the solo Stan is frenetic, sometimes obnoxious, occasionally mean-spirited, and clearly always desperate to make you laugh, traits he shared with the early Harold Lloyd. In a word, the solo Stan is unsympathetic.

Still and all, the sassy Stan of The Noon Whistle has some good moments, starting with his stylish entrance sliding down a coal chute. A lot of the material here suggests elements that would be reworked in later Laurel & Hardy comedies, from the woodworking factory location (used again in Busy Bodies ten years later) to the acrobatic gags involving lengthy boards swung this way and that. There's a nice bit of deftly-executed comic business involving a board leaned up against a wall that repeatedly falls, each time narrowly missing the oblivious Stan. There's another good bit involving our hero ducking in and out of locker doors while foreman Jimmy Finlayson tries to catch him. And of course, the sight of Finlayson hassling Stan throughout the proceedings feels like a warm-up for many battles yet to come. The Noon Whistle also contains a gag which would become over-familiar from its use in many later comedies (including L&H's The Finishing Touch), cartoons, and TV shows: Stan crosses carrying a long board past a spectator (Finlayson), and exits as the board continues to pass by -- eventually to reveal Stan carrying the other end as well. This may already have been a standard gag in 1923, but you have to give Finlayson credit for delivering a vigorous, neck-snapping "take" at the sight.

In an ironic sense, the most amusing aspect of The Noon Whistle may well be the gratuitous, last-minute attempt to work up some "love interest" between Stan and leading lady Katherine Grant, who plays a secretary at the factory and shows up in the final scene, just in time to share the fade-out clinch with our hero -- who, it would appear, she has just met!

Before being teamed with Oliver Hardy, Stan Laurel was a moderately successful solo act or foil for such stars as Larry Semon. However, nowadays, few would know about this long and very productive early career. In some ways, it's a real shame, as a few of these early films are gems (such as his DR. PYCKLE AND MR. PRYDE). However, most are purely time-passers and an unfortunate number are amazingly dull. This film is one that's in the middle. While it doesn't have a huge number of laughs, it actually has a bit more plot than many of these films.

Stan is a lazy employee at a lumber company. Much of the first portion of the film has to do with Stan trying to sneak into work late--past the violent and rather insane supervisor. Later, however, Stan walks into a plot to steal the company away and frame the owner for a crime he did not commit. Barely breaking a sweat, Stan foils the plan and the film ends--a bit prematurely if you ask me, as the ending seemed too abrupt. However, considering the general level of adequateness about the film, maybe this isn't a bad thing!