Hey_Sweden

Bobby & Renko are forced to arrest a grieving father (Frank McRae, "48 Hrs."), who's just lost his family in a hit-and-run, when it's revealed that he has outstanding warrants. Patsy successfully helps to bust the handsy dentist, Dr. Rose (Sandy McPeak, "The Osterman Weekend"), but is furious when the ever-sleazy J. D. enjoys watching the videotape evidence of the bust. Lucy must say goodbye to Fabian (Zero Hubbard, 'Tribes') when his birth mother Vivian (Beverly Hope Atkinson, "The New Centurions") straightens up and gets clean.

'Dr. Hoof and Mouth' is another top-notch episode with some good laughs and lots of dramatic peaks. For instance, Jablonski makes good on his promise to the cops of the Station, and lends an ear to Belker, who's lost his apartment because his building is being torn down. Your heart just goes out to Lucy, who you know really made a good home for Fabian, but who knows that she would be fighting a losing battle trying to maintain custody. Guest star McRae delivers a heart-breaking performance. I also thought it was nice when J. D. offers as sincere an apology as he can make to Patsy (who had smacked him earlier!). Even the dentist does seem genuinely contrite after he's caught dead to rights, having struggled with this "problem" of his for a while.

One of the best things about 'Dr. Hoof and Mouth' is spotting future Oscar winning lead actress Frances McDormand as Connie Chapman, who at this point was intended to be Joyces' replacement as public defender.

Other excellent guest stars include Garrett Morris of 'Saturday Night Live' fame as a very indignant (!) tire thief, and Richard Venture ("Scent of a Woman") as a man with a history of drunk-driving.

All in all, this is another solid episode from the seasons when this series was still firing on all cylinders.

Eight out of 10.

Oliver Hardy - in his only solo starring vehicle, the result of Stan Laurels' contract negotiations - is great as a small-town Mississippi doctor in the years before the Civil War. He agrees to treat an ailing elephant, and when he solves her problem, the pachyderm is so grateful that she tracks him down and refuses to leave his side!

This is very much a product / portrait of a certain era, so some aspects will not sit well with the modern audience, but the cast couldn't be more enthusiastic & engaging. Ollie, in particular, is likeable in the lead, in a fairly "straight" comic performance. He's ably supported by a rich cast including Harry Langdon, Billie Burke, Alice Brady, James Ellison, Jean Parker, June Lang, Olin Howland, J. Farrell MacDonald, Stepin Fetchit, Hattie McDaniel, Clem Bevans, & others. Young Philip Hurlic has a showcase moment as he recites the Declaration of Independence. And the title elephant herself is quite endearing.

Overall, I wouldn't quite call this a classic - the bit with Zenobia is actually treated as the B plot for the first half, while much of the action revolves around the doctors' daughter marrying a dashing young man from a higher social class. But the film gets more lively, and becomes quite funny, in its second half, with some priceless comic complications.

"Zenobia" is definitely worth a look, especially if you're curious about this one-time-only Hardy-without-Laurel comedy.

Seven out of 10.