Night Owls

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.

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.

Night Owls (1930)

** (out of 4)

A policeman is on the down and outs with the captain so he has L&H to pretend to be robbers so that he can arrest them. The boys think the policeman will then get them off the hook but breaking into a house is harder than they thought. This is a pretty lifeless short with only a few chuckles and mostly dead jokes. The scene where the boys pretend to be cats is certainly the highlight.

Ladrones (1930)

** (out of 4)

Spanish version of Night Owls has the exact same story, although there's an added third reel, which is a different ending. Like other Spanish versions, the alternate ending here is actually a lot funnier than the American one so you've gotta wonder why it was cut. Some of the physical gags also work better here but it's still not one of the duo's best.

"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.

Laurel and Hardy make incompetent burglars in this fairly good entry. James Finlayson was so talented and his facial expressions are timeless and add to Stan and Olivers' genius. The slapstick comedy is well-staged, and competently done.