Night Owls ** (1930, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson, Edgar Kennedy) – Classic Movie Review 7406

Director James Parrott’s 1930 comedy short film Night Owls is the first film to use Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy’s celebrated theme tune, ‘The Ku-Ku Song’, written by Marvin Hatley.

Edgar Kennedy plays a bungling local cop, Officer Kennedy, who forces homeless vagrants Laurel and Hardy to help him by breaking into the police chief (Anders Randolf)’s house so that he can make an arrest in front of his boss to recover his reputation and keep his job.

This good premise runs into script problems in a rather thin and overextended comedy, even at 20 minutes, with too few funny gags and a slow pace.

But, never the less, there are still some very funny moments though, and it remains likeable and pleasing, and stays happily in the memory. Despite Leo McCarey and H M Walker’s slightly struggling script, the Boys and Kennedy are on amusing form and James Finlayson is a hoot as the snooty butler Meadows.

Also in the cast are Harry Bernard, Charles McMurphy, Baldwin Cooke and Charles McAvoy.

Night Owls was also released in a Spanish version, Ladrones, expanded to nearly four reels instead of the English two reels. Both versions are available on DVD.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7406

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