Night Owls (1930)

After getting lambasted by the Police Chief for the 42 unsolved robberies committed on his watch, Officer Kennedy bamboozles vagrants Stanley and Oliver into a plan to recover his ... See full summary »

Director:

James Parrott

Writer:

H.M. Walker (story)

Stars:

Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Edgar Kennedy

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Stan Laurel	...	Mr. Laurel
Oliver Hardy	...	Mr. Hardy
Edgar Kennedy	...	Officer Kennedy
James Finlayson	...	Meadows
Anders Randolf	...	Police Chief

Storyline

After getting lambasted by the Police Chief for the 42 unsolved robberies committed on his watch, Officer Kennedy bamboozles vagrants Stanley and Oliver into a plan to recover his reputation, in exchange for not jailing them for sleeping on park benches. Kennedy sets them to burgling the Police Chief's own house, planning to arrest them in front of his boss, and later "fixing it" for the boys.

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Plot Keywords:

police chief | robbery | butler | animal in title | cat | 

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Genres:

Short | Comedy

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 January 1930 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dick und Doof als Einbrecher

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

21 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric System) (A Victor Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Laurel and Hardy toured British music halls in the 1950s, Laurel reworked the plot of this short into a stage sketch titled "A Spot of Trouble".

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Goofs

James Finlayson rolls down the stairs breaking a vase at the bottom, the vase is intact a few scenes later.

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Quotes

Oliver: [to Laurel in a bitter tone] Will you pass me the hammer, PLEASE?

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Connections

Referenced in Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

User Reviews

Their best talky to date.

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.