Topic: The Big Noise (1944) - Laurel and Hardy

[metaldams]

https://archive.org/details/TheBigNoiseLaurelAndHardyFilm

Watch THE BIG NOISE in the link above.

      THE BIG NOISE is the fifth out of six films Laurel and Hardy made at Fox and I’m sorry to say not as good as the previous film, THE DANCING MASTERS.  The problem with this one in my eyes, like so many other World War II era comedies, is the enemy threat and heck, even the U.S. angle, is so serious that it detracts from the comic mood.  The bad guys, one of them played by Phil Van Zandt, who we all know was capable of playing comic villains, are dead straight here in trying to capture that deadly bomb to the enemy.  The hero the boys are helping, while he does have some comic eccentricity, is still not quite comic enough.  He has made a bomb he’s selling to the government that can blow up huge amounts of territory and end the war quicker.  So yeah, pretty serious stuff, especially with what happened in Japan in 1945 and it’s all played straight.  Again, like other films of this type, great as a historical document and audiences of the time would have a different point of view than some guy in 2019 who just wants to watch a comedy in peace.

      The Three Stooges had several World War II comedies and with the sole exception of THE YOKE’S ON ME, they were played comically enough where you don’t forget you were watching a comedy.  Even the idea of a bomb that will destroy millions was done in SPOOK LOUDER, yet done in such a way that one doesn’t take the premise seriously.  Ted Lorch is playing very broad and the film goes into spook gags after the fact.  So watching these Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello films, let’s just say my appreciation for WWII Stooge shorts has grown.

      The above being said, THE BIG NOISE is not a total drag the way AIR RAID WARDENS is.  In fact, the writers did remember to include comedy and it is older Laurel and Hardy routines.  We get Ollie climbing a wet paint pole like in HABEUS CORPUS.  We get a miniature OLIVER THE EIGHTH with a wife going after Ollie with lots of previous dead husbands.  Esther Howard plays the Mae Busch role.  We get Stan and Ollie turning their hand around as a running gag to signal the eccentricity of the inventer.  A nice in character twist as running gags like that appear in several prime Laurel and Hardy features.  Finally, we get, drumroll please............the berth gag from BERTH MARKS!  Wait a minute guys and gals, don’t run away, it’s actually done better here.  I think the main reason is because the original is so heavily edited with close ups it feels fake and claustrophobic.  In THE BIG NOISE we get a lot more extended long shots, resulting in what feels more like a performance.  Heck, it even breathes long enough for Ollie to break the fourth wall with his audience gaze - classic Ollie.  Ollie is so big in this feature that his size actually adds to the comedy in this scene as well.  As for the ending with the dancing fish - love it.

      So yeah, not one of the better features by a long shot, but there are some good bits here and the boys would do much worse.  We have three films left.  The last one being a foreign adventure unlike anything else they’ve done, the one before that a pleasant goodbye to Hollywood and the next one......all hail The Boy King....I guess.  Hang on tight for the final three films of the journey, peaks and valleys still ahead.

[Umbrella Sam]

Well, considering this was included in the book, The Fifty Worst Films of All Time, my expectations were not particularly high coming into it. I’ve seen some of the films listed there and, believe me, this does not belong in the same ranks as them. Is it a good film? Eh...

So, here’s the thing. Like the previous film, I don’t particularly like the story. Part of that is the historical context (dropping the bomb on the Japanese submarine at the end was pretty uncomfortable to watch, even though the Hiroshima bombings were after this), but even the supporting characters are a drag. Phil Van Zandt is a very capable villain, but the main guy is portrayed as part lead, part nutcase. Heck, he and the female lead basically disappear by the film’s end. Then there’s also these two random characters who are basically there for OLIVER THE EIGHTH 2.0 and Bobby Blake as an annoying kid. I do like the idea of the two neighbors being double crossed, but they’re dropped as quickly as the main leads.

As far as comedy goes, a lot of it is recycled from previous films, probably more so than any previous Laurel and Hardy film. That’s not always a bad thing, though. The “Wet Paint” scene from HABEAS CORPUS, the door scene from BLOCK-HEADS, and the hat switching gag from several films are all done pretty well here. We also get the aforementioned OLIVER THE EIGHTH remake and...the berth gags from BERTH MARKS...



Actually, yeah, this isn’t quite as bad as the original. I will concede that I actually did enjoy the addition of Jack Norton as the drunk at one point. But even so, the portion before he shows up, with just Stan and Ollie still goes on forever and, even though there’s a little more space than in the original, it still just doesn’t feel big enough. So, is it still bad? Yes, but it’s not the torture chamber that the original is.

Although I did find the food gag rather tedious, there are some original moments that work too. I liked the brief bit where Phil Van Zandt tells Stan and Ollie “up in the air” and instead of putting their hands up, they just throw their cards in the air. I also enjoyed Stan accidentally detonating the bomb during the inventor’s test, even if it was pretty predictable. Probably my favorite of the original scenes is when Stan and Ollie get all the buttons in their room mixed up. And, despite what came before it, I also liked the ending with the dancing fish.

So, yeah, THE BIG NOISE isn’t necessarily a good film, but still has its moments of charm. It’s fun in spots, but the scattered nature of some of the gags as well as the weak story really bogs it down.

5.5 out of 10 (been debating between a 5 or 6, so I decided to meet in the middle)

[metaldams]

Yes, the whole idea of this being the worst Laurel and Hardy film is a long shot, never mind one of the fifty worst films ever made.I was aware of this film being included in that book and how some people feel THE BIG NOISE is the worst thing they’ve ever done, but I’ve got other opinions on that one.  Even Randy Sketvedt in his audio commentary states how he used to join the boo bird choir on this one and has been much kinder over the years.  Let’s see what the next Laurel and Hardy review brings.


.....and yeah, you're right.  Jack Norton certainly does add positively to the berth scene.

[HomokHarcos]

This is actually my favorite of the post-Roach movies. It does recycle a lot of the previous routines, but it still fit their characters and was good comedy. I even found the plot to be interesting with Stan and Ollie being in charge of looking after a destructive bomb (even though that would be a very foolish idea). The chase where they have the bomb was exciting. The ending where they throw a bomb on a Japanese warship reminded me of a Goofy cartoon where he is fighting the Japanese navy. It was an entertaining evening for me when I was watched this movie, and am surprised that it's considered one of the worst movies of all time.

[GenoCuddy]

My review:

While not as packed to the brim with laughs as its predecessor, THE BIG NOISE is nevertheless a fun movie-watching experience, with plenty of cackles that carry the film at a good clip. The recurring arm twist gag never gets old and Hartley's brilliant inventions bring this movie in to sci-fi territory.

This is easily the most surreal of the Fox canon and is an overall very good entry in the latter day catalog of Laurel and Hardy. Even the supporting lead is likable, I found myself liking Space's performance more than any other supporting player in their post-Roach films thusfar.

Robert Blake is an annoying twit who I could have done without and he is very much the stereotypical bratty child. Veda Ann Borg is lovely, Esther Howard acquits herself nicely and it was great seeing old Edgar Dearing doing what he does best, playing a cop.

Given the nature of the film, the sight gags are wonderful, with Stan and Ollie's bedroom converted in to a one-room palace and the ending gag must be seen to be believed.

While not as laugh-filled as THE DANCING MASTERS, THE BIG NOISE is not a bad film at all, and is undeserving of its negative reputation. I believe Michael Medved was quite offbase when he selected the film for his "Fifty Worst Films of All Time" tome.

[Dr. Mabuse]

"The Big Noise" was my childhood introduction to a Laurel and Hardy feature, so I have some fond memories of this one. Though far from Stan and Ollie's best, it's certainly not their all-time worst film as some critics have claimed. Despite their age and lack of creative input, The Boys provide some classic routines in this wartime escapade. Stan's concertina rendition of "Mairzy Doats" remains among the most delightful endings in any L&H film.

6/10