https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0138653/REQUIRED READING:
CRASH GOES THE HASH thread
Well, according to my measurements, there are over 90 available Columbia shorts across various sources. We shall see how this pans out with reviews ranging from Charley Chase to Harry Langdon to Vera Vague and more. It also depends on whether or not metaldams wants to lead the Langdon and Chase discussions (20-something shorts).
NEW NEWS is the original of CRASH GOES THE HASH and in some ways it compares and others it doesn't. Collins and Kennedy was one of Columbia's early short teams and featured many interesting and unique shorts, but sadly only this one both survived and had a video to watch on the internet. Monte also has a lost short in which he was the solo star.
It's hard not to make comparisons to CRASH GOES THE HASH. The Stooges venture overshadows this in three ways: better writing, better chemistry, and better actors. OK, the last is a bit unfair. Collins and Kennedy were decent actors, but they clearly didn't click like Moe, Larry, and Curly did.
This is, however, a fantastic effort from all involved. We have Elwood Ullman as a writer and Charles Lamont directly. We also get Columbia's superior supporting cast in this. In particular, we have Bud Jamison as the butler in both, and he is fantastic in both. We also get Stanley Blystone and Harry Semels in top form.
Collins and Kennedy do a fine job with their roles, which are clearly crafted to their strengths, another plus of Columbia in the 1930s. This allows their to be some decent yucks at ooints where otherwise we'd be tempted to say "Curly was better." It shows as their are some differences between this and CRASH, in addition to the variations in the execution in the gags. This is a good example of what Monte Collins and Tom Kennedy were capable of doing.
Definitely a pristine example of what Columbia did when solid comedians had scripts catered to their strengths, much like a classic Stooges short.
10/10