IMDB:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141867/This is it. SWEET SPIRITS OF NIGHTERS. I have been seeking this film for nearly 8 years, or about 85 years fewer than people have been trying to find Harry Langdon's HEART TROUBLE. As I have said before in many other places, this film was deemed so scary by the British film censors (noted for their totalitarianism) that it was given an 'H' rating meaning that minors could not see this film!
It's an El Brendel film, so of course parts of it are awful. But God bless El because man can he take the slapstick abuse like an absolute champion. This film does better, however, because here his usual accent is just part of his character and not the driver of the comedy. The role calls for a bumbling fool, and his approach to the events that happen in this particular short do service to a disjointed script.
Tom Kennedy found himself paired with various comedians over the years: Monte Collins, Shemp Howard, and El Brendel in particular. Like El, he's here to be a bumbling idiot, and except for one scene with El his size relative to the typical Columbia shrimps isn't utilized so effectively. At 6'3", Tom was huge, but then again El Brendel was 5'9". No wonder Bud Jamison and Vernon Dent were given a separate scene and no wonder Duke York didn't seem so intimidating against them.
Seriously, Tom is just serviceable in this one, but he does work well with El. That was Tom's strength: he could strike up nearly instant chemistry in any situation. Here, he gets put into several strange situations, like the hole in the ceiling gag. Sadly, this gag doesn't get used so effectively.
This short is very disjointed. At first, it seems like it's just going to be a classic case of bumbling idiot cops bumble into a victory with the town getting robbed blind literally under El and Tom's noses. It's nothing new through this part, but it's executed properly.
The highlight for El and Tom is the bank scene with Tom and El running into the bank, which has already been robbed, through different doors with Tom punching El as a result. There is also a gag with Tom and El using a combination lock as a roulette wheel that I have never seen elsewhere. Of course, while they do this, the bank is being robbed in the background, leading to the scene I mentioned.
Then it transitions randomly into a scare comedy involving grave robbers and trying to bring the dead to life for the second reel. The film ceases to make any sense at this point, and attempting to understand what is happening will only confuse you further. This is typical Columbia scare comedy stuff, but you can see a genuine change in El's demeanor that is noticeably absent in other Columbia starring actors. I am actually surprised to say I thought he handled the scare stuff fairly well.
There isn't much to say for the supporting cast because they have little impact on the film. Ten pokes to Frank Lackteen though.
7/10