The Big Noise
Encyclopedia
The Big Noise is a 1944 comedy film starring Stan Laurel
and Oliver Hardy
. It was produced by Sol M. Wurtzel
and directed by Mal St.Clair
. It has been regarded by many film critics and Laurel and Hardy
historians as being among the duo's worst films.
), an inventor who claims to have created a destructive bomb he calls "The Big Noise." Posing as detectives, Laurel and Hardy move into Hartley's home, where they must contend with his eccentric behavior and the oddball antics of his widowed aunt (who takes a fancy to Hardy) and Hartley's misbehaving nephew. Hartley's neighbors are crooks who are eager to steal the new bomb. Laurel and Hardy hide the bomb in an accordion and steal an airplane to bring it to Washington. However, the airplane is a remote control target used by the U.S. Army for gunnery training. Laurel and Hardy barely escape by parachuting to safety over the Pacific Ocean, and they dispose of the bomb by dropping it on a Japanese submarine.
during the 1940s. During the film's production, Stan Laurel told an interviewer that efforts were made to support the American World War II
domestic effort to conserve materials. "We cut out automobile chases and food wasting-gags when the war first started, and with The Big Noise we decided to slash every gag that might conceivably have bearing on wartime wastages and destruction," he said.
Scenes and gags used in previous Laurel and Hardy films turned up in The Big Noise. Among the earlier films to have their material reused were Berth Marks
, Wrong Again
, Block-Heads
and The Flying Deuces
.
Laurel would later recall that he attempted to convince his producer to recycle the Berth Marks
scene involving the duo in a claustrophobic train berth by changing the location of the berth to a transcontinental airplane. Laurel felt having the airplane hitting turbulence with the pair bouncing about in the berth would be funnier than recycling the train-based gags. Laurel's request was rejected, but the film changed the original setup by adding comic actor Jack Norton
as an inebriate who shares the berth with Laurel and Hardy.
, writing for The New York Times
, claimed it "has as much humor in it as a six-foot hole in the ground." Crowther also derided the duo's advanced age by noting: "Once, long ago, it was funny to see them joust with wet paint and folding beds. But now it is dull and pathetic. And they don't even seem to care."
Other reviews were equally cruel. The New York Herald Tribune
complained that "from any comic consideration, it represents the last stop on a dead-end street." Variety
echoed Crowther's notion of has-been status by commenting that the film's "silly situations may have been comical in their time, but certainly not to this day and age."
Over the years, The Big Noise has earned the wrath of Laurel and Hardy scholars. William K. Everson
stated the film "sank to a new low" and dismissed the airplane finale as "pale and tedious."
Leonard Maltin
stated the film was "not only unfunny, but for anyone who loves Laurel and Hardy, very sad." However, in recent years, critical opinion towards the film has slightly mellowed in some quarters, with scholars and buffs of the comedians asserting that several more of their later films could be regarded as inferior.
Stan Laurel
Arthur Stanley "Stan" Jefferson , better known as Stan Laurel, was an English comic actor, writer and film director, famous as the first half of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy. His film acting career stretched between 1917 and 1951 and included a starring role in the Academy Award winning film...
and Oliver Hardy
Oliver Hardy
Oliver Hardy was an American comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy, the classic double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted nearly 30 years, from 1927 to 1955.-Early life:...
. It was produced by Sol M. Wurtzel
Sol M. Wurtzel
Sol M. Wurtzel was an American motion picture producer.Born in New York City, New York, Sol M. Wurtzel worked as an executive assistant to William Fox, founding owner of the Fox Film Corporation. In 1917, Fox sent him to California to oversee the studio's West Coast productions...
and directed by Mal St.Clair
Malcolm St. Clair (filmmaker)
Malcolm St. Clair was a Hollywood film director, writer, producer and actor, he was sometimes credited as Mal St Clair. A disciple of Mack Sennett, St. Clair was an actor in many films primarily comedies. At 6'7" he can be seen in such Sennett films as Yankee Doodle in Berlin, towering over the...
. It has been regarded by many film critics and Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
historians as being among the duo's worst films.
Plot
In this film, Laurel and Hardy are janitors. One night, while cleaning the office of a detective agency, they answer a telephone call from Alva P. Hartley (Arthur SpaceArthur Space
Charles Arthur Space was an American film, television and stage actor. He was best known as Doc Weaver in the long running television series, Lassie.-Career:...
), an inventor who claims to have created a destructive bomb he calls "The Big Noise." Posing as detectives, Laurel and Hardy move into Hartley's home, where they must contend with his eccentric behavior and the oddball antics of his widowed aunt (who takes a fancy to Hardy) and Hartley's misbehaving nephew. Hartley's neighbors are crooks who are eager to steal the new bomb. Laurel and Hardy hide the bomb in an accordion and steal an airplane to bring it to Washington. However, the airplane is a remote control target used by the U.S. Army for gunnery training. Laurel and Hardy barely escape by parachuting to safety over the Pacific Ocean, and they dispose of the bomb by dropping it on a Japanese submarine.
Cast
- Oliver HardyOliver HardyOliver Hardy was an American comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy, the classic double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted nearly 30 years, from 1927 to 1955.-Early life:...
as Oliver Hardy - Stan LaurelStan LaurelArthur Stanley "Stan" Jefferson , better known as Stan Laurel, was an English comic actor, writer and film director, famous as the first half of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy. His film acting career stretched between 1917 and 1951 and included a starring role in the Academy Award winning film...
as Stan Laurel - Robert BlakeRobert BlakeRobert Blake may refer to:*Bob Blake , American professional ice hockey player*Robert Blake , English naval commander*Robert Blake , pioneering Irish dentist...
as Egbert Hartley (as Bobby Blake) - Veda Ann BorgVeda Ann BorgVeda Ann Borg was an American film actress.Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Borg was the daughter of Gottfried Borg, a Swedish immigrant and Minna Noble. She became a model in 1936 before winning a contract at Paramount Pictures. A car crash in 1939 necessitated drastic reconstruction of her face by...
as Mayme Charlton - James Bush as Hartman
- Frank Fenton as Charlton
- Arthur SpaceArthur SpaceCharles Arthur Space was an American film, television and stage actor. He was best known as Doc Weaver in the long running television series, Lassie.-Career:...
as Alva P. Hartley - Doris Merrick as Evelyn
- Philip Van ZandtPhilip Van ZandtPhilip "Phil" Van Zandt was a Dutch actor of film, stage and television. He made over 220 film and television appearances between 1939 and 1958.-Career:...
as Dutchy Glassman - Jamie Craig as himself
Production
The Big Noise was the fifth of six feature films Laurel and Hardy made at 20th Century Fox20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
during the 1940s. During the film's production, Stan Laurel told an interviewer that efforts were made to support the American World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
domestic effort to conserve materials. "We cut out automobile chases and food wasting-gags when the war first started, and with The Big Noise we decided to slash every gag that might conceivably have bearing on wartime wastages and destruction," he said.
Scenes and gags used in previous Laurel and Hardy films turned up in The Big Noise. Among the earlier films to have their material reused were Berth Marks
Berth Marks
Berth Marks is a 1929 short comedy starring Laurel and Hardy. The story involves Stan and Ollie as two musicians attempting to travel by train to Pottsville...
, Wrong Again
Wrong Again
Wrong Again is a 1929 two-reel comedy silent film starring Laurel and Hardy. It was shot in October and November 1928, and released February 23, 1929, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
, Block-Heads
Block-Heads
Block-Heads is a 1938 comedy film starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, produced by Hal Roach Studios for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film, a reworking of elements from the Laurel and Hardy shorts We Faw Down and Unaccustomed As We Are , was Roach's final film for MGM, and is remembered as one of...
and The Flying Deuces
The Flying Deuces
The Flying Deuces, also known as Flying Aces, is a 1939 comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy, in which the duo join the French Foreign Legion. It is a partial remake of their 1931 short film Beau Hunks.- Plot :...
.
Laurel would later recall that he attempted to convince his producer to recycle the Berth Marks
Berth Marks
Berth Marks is a 1929 short comedy starring Laurel and Hardy. The story involves Stan and Ollie as two musicians attempting to travel by train to Pottsville...
scene involving the duo in a claustrophobic train berth by changing the location of the berth to a transcontinental airplane. Laurel felt having the airplane hitting turbulence with the pair bouncing about in the berth would be funnier than recycling the train-based gags. Laurel's request was rejected, but the film changed the original setup by adding comic actor Jack Norton
Jack Norton
Jack Norton , was a mustachio'd American stage and film character actor who appeared in 184 films between 1934 and 1948, often playing drunks, although in real life he was a teetotaler.-Career:...
as an inebriate who shares the berth with Laurel and Hardy.
Critical reception
The Big Noise was greeted with harsh reviews when it was first released. Bosley CrowtherBosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther was a journalist and author who was film critic for The New York Times for 27 years. His reviews and articles helped shape the careers of actors, directors and screenwriters, though his reviews, at times, were unnecessarily mean...
, writing for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, claimed it "has as much humor in it as a six-foot hole in the ground." Crowther also derided the duo's advanced age by noting: "Once, long ago, it was funny to see them joust with wet paint and folding beds. But now it is dull and pathetic. And they don't even seem to care."
Other reviews were equally cruel. The New York Herald Tribune
New York Herald Tribune
The New York Herald Tribune was a daily newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald.Other predecessors, which had earlier merged into the New York Tribune, included the original The New Yorker newsweekly , and the Whig Party's Log Cabin.The paper was home to...
complained that "from any comic consideration, it represents the last stop on a dead-end street." Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
echoed Crowther's notion of has-been status by commenting that the film's "silly situations may have been comical in their time, but certainly not to this day and age."
Over the years, The Big Noise has earned the wrath of Laurel and Hardy scholars. William K. Everson
William K. Everson
William Keith "Bill" Everson was an English-American archivist, author, critic, educator, collector and film historian. He often discovered lost films.-Early life and career:...
stated the film "sank to a new low" and dismissed the airplane finale as "pale and tedious."
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
stated the film was "not only unfunny, but for anyone who loves Laurel and Hardy, very sad." However, in recent years, critical opinion towards the film has slightly mellowed in some quarters, with scholars and buffs of the comedians asserting that several more of their later films could be regarded as inferior.