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  It is World War I and, shortly before he is killed
in action, Laurel & Hardy promise their best pal that they'll look after his
little girl, and restore her to his wealthy parents. Back in America after
the war, they try to keep their promise, but since they know only that his name
was Smith, finding the girl's grandparents isn't an easy job, and orphanage
officials are constantly on their heels to seize the child.
Made in 1931, but held back until late 1932 for its release, this second Laurel
& Hardy starring feature was better constructed than the first (Pardon Us)
but far less amusing. Most comedy teams, from
Wallace Beery and Raymond
Hatton to
Abbott & Costello and Martin & Lewis, have found the Army comedy a
fairly safe vehicle with which to establish themselves early in their career.
And had Laurel & Hardy stuck to the service-life knockabout—far less overworked
in 1932 than it would be a decade later—the formula might well have worked for
them too.
Certainly the funniest sequences appear at the
beginning of the film, with George Marshall (the director) proving an apt
comedian as a tough Army cook, and
James Finlayson going through his usual paces
as a short-tempered officer into whose quarters Laurel & Hardy empty all the
garbage pails! But with the introduction of the little girl, plot and
sentiment interfere far too often, and the film veers more in the direction of
Jackie Coogan's My Boy than towards showcase sequences for Laurel & Hardy
humor. As the mean official from the orphanage,
Charles Middleton had some
fine moments, but most of the strong supporting cast of character comedians was
badly wasted. |
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