Night Owls (1930 film)

Night Owls
Night Owls
Directed by	James Parrott
Written by	H.M. Walker
Produced by	Hal Roach
Starring	Stan Laurel; Oliver Hardy; Edgar Kennedy; James Finlayson
Cinematography	George Stevens
Edited by	Richard C. Currier
Music by	Marvin Hatley
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer; DIC Entertainment (1990 re-release)
Release date	January 4, 1930;
Running time	20:44 (English); 36:06 (Spanish)
Country	United States
Language	English

Night Owls is a 1930 American Pre-Code Laurel and Hardy short film. It was filmed in October and November 1929, and released January 4, 1930.

Plot

Police officer Edgar Kennedy is warned by his police chief to make arrests to stop a burglary epidemic on his patch or face the sack. Kennedy comes across vagrants Laurel and Hardy that night and persuades them to rob the chief's house to get in his boss's good books. The boys, believing it to be too dangerous, at first refuse. After Kennedy threatens them with ninety days on "the rockpile," and assures them he will get them released after they're caught, they agree to the ruse. Stan and Ollie encounter various problems but after various complications, the chief catches Kennedy with various valuables in his house, while the boys manage somehow to escape.

Cast

Stan Laurel as Stan Laurel
Oliver Hardy as Oliver "Ollie" Hardy
Edgar Kennedy as Officer Kennedy
James Finlayson as Butler Meadows
Anders Randolf as the Police Captain

Production

This was the first film to use their celebrated theme tune, "The 'Ku-Ku' Song", written by Marvin Hatley. The Film Classics reissue print features the instrumental version of Marvin Hatley's "Honolulu Baby" from the Sons of the Desert soundtrack in place of "The 'Ku-Ku' Song."

International versions

The film was also released in an alternate Spanish version,^[1] Ladrones,^[2]^[3]^[4] expanded to nearly four reels in length instead of the English two reels. The film was also released in an Italian version,^[1] Ladroni, and in an Esperanto version Ŝtelistoj, which are both now lost. The foreign versions retained not only the headliners, but Edgar Kennedy and James Finlayson as well. The English and Spanish versions are available on DVD.

References

^ ^a ^b "Variety's Bulletin Condensed". Variety. No. vol. C no. 4. August 6, 1930. p. 28. Retrieved August 9, 2019. {{cite news}}: |issue= has extra text (help)
^ "Garbo's KISS May Set Foreign System". Variety. No. vol. XCVIII no. 8. March 5, 1930. p. 5. Retrieved August 9, 2019. {{cite news}}: |issue= has extra text (help)
^ Schallert, Edwin; Schallert, Elza (May 1930). "Hollywood High Lights". Picture Play Magazine. No. vol. XXXII no. 3. Street & Smith Publications. p. 53. Retrieved August 9, 2019. {{cite news}}: |issue= has extra text (help)
^ Schallert, Edwin; Schallert, Elza (February 1930). "Hollywood High Lights". Picture Play Magazine. No. vol. XXXI no. 6. Street & Smith Publications. p. 94. Retrieved August 9, 2019. {{cite news}}: |issue= has extra text (help)

External links

[variety-1] "Variety's Bulletin Condensed". Variety. No. vol. C no. 4. August 6, 1930. p. 28. Retrieved August 9, 2019. {{cite news}}: |issue= has extra text (help)

[2] "Garbo's KISS May Set Foreign System". Variety. No. vol. XCVIII no. 8. March 5, 1930. p. 5. Retrieved August 9, 2019. {{cite news}}: |issue= has extra text (help)

[3] Schallert, Edwin; Schallert, Elza (May 1930). "Hollywood High Lights". Picture Play Magazine. No. vol. XXXII no. 3. Street & Smith Publications. p. 53. Retrieved August 9, 2019. {{cite news}}: |issue= has extra text (help)

[4] Schallert, Edwin; Schallert, Elza (February 1930). "Hollywood High Lights". Picture Play Magazine. No. vol. XXXI no. 6. Street & Smith Publications. p. 94. Retrieved August 9, 2019. {{cite news}}: |issue= has extra text (help)

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