Jitterbugs (1943)

Fresh and Exciting

Don't listen to the negative reviews

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Hollywood was always suspicious of madcap comedians, and often burdened their films with mindless plots, subplots, silly love stories, and mediocre songs. This is a perfect example of the Twentieth Century Fox B unit busily churning out wartime entertainment for a less than demanding audience. L & H are not wasted, but under used. Even in as improbable story as this one, studio cowardice and lack of imagination cannot totally subvert the genius of two great comedians who could make even second-rate comic ideas seem better than they really were. Vivian Blaine, forever remembered as Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, debuts here as that stock character, the pretty spunky damsel in distress, a carbon copy of another FOX contract player, Alice Faye. She gets to sing three ordinary, completely forgettable tunes in excellent voice. Many similarly attractive young women like her were wasted like this during the studio days. Vivian had to good sense to go back to Broadway and to the stardom she deserved.

There's more storyline in this 75-minutes than L&H's usual slapstick, Typically, the classic narratives amount to just a series of set-ups for their style pratfalls. Here, however, the boys are called upon to do more straight "acting" than usual. Ollie's a fake southern aristocrat, while Stan's a female impersonating sidekick. Together, they're trying to get back $10,000 that ruthless con-men have fleeced from a needy young woman (Blaine). Thus they're trying to con con-men, which leads to some amusing, if not hilarious, situations. All in all, the result amounts to an entertaining trifle. Still, I could have used more jitterbugging than the one round. Too bad we didn't send some of these Hollywood jitterbug scenes to Hitler and Tojo. That way they would know they couldn't win—after all, how could such an energized American home front possibly lose! But, apart from the plot and its shenanigans, is a good look at how rationing affected common folk during WWII's early years. That gasoline pill set-up is both amusing and revealing, showing how precious the fuel was to ordinary drivers, once the bulk was going to the war effort. To me, the first 10-minutes are the funniest; that is, before the plot really takes hold, and the boys get more subdued. Anyway, it's not classic L&H, but on a rainy night, it'll sure do.

One of a declining number of features Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy made in the 1940's after they departed the Hal Roach Studios at the beginning of the decade,JITTERBUGS has the reputation of maybe being the best of a disposable bunch made at 20th CENTURY FOX and M-G-M.This actually isn't saying that much,and the film has many flaws that plagued the other films in this period that brought an end to their film careers.But there are somewhat more positive aspects that touch it up a notch or two above the other misconceived and misjudged efforts of these later years despite still being affected by numerous disadvantages.Travelling musicians Stan and Ollie steam up with a devious but likable conman (Robert Bailey) to help a young woman (Vivian Blaine) whose Aunt was fleeced out of $10,000 by various other shysters. Stan and Ollie don disguises as part of the plan,though they have to wary of their own safety along the way.The main problem with JITTERBUGS is the excess of plot complications and sub-stories plus various transient characters that don't just add a sense of disarrangement but provide little chance for any characteristic L & H humour throughout it's running time.We only get a sense of this in the opening few minutes or so with scenes of the boys on a isolated desert highway,but even here (as was evident in virtually all of their later films),the dialogue and behaviour is not particularly appropriate for their long established naive,lovable characters.Thereafter,with the appearance of conman Robert Bailey,his would-be girl Vivian Blaine and other types,Stan and Ollie often seem incidental to the plot and the numerous other characters that turn up.As has been mentioned before,it's main saving grace is to see the boys enact different characterisations.Ollie is enjoyable as a wealthy Texas landowner,Colonel Wattison Bixby,as a Southern states gentleman-type very close to his own upbringing,as is Stan as a fluttery and equally wealthy maiden Aunt,convincingly and amusingly in drag,employing the upper-class accent he used in A CHUMP AT OXFORD and flirtatious manner in ANOTHER FINE MESS.Ollie's scenes with Lee Patrick in his impersonation work surprisingly well,which features somewhat better supporting performances from such performers as Ms Patrick,Douglas Fowley,Noel Madison (who appeared in a similar Gangsterish role with the boys in OUR RELATIONS seven years earlier) and Robert Emmett Keane than was usually the case in these later films.This was Mal St.Clair's first film with the boys and his direction is fast and slick,helping to paper over the cracks of a less-than efficient script by Scott Darling,which was also a showcase for the up and coming starlet Vivian Blaine.She is a somewhat lightweight but pleasing presence,and the film is also helped by decent production values and a respected cameraman (Lucien Andriot), giving the film a more attractive and polished look.Though hardly vintage L & H,JITTERBUGS has enough good scenes to rate it alongside THE BULLFIGHTERS as the more tolerable of their post-Roach features,with both comedians looking generally more assured and confident with at least some decent material to work with than was the unfortunate case with most of their later work.JITTERBUGS is still flawed but enjoyable,with Laurel and Hardy's talent still managing to extract some laughs and overcome a plot and script that was far from perfect.RATING:6 out of 10.

This is an enjoyable film for L&H fans, despite it not being as funny as their earlier features. However, that is to be expected in anybody's career.Far better that they made it than just retiring in 1940. Don't expect their best, but give it a viewing