Edgar Allan Pooh . . . JITTERBUGS appeared on the big screen, with Stan Laurel trying to supplant Betty Grable as a pin-up gal for the Allied troops during WWII in 1943. Stan's effort falls totally flat, as he seemingly cannot even raise his voice to simulate the "fair sex" (a feat easily accomplished later by Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams in the aforementioned flicks). Mr. Laurel and his frequent sidekick Oliver Hardy mostly are adrift here in a plot which makes less sense than their usual, and doesn't perk up until the last five minutes when the showboat Gen. Fremont drifts away from its New Orleans pier during rush hour on the Mississippi. JITTERBUGS' opening desert scene and its follow-up two-man band episode are okay, but the rest of this story quickly bogs down during the lengthy "New Orleans" sequence. Film rookie Vivian Blaine warbles rather well, but her shoulders are not broad enough to carry the entire flick.

mark.waltz This is the Laurel and Hardy film they say will give you gas, whether you want the five gallon size or the ten gallon. The boys are the proud two members of a two man band; Together, they can do as much as Glenn Miller, the Dorseys or Gene Krupa. In the middle of the desert, they run out of gas, but inventor Douglas Fowley comes by with the invention they need, and asks for their assistance at a carnival in a nearby town. But when the townsfolk run them out of town, Laurel & Hardy are joined by sexy Vivian Blaine who accidentally left her purse in Fowley's possession. The boys assist Blaine in uncovering a scam which took her mother's property, and outwit the gangsters, albeit quite accidentally.This is a film that depends less on gags and more on the big hearts that the boys share for the lovely Blaine. One hysterical sequence has Hardy posing as a Southern colonel who flirts with spider-woman Lee Patrick in order to expose her part in the scam while Laurel hides under her day bed. The rest of the comedy bits focus on Laurel posing in drag as Blaine's aunt. He doesn't alter his voice as he did in previous drag sequences in films, although I prefer the high-pitched squeak dubbed for his role as Oliver's wife in the classic short "Twice Two". The lack of slapstick helps make the fact that the boys are looking their age less painful.As for Vivian Blaine, people expecting her "Miss Adelaide" characterization from "Guys and Dolls" will be surprised to find her quite different. She altered her voice for that role and the MGM musical "Skirts Ahoy!", so how she sounds here is as she did in life and the majority of her film and stage work. She gets to sing and dance a bit, so that is an added plus. Of the leading ladies in Laurel and Hardy's last film work, Blaine is probably the best known, although this marks her first major role. The supporting villains are appropriately slimy, although the lack of a real ending marks the lower rating than I would have given the film otherwise.

BJJManchester 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.

mlraymond I first saw this movie years ago on the late show one night, and was charmed by it. The low key, gentle humor, and likable love interests make for an entertaining little movie.Vivian Blaine is really cute as the night club singer who falls for nice guy con man Bob Bailey. He's not really a crook at heart, and soon is reformed by true love, combining forces with Stan and Ollie to get back the money fleeced from Vivian's aunt by a trio of crooks.Stan Laurel is very funny and surprisingly convincing, as the wealthy dowager character he pretends to be. Tough gal Lee Patrick putting on a bogus Southern accent, and trying to seduce first Laurel and then Hardy is a hilarious sequence. Watching Oliver Hardy waltz gracefully with Lee Patrick is a sight worth seeing.This is a nice, fun little movie if you're not expecting Laurel and Hardy in their prime. They're still funny and endearing characters.