I'll have to agree with a majority of the posters for this film in that it doesn't deserve it's reputation as one of the worst Laurel and Hardy films. It may not be of the caliber of "Sons of the Desert" or "Way Out West", but it's entertaining enough in it's own right. If I had to find a quibble, it's in the fact that Stan Laurel doesn't seem to have any of his classic, nonsensical responses to situations the Boys find themselves in, like "I heard what he said but I didn't hear what he meant" from their film "Nothing But Trouble", out the same year as this one. They do repeat some of their former gags like the train car scenario, one of their hallmarks from 1929's film short "Berth Marks". The ending comes across as rather abrupt, as the inventor in the story (Arthur Space) never does make it to Washington, D.C. with his explosive invention. I had to laugh when I read one of the comments on this board in which the reviewer lamented the 'annoying little kid' in the beginning of the movie. That annoying little kid grew up to become TV's Baretta, Robert Blake. I always liked Blake, even through his personal difficulties, and this is the only Laurel and Hardy effort I've ever seen him in.
Review of The Big Noise
