While not definitive representations of the best Laurel & Hardy could do, this fascinating Laurel and Hardy Collection showcases what the famous duo was capable of achieving in their twilight years. These three films – Jitterbugs, The Big Noise, and Great Guns – were made just a decade before Oliver Hardy’s death. And although they offer only a handful of hints of the pair’s irreverent genius, they definitely make the case that the last twenty years of Laurel and Hardy’s collective careers didn’t have the spark and draw of their first twenty.

But because these three pictures manifest L&H in their later days, the collection makes is a fantastically interesting and relatively scholarly place for old-fashioned comedy fans to visit again and again. Even L&H scholar Randy Skretvedlt (who offers commentaries on all three films here – more on that later) admits that while there are glimmers of magic in these three pictures, they’re more important for Laurel & Hardy’s cumulative cinematic achievements than as individual films in their own rights.

The plots of these films are bare-boned at best. Jitterbugs finds the pair scamming townsfolk in order to sell “gasoline pills” during the oil shortage of WWII and getting in over their heads. Great Guns finds the pair joining the armed forces only to get in over their heads (do you sense a pattern here?). And The Big Noise has the goofy men as janitors posing as sleuths who get involved with a bomb heist and (believe it or not) end up sinking a Japanese submarine.

But as irreverent and frequently amusing as these pictures can be, none of them really hold a candle to the duo’s output during their heyday in the 1920s. Unlike Chaplin growing out of his “Little Tramp” caricature to try to concoct a new form of visual storytelling in films like Limelight, Laurel & Hardy simply tried to rehash the same old same old, and neither audiences nor critics bought it. As legendary as they were – and still are – the spark of their initial meetings is absent in these three pictures.

By 1941, they had left Hal Roach Studios – where they made their most significant films – and they basically just tried to keep their good thing going. Sure, as magnificently talented gentlemen, there’s nothing entirely dull about any of these three pictures, but knowing the magic they conjured up before these films, we’ve come to expect more.

So kudos to Fox for putting these out in such a nice little box; unpopular motion pictures like these usually are left for the cut-out bin. No, these aren’t for fair-weather fans of the comedy team, but for those with a fervent interest in the golden age of comedy, these three films offer a wonderful presentation of the coda of Laurel & Hardy’s career . . . for better and (mostly) for worse.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Hit and miss. Yes, there are elements of these full-frame transfers that are just dandy, but more often than not, they’re mired in a sub-standard presentation. Halos are rampant, grain is an unfortunately constant issue, and monochromatic contrast fluctuates wildly. Black levels are solid sometimes, but even they vary from scene to scene. Sure, films of this age don’t usually look fantastic, but in this case, it really seems like more could have been done to prep them for DVD.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

You have the option of listening in both stereo and mono, although there isn’t much of a difference between the two. There’s a bit more breathing room in terms of music and effects with the stereo tracks, but I found the mono mixes to be more appropriate to the films on an aesthetic level. In any case, things have been finessed and cleaned-up a bit for DVD, but again, without a ground-floor reworking of the soundscape, we’re going to be left with a so-so mix, whether its two-channel or one.

Also included are Spanish and English subtitles, and English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

The three screen-specific audio commentaries from scholar Randy Skretvedt are honestly more fascinating and illuminating than the films he speaks about. He discusses elements of the duo’s history and track record, why they switched studios so late in their career and what that upheaval meant for them personally as well as in regard to the entertainment world at large. Inimitable tracks for anyone with a heavy interest in L&H.

Each disc also offers some MovieTone Newsreel footage, each film’s trailer, and a still gallery. Also included on The Big Noise’s disc is a documentary entitled The Revenge of the Sons of the Desert, a look at the duo’s fan club.

Final Thoughts

In a way, this The Laurel and Hardy Collection is depressing. The three films showcase the duo toward the waning end of their illustrious career, but for film scholars and old-fashioned movie buffs, they just might prove fascinating. Audio and video qualities are intermittent, but the commentary tracks are exceptional and there are enough bonus features to merit recommending this one to Laurel & Hardy fanatics. Just don’t start with these three pictures.