The boys being in the army had so much comic potential, particularly with Jimmy as their commanding officer, but it just wasn't utilised properly. The first half of the film is great, though the second half goes downhill a little. Jimmy Finlayson is also in this one, as the boys' commanding officer. I prefer this one to 'Fra Diavolo.' There are funnier gags and scenes, even though it's not quite at the level as their most classic features. 'Bonnie Scotland' (1935) also has them in the same situation, although at least here the secondary characters (some boring young couple) don't assume that large of an amount of time.
I basically like the film well enough when L&H are center stage, but not that much when they disappear and the secondary characters start taking up all of the action. Dennis King, as Fra Diavolo, is also a delight to watch. And it is a joy to see the always wonderful Jimmy Finlayson and the beautiful Thelma Todd, even in costumes and powdered wigs. Like with just about any comedy group, one doesn't watch L&H to see secondary characters taking up a lot of the action and detracting attention away from the stars with a subplot that doesn't involve them enough! Coupled with all of the songs, it's almost like one of their Fox films, although at least here they're not yet being relegated to almost supporting characters. While I don't really care for this film too much, I can still really appreciate how well-made it is. 'Fra Diavolo,' aka 'The Devil's Brother' (1933), is a costume comedy and one of their comic operettas. Besides, there's always the option of getting a region-free DVD player and paying a little extra to get the boxed set of their Hal Roach shorts and major features from .uk, like I did, or buying the German Hal Roach set, which I've heard is just as great. We should feel lucky that there have been so many releases of L&H films lately instead of complaining about what isn't getting released. "The material included on this two-disc set does seem more geared to serious fans as opposed to new or casual fans, but these films, while not as essential as the likes of 'Our Relations' or 'Way Out West,' still charm and entertain regardless, and aren't the type that would turn off a newer fan.
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