The Midnight Patrol is a short American pre-Code comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy released August 3, 1933. Stan and Ollie, new to the force, arrest their own police chief.
1933
Midnight Patrol
CAST
Stan Laurel as Officer Stanley Laurel
Oliver Hardy as Officer Oliver Hardy
Louise Beavers as Maid (scenes deleted)
Harry Bernard as Jail visitor
Billy Bletcher as the voice of the Radio dispatcher
Frank Brownlee as Police Chief Ramsbottom
Edgar Dearing as Policeman
Charlie Hall as Tire thief's partner
Bob Kortman as Tire thief
James C. Morton as Policeman
Walter Plinge (real name Frank Terry) as Safecracker
Tiny Sandford as Policeman
This is one of only two Laurel & Hardy films where the boys end up deceased.
The Stoke-on-Trent Laurel & Hardy tent of the Sons of the Desert, the world's biggest Laurel and Hardy fan organization, is named 'The Midnight Patrol Tent' in honour of this film, as well as the San Jose, California tent.
The two cars featured in the movie are the 1927 Cadillac Standard Line for the police car and 1925 Chevrolet Superior for the street thugs.
This is one of the very few Laurel and Hardy films to feature an African American character in form of the butler of the Police Chief, portrayed by an uncredited Al Corporal.
There were also supposed to be additional scenes where Louise Beavers plays a maid, which were deleted.
Directed by Lloyd French
Written by Stan Laurel
Sidney Rauh
Produced by Hal Roach
Starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy
Cinematography Art Lloyd
Edited by Bert Jordan
Music by James Greene
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date: August 3, 1933