Norman Wisdom tries his hand at yet another favorite environment with star comedians: police-work. On the whole, this is one of his better vehicles - with Norman once again in a dual role, as wannabe-policeman simpleton and Italian gangster covering as a hairstylist (whom, needless to say, the former ends up impersonating); the level of the gags is par for the course though the film is, ultimately, overlong (with the 'good' Norman predictably falling for - and sheltering - the gangster's fleeing moll and a tendency towards gay jokes in the hairdressing scenes!). Still, all things considered, the film isn't up to the standard of Laurel & Hardy's classic short THE MIDNIGHT PATROL (1933) - let alone the genius of Keaton's COPS (1922) or Chaplin's EASY STREET (1917)...
Review of On the Beat
