Politiquerías

In the early 1930s, Hollywood hadn't yet perfected dubbing American films into other languages. However, by then Laurel and Hardy were international stars thanks to their brilliant silent comedies and the studio didn't want to lose foreign sales. So, many of their early shorts were shot multiple times with the boys--having them phonetically say their lines in a variety of languages such as Spanish and French. I have seen several Spanish ones and their pronunciation isn't that bad (especially Ollie's), though the French language ones made me cringe! In addition to having Stan and Ollie speak various languages, the supporting actors often were native speakers of that particular language, though this isn't always the case. James Finlayson and Edgar Kennedy re-did their parts in other languages as well in several films.

In this film, however, it's hard to exactly call this a remake. While several others were made in English at about 20 minutes and stretched to about 30 minutes in Spanish or French, this one was 30 and is now 53 minutes long--almost double the length of the original and with a lot more new material. However, the main plot is all still there--Ollie is running for mayor and an old flame shows up to blackmail him. He pays or she ruins his election! And, like in the original, Ollie is throwing a party and has his assistant (Stan) keep the lady busy and away from Ollie's important guests.

Among the new routines used to pad the film were a sleight of hand artist who really was exceptional to watch--especially when Finlayson got in on the act. There also is a bizarre act involving a regurgitator that just has to be seen to believed. He's exceptional but not quite as amazing as Stevie Starr (a modern regurgitator who's been on TV quite a few times). The sum effect of these acts is to make the film look like CHICKENS COME HOME combined with a talent show. This same combination occurred in the Spanish language version of BLOTTO (LA VIDA NOCTURNA), but in the case of LA VIDA NOCTURNA the acts were bad and really hurt the film. Believe it or not, the acts were so good in this film that they actually improved the film and were very entertaining! The film was also an improvement over CHICKENS COME HOME with a few of the new scenes that weren't talent show acts. In the first one, Ollie left the house to "get some cigars". Here, he first tries to sneak out and there are some great scenes with his wife as she catches him again and again. Later in the film, he tries to leave to get cigars but this never materializes--just more fighting with his insanely violent wife. Also, Stan's arguments with the hot tempered blackmailer were much more intense than in the original and it's interesting to see this lady--she is amazing and rather scary! The old prude is even more intensely angry in this version. The stereotype of the "fiery Spanish lady" is alive and well in this film and boy did they make me laugh.

Overall, I was very shocked to see that I actually preferred the Spanish version to the original. With all the others I've so far seen in French and Spanish, they just weren't as good. Try watching this film---even if you don't understand Spanish. If you've seen the original film, then following this one isn't hard at all and it's worth it if you are a Laurel and Hardy fan.

By the way, I read once that there were also Italian and German language Laurel and Hardy films out there, but have yet to see them and would love to know where to find them. Plus, I was wondering if other actors did multiple language versions. I know that THE BLUE ANGEL was made in multiple versions with Marlene Dietrich, but were there others? If anyone knows the answers to these questions, drop me a line. Thanks.

This version of Chickens Come Home is much more longer than the original, a magician and a strange man called Hadji-Ali enjoy the party with the Boys. Linda de Loreto shows us a very wild performance in the guise (and dress) of the more sophisticated Mae Busch, blackmailing Oliver and having a hard fight with Stan. (watch to believe). The finest thing is Carmen Granada playing the role of Stan's wife,very pretty and little and so revengeful and angry. The Boys are as good as ever, playing separately for the central part of the movie. maybe a little wildest than the original, with a prolonged "search for the key" in Stan's pockets (it makes ma laugh all the time)and a lot of guests in Ollie's home!

Laurel and Hardy speak their Spanish lines with the same conviction as they do their lines in the English language version. The supporting cast is great. They have the same flair as the supporting cast more often associated with Laurel and Hardy. The added sequences slow the pace down somewhat - but the two added vaudeville acts entertaining at "Senor Hardy's" home are absolutely amazing. I'm glad their routines have been preserved.

It is very interesting and fun to see little bits of business being improvised by both Laurel and Hardy in this version. Creative geniuses at work.

This is a treasure, in my opinion.

Politiquerias (1931)

*** (out of 4)

Spanish version of Laurel and Hardy's CHICKENS COME HOME features pretty much the same plot with an added twenty-minutes worth of vaudeville acts. The plot is the same as Hardy is trying to run for office but his hopes can possibly go up in flames with an old woman he knew shows up to blackmail him. I've always found it amusing that Hal Roach would have his biggest stars film an English, French and Spanish version of their films and while I've yet to see one of the alternate versions be better than the English one, they're still well worth watching if you're a fan of the duo. The main reason for this is simply a curiosity factor because it's interesting to see what the writers and the boys would change. Since they would shoot the English language version first it allowed them to go back and either correct jokes that didn't work or at least try them in a different way. I think most of the jokes done here were much better in CHICKENS COME HOME but the romp around the office at the start of the picture is still very funny here. The part of this that doesn't work at all is the added footage. Most of them is in the home of Hardy as he's having a party and trying to sneak out. To do this he introduces a couple acts to perform for the guests. I really thought both of them took away from the actual plot, although if you were watching these acts on their own they would have been entertaining. POLITIQUERIAS isn't a classic and it's not even worth watching over the original, however, if you're a fan then you'll want to check it out.

While this is the Spanish version of Chickens Come Home with Stan & Ollie and James Finlayson speaking the language by reading off a blackboard out of camera range, the above title actually translates into "Playing at Politics". The rest of the supporting cast is changed to that of either the native country or someone who happens to speak the language well. Countess Rina de Liguoro-who takes the Mae Busch part of the blackmailer-for instance, is from Italy as explained in a line specifically spoken here in order to acknowledge the Spanish-speaking audience of their detection. For Thelma Todd's role of Mrs. Hardy, Linda Loredo is picked and, boy, is she even more of battleaxe than Ms. Todd as evidenced by an additional scene where she destroys Ollie's hat, coat, and then kicks him for good measure! For the Norma Drew role of Mrs. Laurel, it's Carmen Granada and she's also quite hilariously suspicious with her reactions. It should be noted that these foreign versions are usually longer than the American ones and this one is no exception as there are a couple of vaudeville acts added to pad the running time. One is magician Abraham J. Cantu who has tricks involving cards, cigarettes, handkerchiefs, and newspapers. The other is Hadji Ali, an Egyptian who downs lots of water, hazelnuts, and some kerosene before spitting them all out. You really have to see them to believe them! Oh, and both acts involve Finlayson getting roped in, to his consternation. While neither act was really necessary to the story, it's fascinating to watch them just the same. So in summary, I don't consider Politiquerias as consistently funny as the English-language predecessor mainly because of the padded acts, but it's still very entertaining to watch because of those acts. Oh, and the incriminating photo Rina presents to Ollie is even more spicy then the one Mae showed in the original short.