Die Dame auf der Schulter

Ollie is running for mayor but first he has to get rid of an old flame (Mae Busch) who wants to be paid or else she'll expose their affair on the front page courtesy of an incriminating photo. So he sends Stan to keep on eye on her while he entertains some important guests at his house with his wife (Thelma Todd) and butler (James Finlayson) in tow. I'll stop there and just say this was another hilarious Laurel & Hardy short that I highly enjoyed from beginning to end. Finlayson and Ms. Todd's reactions really got me going along with, of course, Stan & Ollie's antics concerning Ms. Busch's presence. And how about Norma Drew as Mrs. Laurel. And hearing Stan saying the iconic "nice mess" line was also great to hear! It should be noted this was made during the early talkie era when, if you wanted to see this in another language, instead of dubbing the lead actors would then read the alternate words at a blackboard off-screen with support from alternate players who came from the country of origin of that language or at least someone who knew it well. So now I'm going to watch the Spanish version of this short...

The great thing about Laurel and Hardy's movies is that they were so simple, but so damn hilarious! In "Chickens Come Home", Oliver is running for mayor, when a woman (Mae Busch) from his past shows up to blackmail him. She threatens to interrupt a party at his house. When Oliver gets Stanley to stop her...well, let's just say that it's not that easy! You can just imagine how the people behind the camera must have been cracking up watching L&H do these things right in front of them, especially the scene where they carry her (you'll see what I mean; it must have been a risqué scene for that time). A comedy classic.

I'm not an expert on Laurel & Hardy so I don't know if "Chickens Come Home" is considered a classic or not but it is very funny. There are a lot of laughs packed into those thirty minutes. Honorable mention: a dreamy Thelma Todd.

It's not often I feel I have to defend something on this site but after seeing CHICKENS COME HOME a few days ago I must say I'm slightly puzzled as to why some people think it's not as good as made out . I remember seeing this as a young child and enjoying it immensely and after seeing it again as an adult it's - Unlike a few other L&H shorts - just as enjoyable now

Yeah the flaws with this short are the same with any other one in that the performances are very stagy with lots of shouting and over emphatic mannerisms but no one ever complains about that in other short films featuring Stan and Ollie and unlike a lot of the other shorts CHICKENS COME HOME does feature a coherent plot instead of a lot of episodic incidents

Some people have moaned that the duo are kept apart from each other hence this is somehow less of a success but that's all down to opinion because I was very impressed with the fact Stan and Ollie were both funny on their own throughout the running time with Ollie getting the lion's share of laughs . Come on anyone with a pulse and a sadistic sense of humour will wet themselves as Mr Hardy sings " Somebody's coming to my house " or screams when he sees an indiscreetly placed photograph but the best moments are the ones featuring Ollie and his Butler who knows too much . If I remember correctly there was a situation comedy from over 20 years ago featuring Keith Barron and Carlos Douglas called DUTY FREE with a very similar premise

"Chickens Come Home" truly is among the best of the Laurel & Hardy shorts. The story is very simple but gives the boys lots of opportunity to show their silly antics. The end result is a simple but very hilarious movie.

The movie is filled with many humorous moments. Especially the ending is an hilarious, as well as a memorable one. It's a very consistent, constantly funny comedy short in which Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are at their best and in the prime of their careers.

Lot's of Laurel & Hardy regulars also show up again in this movie. Especially notable is James Finlayson as Oliver's butler. He is fantastic and absolutely hilarious in his role. As always, he doesn't try to steal the show but he unwillingly still does so. Other notable regulars in the movie are; Mae Busch and Baldwin Cooke, among others.

Among their very best work and therefor also simply a must-see for the Laurel & Hardy fans!

8/10

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