Fra Diavolo

Two of the funniest scenes in a movie. One where Laurel keeps drinking all the wine he's supposed to be putting in a vat. Soon he's sloshed and starts making a smack noise with his mouth, that gets funnier every time he does it. Soon after, they're both sitting at a table in a restaurant and Laurel can't stop laughing. Ollie tries to make him stop but he is quickly consumed by laughter as well and they are ramping up the laughter with every past moment they reminisce. You can't help yourself from laughing and I was laughing hard.

Everything else about this movie is damn good too. The support acting is ahead of it's time and the music is well placed, novel and catchy. And the main female lead is very easy to look at. Check it out, won't we?

Dennis King is a marquis, traveling around the countryside. trying to seduce Thelma Todd. He is also the notorious bandit Fra Diavolo, although that's supposed to be a secret.

Laurel and Hardy offer a lot of comic relief to this Americanized version of the Auber operetta; although the music is used throughout the movie, there's little in the way of actual singing until halfway through. Mostly it's an excuse for Laurel and Hardy to offer a lot of comic relief Stanley provides most of the gags, including his disconcerting nimbleness, while Ollie is his perpetually disconcerted straight man and unconscious accomplice. The singing, what there is of it, is good. Miss Todd is gorgeous, although she doesn't get much to do. With the Boys to while away the time, who cares?

"The Devil's brother" is not an accurate translation of "Fra Diavolo." "Fra" in this sense was for "frater" not "fratello". Frater, of course, being a title for a religious who was not a priest. It was a common practice to address such a person as "Fra Giovanni" (brother John). Because of the bloodthirstiness of the actual person, Azzolino da Romano,(who was mentioned in Dante's "Inferno"- XII), he was nicknamed "Brother Devil"; in particular for his massacre of the citizens of Padua.

With those words to live by, Oliver Hardy convinces Stan Laurel that this might be just the profession for them in 18th century France. Unfortunately the second guy they decide to rob is the famous bandit, Fra Diavolo, the Devil's Brother played by Broadway star Dennis King in his second feature film role. And to top it all off, these two decide to impersonate Fra Diavolo while doing the robbery.

King is justifiably angry about this and orders Stan to hang Ollie who he sizes up rather quickly as the brains of the outfit. But when Stan bungles the job in a most amusing manner, King decides these guys are worth having around for laughs.

King's on quest, to rob nobleman James Finlayson of a fortune in jewels and then to woo the lovely Thelma Todd. At that point the action of the film and for that matter the operetta it's based on takes place in an inn where all the principals are staying. These also include Arthur Pierson as the earnest, but rather dull young French officer who wants to capture the notorious Fra Diavolo and Lucille Browne, the barmaid who loves the lug.

Stan and Ollie give King cause to regret his choice of confederates on this job before the film is over. Let's just say the rotund Mr. Hardy is not built for swashbuckling and my favorite moment is seeing Ollie swinging from the balcony like the man on the flying trapeze. Best moment for Stan is him getting drunk in the wine cellar. There's a whole lot more.

The Devil's Brother was their second film where they have supporting roles in a classic operetta. The first was The Rogue Song where they support Lawrence Tibbett which has unfortunately been lost. Dennis King who primarily concentrated on the stage in his career delivers a far better screen performance in this than he did when he repeated his Broadway role of Francois Villon in The Vagabond King. Dennis King had a strong voice, it's a pity he did not do more musical films.

In the end their escape has to be seen to be believed. Let's just say that one of Stan's earlier gags came back to haunt the forces of law and order.

The Devil's Brother is Stan and Ollie at their finest with Hal Roach, don't miss it if you are fan of their's.

I can't understand how the comments on this film, thus far, can have been less than spectacular. This is probably among the top five of my favorite L&H films...the scene with drunken Stanlio alone is enough to split my sides every time I see it. L&H are such a joy to watch, and this film truly shows how much chemistry they had, and in the end, how much they truly respected and cared for each other--beyond the slapstick! I also loved the triptych of Thelma Todd, James Finlayson, and Dennis King. Todd was just so beautiful, graceful, and a true diva of her time. She even captures the tittering laughter that is described as typical of ladies-of-court in the late 1700's. James Finlayson, all pepper and brimstone, is a fantastically funny foil (and an alliterative jewel!) to the cast. And what can I say about Dennis King...it is such a shame that this gentleman did not have much in the way of recorded work. He is most dashing, charming, swashbuckling and handsome as the bandit Diavolo and his pseudonym, San Marco. True, he is the villain, but can we really resist him when he sings to the tavern folk, stealing a kiss from the Countess? This is a jewel of a classic. I will need to find a new VHS cassette of it soon, for mine is nearly worn with use. Better yet--wouldn't it be grand if these classics were released on DVD?