Quand les poules rentrent au bercail

For my money this is probably my favorite of the L&H shorts (except, maybe for "Two Tars," or perhaps "County Hospital," or maybe "Helpmates," or "Another Fine Mess," or could be "Them Thar Hills"... oh well; you get the point). It's a hoot to see grandly pompous Ollie, in his run for mayor, brought low by the machinations of a former paramour from his "primrose days." Mae Busch, a stalwart regular in the L&H flicks, is wickedly wonderful as the old girlfriend. Ollie's sub rosa business with his knowing butler, good old Jimmy Finlayson, is a delight, and the comic high point - a thoroughly discomfited Ollie warbling "Somebody's Coming to My House" for his dinner guests, accompanied by his wife - as disaster approaches, is a treasure. The Boys will always live in the memory of their devoted fans, to whom they brought so much joy.

Many years ago, someone once told me that I shouldn't watch "Chickens Come Home" as it isn't one of Laurel and Hardy's best. Well, after seeing this film I 100% disagree. There are some great laughs as Ollie's campaign in becoming mayor of the city is in jeopardy. The reason for this, is that an old flame threatens to reveal Ollie's rather colourful past. The former girlfriend is played by the indomitable Mae Busch. She was rock solid support for Laurel and Hardy and a powerful actress. Stan is sent to stop the blackmailing and to save Ollie's political career! I enjoyed the scenes at Hardy's home the most as he struggles to entertain some rather influential friends. Thelma Todd is very good as Mrs. Hardy as she easily suspects her husband has something to hide...... The look on the face of Ollie as he nervously sings for his guests at home, can speak a dozen words! Sheer fright and panic! James Finlayson appears as the household butler. It didn't immediately occur to me but Laurel and Hardy don't have screen time together, apart from the opening scene and the climax. A very funny short and a three reel one - 28 minutes.

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.

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...

This is an absolutely hilarious sketch, that ranks with Men-O-War, Another Fine Mess, Perfect Day, and Twice Two as one of the funniest shorts the duo ever did. The show starts with Oliver--a successful fertilizer magnate (with dim witted Stan in tow) who's running for mayor. When an ex-girlfriend blackmails him, picture and all it's up to Stan to save Ollie's campaign, job, and marriage. The funniest part is when Stan and Ollie are carrying the blackmailer at the end Complete with furniture fight, car destruction, and other typical antics this is a great movie. The supporting cast is also great, complete with James Finlyson as the usual butt of jokes. An excellent move that has a 100 smiles in it.