Laurel and Hardy: The doppelgangers

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Movie
German title The doppelgangers
Original title Our Relations
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1936
length 71 minutes
Age rating FSK 6
Rod
Director Harry Lachman
script WW Jacobs
production Hal Roach , Stan Laurel
music Leroy Shield
camera Rudolph Maté
cut Bert Jordan
occupation

The Doppelganger ( Our Relations ) is an American comedy film by comedian duo Laurel & Hardy from 1936. The film is based on the short story by the British author William Wymark Jacobs and is somewhat similar to the short film Two Sailors from 1928. The film opened in American cinemas on October 30, 1936. In the German-speaking countries, the film was also released under the titles "2 times thick and 2 times stupid", "The dear relatives", "The two slipper heroes" or "The double of Sacramento".

action

One day Stan and Ollie receive a letter with a photo of them with their twin brothers Alfie and Bert. For years it has been believed that Alfie and Bert are dead. In reality, however, they are still alive and live as sailors on the SS Periwinkle and just happen to be docking in the port of the city where Stan and Ollie live with their wives Daphne and Betty. A colleague of the two, Finn, always raves about saving and how you can become a millionaire after a while. Because now Alfie and Bert also dream of being a millionaire, they leave their wages to Finn, who should keep them for them. Before the two of them disembark, the captain hands them a small package that they should keep with them. In the beer garden, Alfie and Bert invite two good-looking ladies out to dinner and cannot pay the debt with a dollar in their pockets; instead they leave behind the captain's parcel with a valuable ring as security. They go straight to Finn, who refuses to give them back their wages. Thereupon they sell his sailor suit in a pawn shop, for which they don't get more than two dollars.

Disappointed they go back to Finn, who explains to them that the money was sewn into the lining of his suit. Now Alfie and Bert are supposed to give him their suits so that he can wear one and exchange one for the other, and they are put under pressure by threatening Finn to swallow the pawn ticket. He has no intention of keeping his promise. Meanwhile, Stan and Ollie and their wives visit the beer garden and are indignantly asked to settle the bill by the strange ladies Alice and Lily, who left Alfie and Bert behind, which in turn angered their actual wives, Daphne and Betty. But that's why they get back the ring that Alfie and Bert left behind from the landlord. When Finn turns up there and shows the women a photo of Alfie and Bert with other, younger women, they leave the restaurant angrily. Stan and Ollie, who are also angry, cause Finn to be beaten up by the landlord and the waiter, whereupon he seeks revenge. Meanwhile, Alfie and Bert sit in Finn's quarters and decide to visit the landlord and ask for the ring. Because they have nothing to wear, they dress in blankets and shawls and are arrested. Stan and Ollie's wives, who were informed of Alfie and Bert's arrest by an onlooker, convince the judge to give them another chance. To celebrate the day they go to the fine café “Pirate”, where Stan and Ollie are already sitting.

Now the mix-up starts again, but Stan & Ollie and Alfie & Bert don't notice each other yet. Because Ollie still has the ring with him, he inadvertently puts it in Alfie, who happens to be passing by, and then asks Stan, who was gone for a short time, to give him the ring back. This is noticed by men of the Mafia, whereupon Stan and Ollie are kidnapped and forced to hand over the ring. They threaten to throw her into the water in cement shoes. But the two manage to push people into the water and, after first rocking around in their cement shoes for a while, also fall into the water. Alfie and Bert, who have now discovered the ring and have hidden from the captain and Finn in the immediate vicinity of Stan & Ollie, give the ring back to the captain and hang out Finn. Then they get Stan and Ollie out of the water and introduce each other. The film ends with them walking along the jetty for a while, Ollie and Bert making fun of the fact that "Stan and Alfie can see no further than the tip of their noses" and even overlooking the end of the jetty and falling into the water.

background

  • Filming lasted from March to April 1936.
  • The film cost a lot compared to other films. Initially it was calculated at around $ 200,000, which quickly increased to $ 250,000. In the end, the costs even reached 400,000 US dollars, but this was rewarded with a high gross profit.
  • The film premiered in Germany on February 13, 1952; the Austrian theatrical release was in 1937.
  • Many of the previous feature films ( Revenge is sweet , hands up - or not , Das Mädel aus dem Böhmerwald ) had little plot of their own, but built their gags into the operettas. Stan Laurel, however, wanted the Laurel & Hardy films to have more individual plot. With Die doppelganger his wish was fulfilled.

German versions

  • The first German version was created in 1951 under the title 2xDick and 2xDoof - Spuk aus dem Jenseits at the International Film Union . Bruno Hartwich wrote the dialogue book based on a translation by Erwin Bootz . Conny Schumann contributed the music. Walter Bluhm spoke to Stan and Arno Paulsen lent his voice to Ollie.
  • A second dubbed version was created by Berliner Synchron (BSG) in 1966 under the title Die Doppelganger von Sacramento . Werner Schwier wrote the dialogues and also directed. Stan and Ollie were spoken to again by Bluhm and Paulsen. This version was released on DVD and also forms the basis of an HD version broadcast by Arte in 2011 .
  • At Beta-Technik , a third version was created for whose book Heinz Caloué was responsible. Walter Bluhm spoke to Stan again and Bruno W. Pantel lent Ollie his voice. This version was broadcast in three parts in the series Dick and Doof . Hanns Dieter Hüsch gave introductory comments.
  • In 1969 MGM created another version under the title Krach hoch Zwei or Double is better . Michael Günther wrote the dialogues and also directed. Walter Bluhm spoke to Stan again and Gerd Duwner took over Ollie.
  • The fifth version was published under the title The dear relatives and was created in 1975 by beta technology for the ZDF series Lachen Sie mit Stan and Ollie . Wolfgang Schick , who also directed, mostly used the dialog book of the BSG version from 1966. Walter Bluhm spoke to Stan again and Michael Habeck lent Ollie his voice. This version was also released on DVD.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Norbert Aping: Das kleine Dick-und-Doof-Buch Schüren, Marburg 2014, appendix p. 393f.
  2. ↑ broadcast by Arte on December 21, 2011