Laurel and Hardy: Happy Childhood
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Happy childhood |
| Original title | Brats |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English , German |
| Publishing year | 1930 |
| length | 20 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 0 |
| Rod | |
| Director | James Parrott |
| script |
Nat Hoffberg , Leo McCarey , Hal Roach , HM Walker |
| production | Hal Roach |
| music | Leroy Shield |
| camera | George Stevens |
| cut | Richard Currier |
| occupation | |
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| chronology | |
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Successor → |
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Happy Childhood , originally Brats ( Bälger ), is an American comedy short film starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Laurel and Hardy play dual roles here as fathers and their own children.
In addition to the original English version, the film was shot simultaneously in German, French and Spanish.
Alternative German titles were Knirpse and Das Kind in der Wanne (TV).
The day of the premiere was March 22, 1930.
action
Since their respective spouses have dated, Stan and Olli play babysitting for their respective sons who look like their faces. While the fathers try their best evening entertainment in the basement, a. by playing billiards, the sons do mischief upstairs.
The film is essentially a series of gags with no real storyline.
backgrounds
- Brats was a variation on the film Playmates that Oliver Hardy made with Billy West in 1918 .
- Brats was the only Laurel and Hardy film in which they acted as fathers. In addition to Early to Bed , the film was also the only one that got along without supporting actors.
- The downsizing of Laurel and Hardy to children was achieved through oversized structures in the studio.
- A photo portrait of Jean Harlow on the mantelpiece stands out in the fireplace scene .
- When turning off the foreign language, here the German versions, large tablets were used on which the German texts were written in phonetic transcription.
- Brats was one of a total of six short films by the duo that were shot in German simultaneous version.
German versions
- The first German version was published under the title Dick und Doof in Kinderland and was created at Cinelux in Berlin, the dialogues were written by Horst Sommer . Stan Laurel was voiced by Horst Gentzen and Oliver Hardy by Bruno W. Pantel .
- Another dubbed version was made in 1961 at Beta-Technik under the title Dick and Doof and their sons . The book was written by Wolfgang Schick , directed by Manfred R. Köhler and the music by Conny Schumann. Walter Bluhm now spoke to Stan and Arno Paulsen took over Ollie. The version was released on VHS in the mid-1990s .
- The third German version of Berliner Synchron appeared under the title Vaterfreuden . Stan and Ollie were spoken to again by Bluhm and Paulsen. Werner Schwier wrote the dialogues. This version was released on DVD.
- Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy also recorded a German version of the film entitled Happy Childhood .
Reviews
- The depiction of sublimated infantilisms succeeds so convincingly in Brats because the childlike characteristics of Laurel & Hardy can be played out here completely and without any camouflage. Of course, Klein-Olli and Klein-Stan are just as clumsy as their fathers, only with the difference that we tend to overlook their mistakes (Dick)
Impact history
The song Dance of the Cuckoos first appeared in Brats . It was written by Marvin Hatley and became the theme song for Laurel and Hardy.
Club to the movie
In Germany, a club was founded in 1997, matching the film, with the title "Happy Childhood Tent", Oase 208. The tent (club) is located in Kaiserslautern (Rhineland-Palatinate), founded by the founding members: Mathias Günther, Sieglinde Aberle, Christian Aberle, Peter Aberle, Ute Mehren, Michael Mehren and Rainer Dick.
literature
- Dick, Rainer: Laurel and Hardy: The greatest comedians of all time. - Orig. - Munich: Heyne, 1995 (Heyne Filmbibliothek; 32/221) - ( ISBN 3-453-09006-3 )
- Everson, William K .: Laurel and Hardy and Their Films / ed. by Joe Hembus. - German first publ. - Munich: Goldmann, 1980 (Citadel-Filmbücher; 10204) - ( ISBN 3-442-10204-9 ) [original edition: 1967]
Web links
- Happy childhood in the Internet Movie Database (English)