Laurel and Hardy: The Second Hundred Years

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Movie
German title see list in "Trivia"
Original title The Second Hundred Years
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1927
length 20 minutes
Age rating FSK without age restriction
Rod
Director Fred L. Guiol
script Leo McCarey , HM Walker ( subtitles )
production Hal Roach
occupation

The Second Hundred Years (dt. The second one hundred years ) is an American silent movie comedy of the comedian duo Laurel & Hardy from 1927. This film announced Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy to first officially as a duo. It had its premiere on October 8, 1927, in Germany on October 2, 1927.

action

“Little Goofy” and “Big Goofy” are in prison, but have already started to forge and implement an escape plan: By digging a tunnel, they want to escape to freedom. Unfortunately, digging and chopping damage a water pipe, so it has to be rescheduled. Instead of turning back, they just dig themselves up - and land in the jailer's office. From there they are brought back to the other convicts. When work and gymnastics are hot, “Little Goofy” and “Big Goofy” sneak away and pretend to be painters, turning their prison uniforms and stealing the paint pails from the real painters who were just starting their lunch break. Outside the prison property, however, a police officer becomes aware of the two, which is why they “paint their way around” as inconspicuously as possible. They paint window panes, street lamps and cars. They only flee when the policeman tries to arrest them. It just so happens that two great French prison chiefs are guests in the prison where “Little Goofy” and “Big Goofy” were imprisoned. The two overpower the police chiefs, impersonate them and receive a noble welcome in the prison. Only when they are taken to the cell compartments for inspection do they fly up and are brought back to their cells.

background

The Second Hundred Years was shot at various locations in late June 1927. The exterior shots and the prison gate were shot on the site of the former Goodyear Tire Factory in central southern Los Angeles; further shots took place in Culver City while the interior shots were shot at Hal Roach Studios.

The screenwriter Leo McCarey had directed numerous films from Hal Roach Studios since 1924. Over time, he discovered that Laurel and Hardy worked well together in front of the camera, which led him to make the two big on an All Star series from the studio. Laurel intended to only act as a writer and director, while Hardy liked the idea of ​​being announced as the lead role. So ultimately both were hired as actors for the silent film The Second Hundred Years .

The film in the German-speaking area

In Germany, The Second Hundred Years was handed over to the Berlin Film Inspectorate by the UFA distributor and an application was made for approval of the German version. In October the film was finally approved under the title “Cavaliers for 24 Hours”, but with the condition “Forbidden for young people”, which is probably due to the fact that it seemed strange at the time when people of respect are not treated with respect, as in the film is often the case. For the subtitles, “Little Goofy” was changed to “Fassaden-Willy” and “Big Goofy” to “the fine Bully”. Over time, the film was shown in eleven different versions and under several names. Other titles, apart from the original German, were “Dem Henker entronnen” (1970) and “With a brush in hand” (1975).

Others

  • As in other films, there are numerous elements in this one that are either a remake of a previous film or that were later used by other films. The whole film is based on Charlie Chaplin's The Adventurer (1917), the scene in which the prisoners march, a remake of Larry Semon's Frauds And Frenzies (1918). In addition, two similar scenes appeared in Laurel's solo films, including the spot with the candle gas in Pick And Shovel (1923), and the escape through the tunnel in Detained (1924). The latter was again used in the later Laurel and Hardy film In the Foreign Legion (1939). Furthermore, the scene with the attempt to catch the cocktail cherry can also be seen in the later partner film From Soup to Nuts (1928).
  • This film forms the basis of the later feature film Behind Lock and Bars , which was made in the summer of 1930.

swell

  • Norbert Aping: The Dick and Doof Book. The story of Laurel and Hardy in Germany , 2nd revised edition, Schüren 2007, 576 pages ( ISBN 978-3-89472-491-7 )

Individual evidence

  1. The Dick and Doof Book. Digital attachments, file # 5

Web links