II. Anmerkungen zum Buchtext, Teil II - Einsnull

singing! As is well-known, the film is now lost save for a few rediscovered fragments, but rumours persist
that a copy surfaced in East Germany in the early 60s.
At around the same time as ROGUE SONG’s production, near the end of 1929, Hal Roach had embarked on
a rather fascinating – if painstaking – different way of producing export versions of his hit comedies, that
is, by means of shooting alternate, «phonetic» foreign-language versions. The approach was also used by
major studios – examples include Garbo in ANNA CHRISTIE or Keaton in CASANOVA WIDER WILLEN (PARLOR, BE-
DROOM AND BATH) – and Germans tried the same thing with, for instance, THE BLUE ANGEL or .P.1, or the
British/German co-production NIGHT BIRDS.
The technique had its limitations – Garbo, for example, had at least worked in Germany, but Laurel and
Hardy were monolingual, and if LES CAROTTIERS (the surviving rench adaptation combining BE BIG and
LAUGHING GRAVY) is any indication, the comedians could sometimes struggle quite a bit with the foreign
pronunciation. That said, «funny» pronunciation may have been much more acceptable in a comedy rather
than in a dramatic subject.
Thus, up to at least four different language versions were shot of a number of Laurel and Hardy films.
ilmographies are often sketchy on this aspect, claiming 8-10 films of the team’s films were re-shot in German.
The research for this book has been the first attempt to confirm this filmographic aspect from contemporary
German sources, and actually a mere three adaptations can be substantiated beyond doubt,
BRATS, THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE (combined with BERTH MARKS) and PARDON US. Indeed, of NIGHT
OWLS, one of the titles often mentioned in this context, no German release of any kind can be proven in
this period.
Anyway, GLÜCKLICHE KINDHEIT (BRATS, «Happy Childhood») was the first-ever German-language Laurel
and Hardy film to be shown in Germany, at a trade exhibition in March 1931. Homer Croy has written about
his observing Laurel and Hardy’s attempts at the German language in this particular film in an often-quoted
essay. Contemporary German reviews further confirm that Laurel and Hardy «even speak German
themselves, albeit with a heavy American accent only amplifying their comedy.»
Interestingly though, this German screening does not constitute the film’s actual premiere. Ironically,
that was in New York, where GLÜCKLICHE KINDHEIT was shown with the feature travelogue HEIMATKLÄNGE
(«Sounds of Home») in the 8 th
Street Playhouse in New York’s German district. Thus, Variety had a chance to
observe on ebruary 18, 1931, but was mistaken in assuming that other actors provided Laurel and Hardy’s
German dialogue:
«Away from the US, in foreign countries, Laurel and Hardy appear to be the ace film attraction. Though in shorts,
they are heavily billed, with the foreign theatre where one of their shorts is playing seemingly certain of a profitable
period.
In Spanish territories Laurel and Hardy are a panic the moment the moment they commence to speak. This is regardless
of any action. They speak with a comical accent to the natives. Their Spanish must sound like Milt Gross’ dialect
does to Americans.
rom the manner in which an audience continually laughs at the couple of comics, the dialect must be extremely
funny to them. These natives like the comedy situations, but they start to laugh when the billing goes up for Laurel
and Hardy, as they know their dialog alone will be sufficient.
It’s probably the same in German or with any other foreign tongue the couple employ. Whoever does the talking for
them must have been a dialectician in his home country of much stage value.
This is THE BRATS in its original version so far as action is concerned. Comedy team speaks German.
Laurel and Hardy’s German occasionally possesses a decided American twang.
Certain bet, however, for export.»
In general release in Germany though, BRATS’ German equivalent was actually preceded by another phonetic
German Laurel and Hardy film, SPUK UM MITTERNACHT («Spooks at Midnight») a combined adaptation of
BERTH MARKS plus THE LAUREL-HARDY MURDER CASE. This film was even shown in the Netherlands «with 100%
German dialogue», as the Dutch ads blurbed, and again the critics observed: «The two comedians speak German
– but what a German! Every word resembles a chewing gum slowly pulled out of the mouth. That and the
contrasting pantomime. Economy and translation of expression that no European can imitate from Americans.»