II. Anmerkungen zum Buchtext, Teil II - Einsnull
II. Anmerkungen zum Buchtext, Teil II - Einsnull II. Anmerkungen zum Buchtext, Teil II - Einsnull
In September 1951, the dubbing supervisor for the German distributor (Prisma), Dr. ranz Biermann, thus noted: «The bad reviews (of ATOLL K) were based on the poorly dubbed American version of the film, so that no one could get an idea of the acoustic charm of the voice of Suzy Delair, etc. urther, in the American version dissolves etc. are only preliminary or entirely missing...» The first print German distributor Prisma obtained was the uncut, 98-minute English variant. Even separate music and effects tracks were available. Prisma aimed at having the film passed for general exhibition very quickly, so there was not too much time. Soon, Dr. Biermann took action and demanded a working copy of the rench version as a basis and asked for «special attention in dubbing» due to the significance of the film. urther, he planned to enhance the film’s structure. Continuing in his notes, he wrote: «The film consist of three sections, only loosely connected by voice-over narration. The middle part doesn’t fit in at all and is quite weak. Essentially, it puts a halt to the Dick & Doof plot line and prematurely tires the audience. There is a risk that the film doesn’t sufficiently stimulate the audience anymore in the third part, since even this section has severe pacing problems and doesn’t quite bring its main protagonists to their full effect, like the really excellent first third does. [...] The voice over narration is really only a makeshift solution [...]. The dubbing thus has the difficult task to enhance the film’s pacing in the last third by editing and to dilute the second part’s embarrassing clumsiness. Strategically adding weight to the narration is considered the main remedy for these problems, so that some parts of the plot, upon further editing, may be clarified by the narration [...] All scenes in the Suzy – razer section (songs and wedding) are to be cut accordingly. Any padding needs to be removed, the point of the scenes needs emphasis. One owes this to the German audience of the Dick und Doof films.» The approach for the main dub actors was straightforward – «Since Bluhm is the 100% appropriate voice cast for Stan, auditions for Hardy and Delair (voice and songs) will suffice...» — although Biermann strangely did not even consider Paulsen for Hardy. Hermann Pfeiffer (voice actor for inlayson in a couple of earlier German Laurel and Hardy adaptations) was to lend his voice to the elderly Dick. In the end, the careful work repaid. The German ATOLL K worked much better than its more extensively and considerably more poorly abridged UK and US versions. With the help of the narrator, the film succeeded in rushing through the boring marriage dispute between the bridal couple and quickly introduced razer’s arrival on the atoll. When the island finally resubmerges into the ocean, the narration also satisfies any censorship concerns over youth protection, confirming as it does that no one really got hurt (in the original versions, Laurel and Hardy are the sole survivors of the catastrophe). Yet another scene was altered, presumably through similar motivation. In the original, it’s poor razer for whom our friends shed tears. In the German adaptation, in turn, it is the castaway’s lobster friend Oscar, who has just been «promoted» into a delicious, steamy soup by Suzy. Incidentally, Biermann’s instructions confirm that more often than not it was the distributors, not the dubbing companies themselves, who typically interfered with films’ contents or structure in their German post-war versions, such as when the Nazi references were removed from NOTORIOUS or CASABLANCA. In the case of ATOLL K, though, such manipulations ironically resulted in a German version that was not only better, but, decades later, is actually still sought out by American aficionados for the additional Laurel and Hardy scenes it maintained! Reviews were generally positive. The Catholic critics, whose reservation regarding the team’s work has been noted before, apparently warmed to the film’s satire: «It is the first time that Dick & Doof make attempts at the satire and parody genre, adding deeper sense to their inexhaustible gags and grotesque comedy without losing any of its humour. Careful direction and photography, in part with neo-realist stylistic devices, and felicitous effects work formally lift this Dick & Doof film above their typical level. Tightening some lengthy parts would be to its advantage», wrote the reviewer, concluding: «Dick & Doof film with satiric ambitions, which can also be shown to mature kids.» Prisma, the distributor who in essence «rescued» the problematic film for the German fans, was never to distribute Laurel and Hardy films again. However, the company remained in business for many years, most notably helping to launch the ever-popular series of German Edgar Wallace «krimis» («crime dramas») in the early 60s before finally closing down.
ATOLL K was followed by another elaborate dub version. SWISS MISS became «Dick und Doof als Salontiroler» (Dick und Doof as Parlour Tyroleans), an utterly nonsensical title as anyone with geographic knowledge of the alps noticed. Composer Conny Schumann jumped at the opportunity of providing the new musical setting, and its quality was noticed by the reviewers and by anyone who bought it in the form of sheet music. An elaborate marketing campaign with Laurel and Hardy imitators in Swiss trousers, along with mousetraps, ponies and all, accompanied the premiere. Dick und Doof had another late hit, and further shorts and features followed without much delay (among them THE CHIMP, merged with PACK UP YOUR TROUBLES, minus some war scenes of course, as in the German pre-war version). Soon, a rather colourful figure entered the distribution market: Erich A. Pietrek («Mr Dick und Doof», as the German Sons of the Desert called him when making him an honorary member of the Two Tars Tent), head of the distribution chain Viktoria. With some quickly organized releases, such as new versions of WAY OUT WEST and DIRTY WORK, Pietrek, who had been in the movie business since the early 30s, managed even to precede M-G-M’s planned release of NOTHING BUT TROUBLE. In 1953, distributor Gloria – who had previously released THE IGHTING KENTUCKIAN in Germany and generally focused on Republic westerns, serials and the like – joined in the fun and released sixmore Laurel and Hardy shorts with their features. So did Pietrek, following Gloria’s pattern of coupling western excitement with comedy fun – until his first bankruptcy, that is. Yet another distributor, Atlantic, provided another deplorable first by cutting down the feature THE LYING DEUCES into a short of nearly split reel size. Laurel and Hardy were probably unaware of their German renaissance in the fifties. They enjoyed their fame on stage, touring the United Kingdom. When the sad news of Oliver Hardy’s passing in 1957 seemed to spell the end of Laurel and Hardy, this wasn’t really true for the Germans. After the first wave, more was to follow. In Germany, Laurel and Hardy were to enter critical respectability – and kiddie matinees. Part III In 1956, Mr. Pietrek re-emerged with his new distribution chain NWD after the bankruptcy of Viktoria and the short-lived follow-up Neue Viktoria (‹New Victoria›). The strategy: re-distribute as much Laurel and Hardy as possible as «youth programmes», lowering the classification fees. Pietrek was not a Laurel and Hardy expert. While still in his previous company, he even submitted the elusive 1937 dub of WAY OUT WEST for passing, and it was the classification board who had to remind him that he had himself just freshly dubbed and submitted the film! Pietrek also turned cowboy sidekick Al «uzzy» St. John into a main comedian with his own film series, and it was not long before he coupled these uzzy features with Dick und Doof shorts. Meanwhile, Centfox provided GREAT GUNS in a German dub version that problematically tried to add dialogue jokes, but was at least well-cast. Pietrek’s versions, though, were certainly not determined by any artistic decisions (for better or for worse), but more from his eagerness to save money, often at the expense of the final product. Thus, THE BOHEMIAN GIRL, combined with THEIR IRST MISTAKE, pretending the feature film’s story was just a dream within a dream, eventually found its way to Germany after the 1936 Nazi ban. However, it was not Pietrek who was to blame for arguably the worst dubbed Dick und Doof film ever. That was the compilation 3 X DICK UND DOO, distributed by yet another fresh competitor. At least, M-G-M made up for it with a careful, exemplary German adaptation of RA DIAVOLO in 1957, again with Bluhm and Paulsen as Laurel and Hardy’s voices. Centfox, M-G-M and Pietrek continued, and soon Pietrek’s one-sheets displayed for the first time what were soon to become the familiar, albeit bizarre Laurel and Hardy caricatures with their reddish, exaggeratedly sized heads. Still another distributor, Donau (called after the famous river Danube), launched a shorts compilation, oddly casting Horst Gentzen, known as the dubbing voice of Jerry Lewis and Kermit the rog, as Stan. But as far as compilation films are concerned, another event in Laurel and Hardy screen history had its own impact on the German market when Robert Youngson entered the scene. The German version of Youngson’s compilation THE GOLDEN AGE O COMEDY generally was faithful to Youngson’s original commentary, but did add narrators (six in total), and, sadly, some entirely unnecessary jokes.
- Seite 607 und 608: Lange Leitung Blockheads W.B.T.-Lic
- Seite 609 und 610: Dick und Doof die Schwerenöter Bea
- Seite 611 und 612: Dick und Doof wie immer auf eigene
- Seite 613 und 614: Deutsches Plakat von 2003 zum Kabar
- Seite 615 und 616: WIR SIND VOM SCHOTTISCHEN INFANTERI
- Seite 617 und 618: XVIII. Quiz-Fragen zu Laurel und Ha
- Seite 619 und 620: 13. Was will der Küchenchef in SWI
- Seite 621 und 622: 2. Hier im Bild sehen wir Oliver Ha
- Seite 623 und 624: XIX. Antworten auf die Quiz-ragen A
- Seite 625 und 626: * Als Alles oder nichts ausgestrahl
- Seite 627 und 628: XX. Adressen der deutschen Laurel-u
- Seite 629 und 630: XXI. English Summary or Internation
- Seite 631 und 632: The next appearances of the emergin
- Seite 633 und 634: Some dialogue modifications were im
- Seite 635 und 636: Bluhm was born on August 5, 1907 in
- Seite 637 und 638: Keaton has meanwhile resurfaced (CA
- Seite 639 und 640: In September 1951, the dubbing supe
- Seite 641 und 642: Youngson’s next film, WHEN COMEDY
- Seite 643 und 644: cast, plus the short TIT OR TAT add
- Seite 645 und 646: or the new dub tracks, Walter Bluhm
- Seite 647 und 648: Deutsche Inseratmatern von 1937 fü
- Seite 649 und 650: At any rate, obviously the history
- Seite 651 und 652: singing! As is well-known, the film
- Seite 653 und 654: Cuts were also imposed on Laurel an
- Seite 655 und 656: 900 club members were to expect «a
- Seite 657: a musical setting as effective as t
- Seite 661 und 662: team’s American successors into t
- Seite 663 und 664: should relate to the dry nordic sen
- Seite 665 und 666: Kirch also launched the first Laure
- Seite 667 und 668: XXII. English Captions or Illustrat
- Seite 669 und 670: Page 62, top They really were calle
- Seite 671 und 672: Page 122, bottom left Stage setting
- Seite 673 und 674: Page 178 Article in «ilmpost Magaz
- Seite 675 und 676: Page 203, top «Without dressing»
- Seite 677 und 678: Page 241, top German 1951 center sp
- Seite 679 und 680: Page 271 Take 126 to 129 of the Ger
- Seite 681 und 682: Page 300 Bus + rollercoater = plast
- Seite 683 und 684: Page 340 Rough scetches in the Köh
- Seite 685 und 686: Page 367 German 1962 lobby card for
- Seite 687 und 688: Page 397 «Detrimental for adolesce
- Seite 689 und 690: Page 429, top Rudolf Günter Wagner
- Seite 691 und 692: Page 459 NWD-Unitas 1972 advertisin
- Seite 693 und 694: Page 487, top Title sequence of the
- Seite 695 und 696: Page 517 left: The first ever Germa
- Seite 697 und 698: Page 550 Dubbing DANCE O THE CUCKOO
- Seite 699 und 700: Appendix XIX German 1937 ads for RI
- Seite 701 und 702: SK-Akten (ohne Jugendprotokolle) SK
- Seite 703 und 704: ilmpost Archiv ilms in Review (New
- Seite 705 und 706: Nürnberger Nachrichten Nürnberger
- Seite 707 und 708: ilmmuseum Wien (Hrsg.): ilmographie
In September 1951, the dubbing supervisor for the German distributor (Prisma), Dr. ranz Biermann,<br />
thus noted: «The bad reviews (of ATOLL K) were based on the poorly dubbed American version of the film, so<br />
that no one could get an idea of the acoustic charm of the voice of Suzy Delair, etc. urther, in the American<br />
version dissolves etc. are only preliminary or entirely missing...»<br />
The first print German distributor Prisma obtained was the uncut, 98-minute English variant. Even separate<br />
music and effects tracks were available. Prisma aimed at having the film passed for general exhibition<br />
very quickly, so there was not too much time. Soon, Dr. Biermann took action and demanded a working<br />
copy of the rench version as a basis and asked for «special attention in dubbing» due to the significance<br />
of the film. urther, he planned to enhance the film’s structure. Continuing in his notes, he wrote:<br />
«The film consist of three sections, only loosely connected by voice-over narration. The middle part doesn’t fit in at<br />
all and is quite weak. Essentially, it puts a halt to the Dick & Doof plot line and prematurely tires the audience. There<br />
is a risk that the film doesn’t sufficiently stimulate the audience anymore in the third part, since even this section<br />
has severe pacing problems and doesn’t quite bring its main protagonists to their full effect, like the really excellent<br />
first third does. [...]<br />
The voice over narration is really only a makeshift solution [...].<br />
The dubbing thus has the difficult task to enhance the film’s pacing in the last third by editing and to dilute the second<br />
part’s embarrassing clumsiness. Strategically adding weight to the narration is considered the main remedy for<br />
these problems, so that some parts of the plot, upon further editing, may be clarified by the narration [...]<br />
All scenes in the Suzy – razer section (songs and wedding) are to be cut accordingly. Any padding needs to be removed,<br />
the point of the scenes needs emphasis. One owes this to the German audience of the Dick und Doof films.»<br />
The approach for the main dub actors was straightforward – «Since Bluhm is the 100% appropriate voice cast<br />
for Stan, auditions for Hardy and Delair (voice and songs) will suffice...» — although Biermann strangely<br />
did not even consider Paulsen for Hardy. Hermann Pfeiffer (voice actor for inlayson in a couple of earlier<br />
German Laurel and Hardy adaptations) was to lend his voice to the elderly Dick.<br />
In the end, the careful work repaid. The German ATOLL K worked much better than its more extensively<br />
and considerably more poorly abridged UK and US versions.<br />
With the help of the narrator, the film succeeded in rushing through the boring marriage dispute between<br />
the bridal couple and quickly introduced razer’s arrival on the atoll.<br />
When the island finally resubmerges into the ocean, the narration also satisfies any censorship concerns<br />
over youth protection, confirming as it does that no one really got hurt (in the original versions, Laurel<br />
and Hardy are the sole survivors of the catastrophe). Yet another scene was altered, presumably through similar<br />
motivation. In the original, it’s poor razer for whom our friends shed tears. In the German adaptation,<br />
in turn, it is the castaway’s lobster friend Oscar, who has just been «promoted» into a delicious, steamy<br />
soup by Suzy.<br />
Incidentally, Biermann’s instructions confirm that more often than not it was the distributors, not the<br />
dubbing companies themselves, who typically interfered with films’ contents or structure in their German<br />
post-war versions, such as when the Nazi references were removed from NOTORIOUS or CASABLANCA. In the<br />
case of ATOLL K, though, such manipulations ironically resulted in a German version that was not only better,<br />
but, decades later, is actually still sought out by American aficionados for the additional Laurel and<br />
Hardy scenes it maintained!<br />
Reviews were generally positive. The Catholic critics, whose reservation regarding the team’s work has<br />
been noted before, apparently warmed to the film’s satire: «It is the first time that Dick & Doof make attempts<br />
at the satire and parody genre, adding deeper sense to their inexhaustible gags and grotesque comedy<br />
without losing any of its humour. Careful direction and photography, in part with neo-realist stylistic devices,<br />
and felicitous effects work formally lift this Dick & Doof film above their typical level. Tightening some lengthy<br />
parts would be to its advantage», wrote the reviewer, concluding: «Dick & Doof film with satiric ambitions,<br />
which can also be shown to mature kids.»<br />
Prisma, the distributor who in essence «rescued» the problematic film for the German fans, was never to<br />
distribute Laurel and Hardy films again. However, the company remained in business for many years, most<br />
notably helping to launch the ever-popular series of German Edgar Wallace «krimis» («crime dramas») in<br />
the early 60s before finally closing down.