alexanderdavies-99382 Many years ago, someone once told me that I shouldn't watch "Chickens Come Home" as it isn't one of Laurel and Hardy's best. Well, after seeing this film I 100% disagree. There are some great laughs as Ollie's campaign in becoming mayor of the city is in jeopardy. The reason for this, is that an old flame threatens to reveal Ollie's rather colourful past. The former girlfriend is played by the indomitable Mae Busch. She was rock solid support for Laurel and Hardy and a powerful actress. Stan is sent to stop the blackmailing and to save Ollie's political career! I enjoyed the scenes at Hardy's home the most as he struggles to entertain some rather influential friends. Thelma Todd is very good as Mrs. Hardy as she easily suspects her husband has something to hide...... The look on the face of Ollie as he nervously sings for his guests at home, can speak a dozen words! Sheer fright and panic! James Finlayson appears as the household butler. It didn't immediately occur to me but Laurel and Hardy don't have screen time together, apart from the opening scene and the climax. A very funny short and a three reel one - 28 minutes.

Michael_Elliott Chickens Come Home (1931) *** (out of 4)Hardy is ecstatic that he's in the running for Mayor but this joy soon turns to fear when a woman from his past shows up with a photo of the two that could cause trouble if it reaches the press. The woman, wanting money to keep quiet, tells Hardy to be at her house that night but the wannabe Mayor is having a dinner for various judges so he sends Laurel to do his dirty work. Laurel, being too weak to stop the woman, gets in trouble with his own wife who thinks he's having an affair but the real havoc occurs back at Hardy's house when the three meet head on.Chickens Come Home isn't considered the best L&H short but it still manages to get some big laughs all the way to the outrageous end. The one thing that's always amazed me about the L&H shorts is, usually, they run towards the thirty-minute mark yet it feels as though these films run mere minutes due to the high energy level brought to the screen by the two stars. The story of blackmail isn't any original or new but the boys make it seem as fresh and full of life as if this had been the first time we've ever seen something like it.The biggest highlight comes towards the end of the film when the boys must try and sneak the blackmailer out of the house without Hardy's wife finding out about the past. This little scene has the boys putting the woman on their back and making it appear she's walking out on her own. Another wonderful segment is when Laurel goes to the woman's house and does all in his will to keep her there. This includes a hilarious scene where he blocks the door with all sorts of items only to have her throwing the stuff back at his head. The dialogue is also very fresh and we get several laughs from it. The best moment is when Laurel asks the blackmailer if he can smoke and she tells him he can burn if he wishes.

bob the moo Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel are the heads of a successful fertiliser company. Hardy is ahead in the race to become the new Mayor of the city and is due to host a gala reception that night. However at work a lady comes out of the woodwork with incriminating pictures of a more carefree and loving Hardy which threatens his political career. Can Laurel keep her busy and away from the gala and, more importantly, Mrs Hardy?I noticed this short lasted 30 minutes which was 10 minutes longer than the last number of Laurel and Hardy shorts I had watched. I had assumed this was because it demanded a longer time and was a amalgamation of several really good sketches into a longer plot. Sadly this was not the case and the film didn't really work for me. The plot was simple and didn't need 30 minutes to deliver, and as a result it felt stretched beyond it's reasonable time span. There was no one scene that really stood out and I found myself waiting for `the scene' that most of their shorts have at least, unfortunately it wasn't there and none of the scenes really had the magic that they usually show at some point.The main reason for this for my money, was the fact that Laurel and Hardy were in separate scenes for a lot of the film. In this respect they didn't have each other to work off and this is to the film's detriment. While Hardy is at the gala, Laurel is trying to prevent the woman from getting to him – this is the body of the film and it means that both men are working without their partner. Both are lesser performers due to this – they are operating with one hand tied behind their back. The support cast includes the solid Finlayson but the film is too spoilt by the split to be redeemed by his trademark d'oh (which feels like it is rushed and doesn't fit in to the action).Overall I have seen several Laurel and hardy shorts and have yet to write a bad review of one – until this film. I just found that Laurel and Hardy's strength is the `and' – ie they are a partnership and work best when they are together. Here they are apart for too long and the film suffers as a result.

Ron Oliver A LAUREL & HARDY Comedy Short.It's CHICKENS COME HOME to roost when a crazy lady from Ollie's past shows up to blackmail him just as he is to receive the nomination for mayor. When she threatens to disrupt a dinner party at his home, Ollie sends Stan to distract her. That's when the trouble really starts...This is a hilarious little film, with the Boys & Mae Busch, as the frantic female, at their best. Lots of laughs. That's Thelma Todd as Mrs. Hardy, Norma Drew as Mrs. Laurel, Patsy O'Byrne as the busybody & the long-suffering James Finlayson as Ollie's butler.