Chickens Come Home (1931)

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Not only has Oliver Hardy established a successful business -- in fertilizer -- he has also decided to run for mayor. General manager Stan Laurel interrupts his duties (which involve a fly swatter) in the sample room to help Ollie with a speech. Ollie's old flame (Mae Busch) barges into the office,… More Not only has Oliver Hardy established a successful business -- in fertilizer -- he has also decided to run for mayor. General manager Stan Laurel interrupts his duties (which involve a fly swatter) in the sample room to help Ollie with a speech. Ollie's old flame (Mae Busch) barges into the office, flashing a compromising photograph from Ollie's bachelor days and requesting money for her silence. The boys frantically hide the blackmailing ex-girlfriend when Mrs. Hardy (Thelma Todd) arrives. She tells her husband to be home that night to entertain guests. Ollie sends Stan to his ex-girlfriend's house to keep her busy while the Hardys have their gathering. Mae keeps herself busy by abusing Stan and calling Ollie's house. Finally in a fit of rage, she storms off to the Hardys, followed by Stan. A gossipy friend of Stan's wife sees them. When the pair arrive, Ollie pawns his ex-girlfriend off as Mrs. Laurel; this tactic is a bit late, as Mrs. Hardy is already steaming over what she can gather from Ollie's strange behavior. The other guests make their exit, leaving Stan and the blackmailer behind; Ollie, in desperation, threatens her with a gun, and she faints. They try to sneak the unconscious woman out the door but are interrupted by Stan's real wife, axe in hand. Both Stan and Ollie are chased out into the night. Chickens Come Home is an almost literal remake of a 1927 Roach silent called Love 'Em and Weep. Although Laurel and Hardy both appear in this earlier film, they weren't yet a team. Mae Busch (who plays the same character as in the later film) has top billing, and James Finlayson has Hardy's role. Originally filmed in black & white, a colorized version was released in the late 1990s for home video. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi