8mm Forum: Early talkies

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Topic: Early talkies

Dominique De Bast
Film God

Posts: 4486
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jun 2013

posted July 16, 2013 02:08 PM

In their French speaking dubbed films, Laurel and Hardy have an anglo-saxon accent. I was told that it is because they dubbed themselves in French their very first talkies and that when dubbing became a part of the cinema industry (at the beginning, in Europe, some films were shout at the same time with different actors so they were versions in two or three languages) the anglo-saxon accent was kept in Laurel and Hardy films to keep that funny touch. Does anyone if it is true that Laurel and Hardy dubbed themselves their first talkies (and only in French or in other languages as well ?) or if the anglo-saxon accent of the two actors in their French speaking versions has another origin ?

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Dominique

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David M. Ballew
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 113
From: Burbank, CA USA
Registered: Nov 2009

posted July 16, 2013 07:12 PM

I have always understood that in the very early days of sound, Hal Roach Studios filmed four different variants of the Laurel and Hardy films: one in English, one in French, one in German, and one in Spanish.

The boys didn't speak any languages besides English (at least, not well enough to film a motion picture), so they spoke their dialogue phonetically. But by golly, it was the boys themselves doing the filming and speaking the lines.

What happened when actual dubbing became prevalent, I have no idea.

I'm going by very dusty memory here, so if anyone else knows better, please offer correction.

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Dominique De Bast
Film God

Posts: 4486
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jun 2013

posted July 16, 2013 10:10 PM

Thank you, David !

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Dominique

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Akshay Nanjangud
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 637
From: Dallas, TX
Registered: Nov 2011

posted July 16, 2013 10:13 PM

Nice trivia.

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted July 16, 2013 10:22 PM

I read kind of a co-biography of Laurel and Hardy about two years ago and they said exactly that: the early L&H talkies were done in multiple languages with the Lads themselves doing the dialog phonetically.

It worked too. A friend of mine who grew up in Germany remembers them well and still calls them "Dick und Doof" ("Fat and...less than brilliant"!)

They were a great pair either on off off the screen and were ten times what they could have been seperately because they worked together.

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007

posted July 17, 2013 02:52 AM

I have a Super 8 release from Inter-Pathe-Film of Frankfurt, Germany. The cover shows a photo of Laurel & Hardy with the words "Dick+Doof".

The film is "Brats" and rather surprisingly it has English sound, cover says "Engl.sound version" presumably to make sure the local collectors didn't buy it!

It has all the original Hal Roach titles but they are preceded by "A Library Films Incorporated Release".

Either many German collectors understood English, or it was intended for export.

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Maurice

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Dominique De Bast
Film God

Posts: 4486
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jun 2013

posted July 18, 2013 05:44 AM

Thanks to all those who answered !

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Dominique

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