These L & H shorts are priceless. In this one Ollie has political aspirations. He is even practicing his acceptance speech as a mayoral candidate. Who should show up but regular Laurel and Hardy nemesis Mae Busch. She has a photograph of her cavorting with Ollie in a sort of compromising position. They were an item in a previous time. Of course, she has gotten wind of his recent political successes and decides to blackmail him. She demands money or she will show the photo to his wife. What transpires is a series of pratfalls and attempts to hide Mae in closets. Of course, the wives are again dangerous characters so Stan and Ollie get it from both sides. Marvelous effort once again.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are the most famous comedy duo in history, and deservedly so, so I am happy to see any of their films. Basically Ollie is running for mayor, when old flame (Mae Busch) shows up with a photo of him and her together, blackmailing him to give her money to keep quiet. Stan is the one who has to keep her from getting to Mrs. Hardy (Thelma Todd), who is busy at a dinner party. Of course, the old flame and Stan squabble for a while, but she gets away eventually, and reaches Ollie's house, where the photo is brought by Stan, and there is a situation to hide it, but in the end, Ollie and Stan run away, including from Mrs. Laurel (Norma Drew) with a small axe. Also starring James Finlayson as the suspicious Butler who will only keep quiet when paid by Ollie. There were the tiniest moments of comedy, but it isn't a great black and white film. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were number 7 on The Comedians' Comedian. Okay!

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.

"Chickens Come Home" (USA, 1931, 30 Min., DVD - B&W) A Review by Jonathan Fain[7/10]This 30 minutes shorty is remake of their silent film from 1927 "Love 'Em and Weep". It is awkward, yet, has its moments. The editing was terrible, many cuts were out of their place, and made the movie look like a mix of unrelated shots. One scene for example, Laurel is on the phone and his response to the dialog comes 20 seconds late. The acting is so theatrical. Some respond shots are extremely overacted and don't match the scene. At the end when Laurel and Hardy try to get out of the house, the amazed faces of the servant and Laurel's wife are just embarrassing. Maybe the comedy doesn't hold the times. Maybe the audience has developed a different sense of humor. However, the social issues in this film are ahead of its time, and the women in this film are powerful (Though they still faint at a point of a gun).Highlights:* Hardy's wife picking up an Axe to find him. Great.* The ending scene where Laurel carries the blackmailer to hide from his wife is silly and amusing."Chickens Come Home" (USA, 1931, 30 Min., DVD - B&W) | Genre: Short, Comedy, Slapstick, Farce | Director: James W. Horne | Starring: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy | Rating: 7/10