The Bohemian Girl

Back in the two thousands I gathered up my oldest grandson and took the two of us down to El Segundo to view "The Bohemian Girl." I don't remember exactly how we got there which could have been by train into L.A. by subway to the rail line that goes to Long Beach, and then climbing down a station below that line, to take another separate line to El Segundo. That's rather involved, so I think that we probably drove the 50 miles. I queried Tyler, and he doesn't remember either.

The theatre is a small show house off the main drag. It mainly shows old classic films. the owner was the one who took the tickets to get in and then provided about a 15 minute organ concert before playing the film. It's a massive concert organ that originally was located in one of the First run theater's in Long Beach, CA. It was kind of fun to hear and watch an organist playing in that environment. If you think you might be interested in checking out the theater it is called "The Old Time Music Hall." They regularly have films and also musical entertainments as well. In addition they have a Laurel and Hardy festival scheduled for this Fall.

The film was the third in the series of long features, over an hour, done by the pair following the very funny "Sons of the Desert" the latter of which I had decided was world class funny. The Bohemian Girl tuned out to be funny as well and was typical of Laurel and Hardy in the parts that featured them. There were a lot of incidents of significance to the film and its final release version that I was unaware of. This past Christmas my son and his wife gave me a huge collection of Laurel and Hardy films and the Bohemian Girl was one of them. Re-viewing the film led me to note more details that had not occurred to me before and also led me to read up more about the production. These readings revealed that there was a lot more interesting history as to the original product and it's final appearance.

The film completed shooting in late 1935. It's leading female star was Thelma Todd a woman who had been in several Laurel and Hardy films and who had her own series that she had done with Zasu Pitts on occasion and Patsy Kelly. Todd had also appeared in several other big productions. In addition Todd had opened a night club out on the Pacific Coast Highway which was largely known by her nickname of Toddy's. In mid December of 1935 Todd was discovered dead in her car, a big chocolate colored Lincoln. It was parked in her garage and she apparently died because of carbon monoxide poisoning. Though the death was finally listed as suicide there were many questions as to this conclusion. There is still a controversy as to who and why. There is much information on the internet about her death, and I'll let you do what ever investigations you might want to pursue.

Hal Roach, the Bohemian Girls producer was in a quandary. There was much controversy over Todd's death and he decided because of that it might be inappropriate to release the film with her as the star, so he re-shot all the parts that Todd played in except for one segment where she sang. In her place he brought in Mae Busch who had played in several of the Laurel and Hardy films usually and most notably as Hardy's hardnosed wife. She was a classic performer in this kind of role with pursed lips and an aggressive threatening way about her.

The change in lead actresses worked well with most people including yours truly being unaware of the change. It also required some changes in role identification which went with such a change as causing Busch's role to be changed from Todd's gypsy queen to Busch's turn as the daughter of the gypsy queen.

The Bohemian Queen film was based on an operetta of the same title which had been written in the mid 1800's by Irish composer Michael Balfe. The story, or operetta, concerned the kidnapping of a Count's very young daughter in what today would be the Czech Republic. This child was to end up being raised in the Gypsy camp. Her kidnapping was in revenge for a flogging that the gypsy received for a transgression as ordered by the Count. Late in the story the daughter is restored to her father because of the discovery that she was wearing a necklace he had given her shortly before her kidnapping.

When Roach remade the story as a vehicle for his top humor team Laurel and Hardy he kept many aspects of the story with the comedy duo playing a couple of gypsy's. There is much singing in the film a product of the original compositions. Mae Busch in the role that was originated by Thelma Todd plays the gypsy wife of Oliver Hardy. She is the gypsy Queen's daughter. Antonio Moreno is her secret lover who is playing fast and loose with Busch. Moreno, with the film name of Devil's Hoof is caught illegally on the Count's castle grounds and is given a flogging for that transgression which accounts for his hatred of the Count.

The kidnapped little girl, played by the delightful Darla Hood of Our Gang Comedy fame, is deposited with Busch and is dressed in a gypsy costume. Finally, she and Moreno decide to run away together. Up to this time Hardy had not noticed that he has a little child in the gypsy wagon he calls home. When he asks Busch who the child is she tells him she is his. He is shocked by this and asks why neither he or the child has been told. Busch tells him that she felt the child was to young to stand the shock.

The film segues up nearly 15 years and the little girl is now a beautiful young woman. Julie Bishop plays this role, but this being early in her career, she had opted for a different name and is identified as Jacqueline Wells. She also is captured for transgression on to the Count's property and is about to be lashed for her transgression when he discovers that she still has the locket he had given her years ago.

Everyone is very happy now except for Stanley and Oliver who had been subjected to a special brand of torture which you will have to see to understand and see the result of this particular kind of brutality.

The film includes one other Laurel and Hardy regular, the dramatically over acting Jimmy Finlayson who plays a Captain in the Count's guard. In one scene Stan pulls his trick of a poke in the eye and Finlayson responds, "He poked me in my good eye." You may recall that Finlayson's stock in trade was a one eyed squint. In addition to Finlayson there were two other performers of interest who I failed to note or identify either time I saw the film. They are Paulette Goddard playing a gypsy woman and L.A. Disc Jockey Peter Potter playing a soldier.

It's fairly typical Laurel and Hardy material but the background story makes in more interesting than a lot of films. Thelma Todd was still shown in the scene where she sings. She and Busch wear the exact same dress. Actually, it is rather difficult to tell them apart dressed the same and Todd wearing a wig to cover her blond hair. I guess I'll have to give the film another viewing to see if I can identify some of the changes that took place and special cast members.