Blotto (film)

Blotto is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film directed by James Parrott and starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. The short was produced by Hal Roach and originally distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Blotto
Directed by	James Parrott
Written by	Leo McCarey H.M. Walker
Produced by	Hal Roach
Starring	Stan Laurel Oliver Hardy
Cinematography	George Stevens
Edited by	Richard C. Currier William H. Ziegler
Music by	Nathaniel Shilkret Leroy Shield (1937 reissue)
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	February 8, 1930 (1930-02-08)
Running time	26:06 (English) 39:30 (Spanish)
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

During the Prohibition era, Laurel and Hardy plan an evening at the Rainbow Club, a lively venue. Stan, eager to escape his nagging wife, agrees to a scheme devised by Ollie to feign a business-related absence. However, their telephone conversation is overheard by Stan's wife, prompting her to enact her own plan.

Unbeknownst to Stan and Ollie, Mrs. Laurel replaces the hidden liquor in their home with tea spiked with various spices. At the club, the duo struggles to open their bottle quietly before resorting to enjoying the entertainment, including a Josephine Baker-style exotic dancer and a baritone singer whose melancholic performance moves Stan to tears.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Laurel, armed with a shotgun, arrives at the club and confronts the pair, revealing the contents of their bottle. Angered by their deception, she pursues them onto the street, where they flee in a taxi. In a fit of rage, Mrs. Laurel unleashes a single shot, obliterating the vehicle.

Cast

• Stan Laurel as Stan
• Oliver Hardy as Ollie
• Anita Garvin as Mrs. Laurel
  • Linda Loredo as Mrs. Laurel (Spanish version)
  • Georgette Rhodes as Mrs. Laurel (French version)
• Baldwin Cooke as Waiter
• Dick Gilbert as Phone booth gawker
• Charlie Hall as Cabdriver
• Tiny Sandford as Waiter
• Jean De Briac as Shopkeeper
• Jack Hill as Bit part
• Symona Boniface as Lady who sits in wet chair (Spanish-language version only)
• Frank Holiday as Rainbow Club singer

Production notes

The name of the film relates to the now archaic term "to be blotto" meaning to be very drunk.^[1]

The initial release of Blotto did not incorporate a music score apart from the orchestral "Dance of the Cuckoos" tune played during the opening titles.^[2] The original version of the film is no longer extant, with only a censored 1937 re-release print surviving. This re-release edition underwent alterations, including the removal of approximately one reel of material containing pre-Code sequences.

To address the absence of a music score in the original release, a background music track was integrated into the 1937 version. This musical accompaniment comprised a combination of Leroy Shield's jazzy compositions and other musical selections commonly featured in 1937 Hal Roach films. A distinctive feature of Blotto is that it represents the sole Laurel and Hardy production where Laurel's character is married while Hardy's remains unmarried.=

Although the original 1930 version is now considered a lost film, a Spanish language version produced by MGM, entitled La Vida Nocturna has survived which shows how the film was originally presented, including a gag involving an electric fan after Stan says he needs some "fresh air". This is not available in the English version due to negative damage.^{[citation needed]}

International versions

The film was reshot and entitled La Vida Nocturna for the Spanish language market.

References

1. Oxford English Dictionary: Blotto
2. Louvish, Simon. Stan and Ollie: The Roots of Comedy: The Double Life of Laurel and Hardy. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2002, p. 267. ISBN 0-3122-6651-0.

External links

• Blotto at IMDb
• Blotto at the TCM Movie Database
• Blotto at Rotten Tomatoes