The Bohemian Girl is a 1936 feature film version of the opera
The Bohemian Girl by
Michael William Balfe. It was produced at the
Hal Roach Studios, and stars
Laurel and Hardy and
Thelma Todd in her last role before her death.
Plot
Laurel and Hardy are a hen-pecked pair of
Gypsies in 18th- century
Austria. When Oliver is out
pickpocketing,
fortune-telling or attending his
zither lessons, his wife (
Mae Busch), has an affair with Devilshoof (
Antonio Moreno). A cruel
nobleman,
Count Arnheim, persecutes the Gypsies, who are forced to flee, but Devilshoof, in revenge for having been lashed by the count, kidnaps his daughter, Arline (
Darla Hood), and Mrs. Hardy fools Hardy into thinking she is their daughter. She soon
elopes with Devilshoof, and leaves Hardy holding the baby.
Twelve years later, the Gypsies return to Arnheim's estate. When grown up Arline (
Jacqueline Wells) trespasses in Arnheim's garden, she recognises the place, but is arrested by a constable (
Jimmy Finlayson) and sentenced to a lashing. Stan and Oliver try to save her, but Stan is too drunk and both are arrested. Just as Arline is stripped in order to be lashed, she is rescued in time by Arnheim, who recognises a
medallion she wears and a family
birthmark, and both try to rescue Stan and Oliver. It is too late though: Laurel and Hardy had already been worked over in the
torture chamber, resulting in one of the team's best sight gags.
Thelma Todd's role
Thelma Todd had starred in four
Laurel and Hardy films, including their first
talkie,
Unaccustomed As We Are.
Todd died on 16 December 1935 at age 29. She had been found in the garage of her home, poisoned by the fumes of her own car. Stan Laurel received a
Christmas present from her soon afterwards. The jury brought out a verdict of accidental death because there was little or no evidence for suicide.
Three films starring Todd were released after her death. In
The Bohemian Girl, Todd had played the Gypsy Queen, a very substantial role. All of her scenes were re-shot and her character was renamed as
the Gypsy Queen's Daughter, and
Zeffie Tilbury playing the Queen, and with a vampish
Mae Busch character replacing her in the narrative. One scene of Todd's was kept in as a tribute to her: a musical number where she sings "Heart of a Gypsy".
Quotes
Meta-reference: James Finlayson, well- known for his comical squinting, gets poked in the eye at one point and cries: "Oh! My good eye!"
Casting and production details
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer wanted to cast a talented newcomer as Arline.
Hal Roach cast
Darla Hood, who had just begun appearing in Roach's
Our Gang comedies, as young Arline and Julie Bishop as adult Arline.
Rosina Lawrence dubs Jacqueline Wells's singing.
Paulette Goddard has a small uncredited role as a Gypsy.
Stan Laurel's pet
myna, Yogi, appears in the film.
The Count was played by W.P. Carleton, who had played the role on stage over a number of decades and who was a distant cousin of the British actor
Sir Guy Standing.
References
External links
1!BGk~$(KGrHqIOKj!EvPVPeLByBL3zsjV-fg~~_3.jpg)
