''The Devil's Brother'' (or ''Bogus Bandits'' as an

Astor Pictures Astor Pictures was a film distribution, motion picture distribution company in the United States from 1930 to 1963. It was founded by Robert M. Savini (29 August 1886 – 29 April 1956). Astor specialized in film re-releases. It later release ...

reissue title) or ''Fra Diavolo'' outside the U.S. is a 1933 American

Pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

musical comedy film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as break ...

starring

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American double act, comedy duo during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) ...

. It is based on

Daniel Auber Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (; 29 January 178212 May 1871) was a French composer and director of the Paris Conservatoire. Born into an artistic family, Auber was at first an amateur composer before he took up writing operas professionally whe ...

's operetta ''Fra Diavolo'' about the Italian bandit Fra Diavolo.

Plot

In the early 18th century, the notorious bandit Fra Diavolo regales his compatriots at their encampment in Northern Italy with an account of his recent encounter with the aristocratic couple Lord Rocburg and Lady Pamela. Assuming the guise of the Marquis de San Marco, Diavolo ingratiates himself with the duo during a carriage ride, coaxing Lady Pamela to divulge the whereabouts of her coveted jewels. Subsequently, he dispatches his cohorts to pillage Rocburg's estate and abscond with Pamela's treasures. Concurrently, two hapless individuals, Stanlio and Ollio, after falling victim to a robbery themselves, entertain the notion of adopting a life of banditry. Their ill-fated endeavor to emulate Diavolo's exploits leads them into a farcical confrontation with the formidable outlaw. Diavolo, suspecting Stanlio of impersonating him, orders his execution, only to be interrupted by news that his henchmen have secured Pamela's jewels but failed to locate Rocburg's concealed fortune. Undeterred, Diavolo, once again assuming the identity of the marquis, enlists Stanlio and Ollio as his attendants, plotting to seize Rocburg's wealth at an inn where he resumes his amorous pursuit of Lady Pamela. However, their scheme is disrupted when Stanlio inadvertently imbibes a soporific intended for Rocburg, thwarting Diavolo's efforts to locate Rocburg's hidden riches. Amidst the ensuing chaos, Stanlio inadvertently exposes Diavolo's machinations to Captain Lorenzo, who resolves to clear his name of a theft attributed to him by Diavolo. As Lorenzo confronts Diavolo, aided inadvertently by Stanlio, a confrontation ensues, culminating in Diavolo's defeat and the restoration of Pamela's jewels. In a gesture of redemption, Diavolo relinquishes the ill-gotten gains to Lorenzo, facilitating the latter's benevolent intervention to preserve Matteo's inn from financial ruin. The narrative climaxes with Diavolo and his cohorts facing the prospect of execution, only to be spared by a fortuitous intervention involving a perturbed bull. Subsequently, amidst the ensuing chaos, Diavolo seizes the opportunity to evade capture by galloping away on a horse, while Stanlio and Ollio, propelled by serendipity, effect their own improbable escape by clinging on the back of the enraged bull as it charges off into the countryside. Through a series of further farcical hi-jinks, it is revealed that the hidden money-purse had been sewn into Lady Pamela's petticoats, and thus it could have easily been stolen by Diavolo --- had he known it was there --- on any of several occasions when he'd been in close proximity to Pamela.

Cast

Stan Laurel Stan Laurel ( ; born Arthur Stanley Jefferson; 16 June 1890 – 23 February 1965) was an English comic actor, director and writer who was in the comedy double act, duo Laurel and Hardy. He appeared with his comedy partner Oliver Hardy in 107 sh ...

as Stanlio *

Oliver Hardy Oliver Norvell Hardy (born Norvell Hardy; January 18, 1892 – August 7, 1957) was an American comic actor and one half of Laurel and Hardy, the double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted from 1926 to 1957. He appeared with his ...

as Ollio * Dennis King as Fra Diavolo/Marquis de San Marco *

Thelma Todd Thelma Alice Todd (July 29, 1906 – December 16, 1935) was an American actress and businesswoman who carried the nicknames "The Ice Cream Blonde" and "Hot Toddy". Appearing in about 120 feature films and shorts between 1926 and 1935, she ...

as Lady Pamela * James Finlayson as Lord Rocburg * Lucile Browne as Zerlina * Arthur Pierson as Lorenzo * Henry Armetta as Matteo The Innkeeper *

Matt McHugh Matthew O. McHugh (January 22, 1894 – February 22, 1971 ) was an American film actor who appeared in more than 200 films between 1931 and 1955, primarily in small parts. Career McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents ran a stock t ...

as Francesco * Lane Chandler as Lieutenant * Nina Quartero as Rita *

Wilfred Lucas Wilfred Van Norman Lucas (January 30, 1871 – December 13, 1940) was a Canadian American stage actor who found success in film as an actor, director, and screenwriter. Early life Lucas was born in Norfolk County, Ontario on January 30, 1871,US ...

as Alessandro * James C. Morton as The Old Woodchopper *

John Qualen John Qualen (born Johan Mandt Kvalen, December 8, 1899 – September 12, 1987) was a Canadian-American character actor of Norwegian heritage who specialized in Scandinavian roles. Early years Qualen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, ...

as Man Who Owned Bull (uncredited) * Arthur Stone as Brigand (uncredited) *

Leo White Leo White (November 10, 1873 – September 20, 1948), was a German-born British-American film and stage actor who appeared as a character actor in many Charlie Chaplin films. Biography Born in Germany to Julius White and Ida Berg White, White g ...

as Tavern Patron (uncredited)

Kneesy-Earsy-Nosey

Kneesy-Earsy-Nosey was the game of coordination and dexterity played by Stanlio in the picture, to Ollio's great frustration. The game, which became a

fad A fad, trend, or craze is any form of collective behavior that develops within a culture, a generation, or social group in which a group of people enthusiastically follow an impulse for a short time period. Fads are objects or behaviors tha ...

shortly after the film's release, consists of clapping the knees, then grabbing one ear with the opposite hand while grabbing the nose with the other hand, again clapping the knees, and then grabbing the other ear with the opposite hand while grabbing the nose with the other hand. Participants attempt to do it with increasing speed. Once coordination has been achieved, one can become extremely fast, and proficiency can be regained even after years of hiatus. Both "Kneesy-Earsy-Nosey" and "Finger Wiggle"—another game Stan plays in Fra Diavolo—make a brief appearance in '' Babes in Toyland'' when Oliver Hardy's character (Ollie Dee) tells Stanley's character (Stannie Dum), in relation to hitting a PeeWee, "If you can do it, I can do it." Stannie then performs both games to disprove Ollie's maxim.

Reception

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...

gave the film three of four stars: "Destitute Stan and Ollie become bungling henchmen for notorious singing bandit... One of the comedy team's best features."

Leslie Halliwell Robert James Leslie Halliwell (23 February 1929 – 21 January 1989) was a British film critic, encyclopaedist and television rights buyer for ITV, the British commercial network, and Channel 4. He is best known for his reference guides, '' Fi ...

wrote, "Auber's 1830 operetta becomes a vehicle for Laurel and Hardy... They have excellent sequences, but overall the film lacks pace."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Devils Brother, The 1933 films 1933 comedy films American black-and-white films Films based on operas Films based on works by Eugène Scribe Films directed by Charley Rogers Films directed by Hal Roach Films set in Italy Films set in the 18th century Laurel and Hardy (film series) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Cultural depictions of Fra Diavolo 1930s English-language films 1930s American films Films scored by Leroy Shield