Rare Laurel and Hardy German film found

MUNICH, Germany, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Munich, Germany, Film Museum officials have found a rare 1931 movie starring comedy duo Laurel and Hardy speaking in German, it was reported Monday.

The 40-minute film, "Spuk um Mitternacht" or "Ghost at Midnight," was discovered in a Moscow film archive, BBC said. The film, nine minutes shorter than the U.S. original, was a version of their hit "The Laurel and Hardy Murder Case."

"In general the film works very well, even in this little short version, and contains all the unique jokes about Stan's uncle in Berlin and Julius Caesar. The Munich Film Museum will restore the movie to its full length so that it can be made available for screenings and a future DVD release, said Stefan Droessler, the museum's director.

The film, which debuted May 1931, reportedly was advertised as the comedians' first German film with sound.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy made several shorts of their films, using speech coaches and cue cards to assist in the dialogue.

"Spuk um Mitternacht" is scheduled to be shown Saturday during the Bonn Silent Film Festival.