Helpmates - Colorized Version

Colorized Version

Helpmates was the first black-and-white film to undergo film colorization. First experimented in 1983 through a company called Colorization Inc., a subsidiary of Hal Roach Studios, it was first publicly shown at the 1984 The Sons of the Desert-sponsored International Helpmates Convention. Colorization became a success for the studio, and the colorized version of Way Out West was soon released on VHS through the Hal Roach Studios Film Classics label. The colorized Helpmates was released to the public along with the colorized version of The Music Box in 1986. The technology for this process was inferior compared to today's subsequent colorization technology. However, there were numerous continuity errors and garish color design choices.

Many Laurel and Hardy films were subsequently colorized. The most significant criticism was that these versions had whole scenes either altered or deleted altogether, changing the character of the film. The first noticeable change in Helpmates comes when the panning of the party mess inside Ollie's house is condensed into freeze frame stills. Other notable changes also included the heavily edited phone conversation between Stan and Ollie about Stan not coming to the party, fearing he might have hydrophosphates. The most controversial edit was the scene in which Ollie crashes his head through the dresser drawer after Stan opens it to find a handkerchief. The colorized version of the film was copyrighted in 1986, despite it being actually completed in 1984.