Tit for Tat

source: Tit for Tat

Moviecut—Tit for Tat

Tit for Tat

Over the past year or two I've been making an effort to see as many Academy Award-nominated titles as possible. The latest is Laurel & Hardy's "Tit for Tat", a sequel to "Them Thar Hills". In this case, they've opened an electrical repair shop next door to the husband and wife whom they antagonized in the previous outing, and a misunderstanding causes back-and-forth revenge. Stan and Ollie do their usual stuff, unaware that there's a shoplifter about. It's so simple but so hilarious. Just goes to show why L&H were probably the greatest comedy duo ever.

This is certainly one of the best L & H shorts because unlike most of the others there`s little in the way of an episodic feel and it has a continuity with THEM THAR HILLS . What makes memorable to me is the innuendo involved when Ollie comes down the stairs with the grocer`s wife and laughs " I`ve never been in a position like that before " I was totally shocked , Oliver Hardy comes out of a bedroom , down a flight of stairs and exclaims " I`ve never been in a position like that before " Of course there`s an innocent explanation for all this but it`s unbelievable the censors allowed this type of innuendo to be used in 1935 . I would have loved to have seen this at a cinema when it was first released just so I could see if anyone picked up on the ambiguity of Oliver`s statement

Revisitng Laurel and Hardy's films it's surprising to see that the practice of slipping in a few adult references for the grown-ups wasn't the idea of the makers of full-length 90s cartoon films. As other reviewers have mentioned, Ollie's comment to Mae Busch, the wife of the diminutive neighbouring shopkeeper with whom he is embroiled in the 'tit for tat' feud of the title, is clearly a deliberate double-entendre that somehow slipped by the censors as, no doubt, it would have any watching children. There's a similar sight gag in County Hospital that is quite subtle by comparison but no doubt just as deliberate. Anyway, this one's pretty good. It's a sequel to the previous year's Them Thar Hills which introduced us to the memorable song lyric Pom Pom and it probably just shades that one for laughs. The boys were at the top of their game in the mid-thirties thanks to sharp, well-paced shorts like these and some of the touches here are truly first-class.

An alleged improper meeting between electrical store owner and flirtatious grocers wife Mae Busch results in unfounded jealousy from her husband, Charlie Hall, who seeks revenge against Oliver and his partner, Mr. Laurel. At the rate they go, neither store will be standing after this 20 minute short is over. It's always amusing to see adults acting more like children than children, using products from both stores as props in their revenge against each other. While she has more to do than the recent shorts in the series, it's obvious that producer Hal Roach was out to lighten her image. Hall makes an amusing foil, too foolish to be a real heavy, and thus not a hissable villain. Nice light funny later entry of Laurel and Hardy shorts.

With a fine combination of both obvious and subtle laughs, "Tit For Tat" is one of the funniest Laurel & Hardy short comedies. It is a follow up to "Them Thar Hills", and it plays off of the memorable confrontation scene with Charlie Hall in the earlier movie - this time, Stan and Ollie open up an electrical supply store, only to find out that Charlie runs the grocery store next door. It doesn't take much for a full-scale battle to break out once again. It's very funny creative chaos - they make full use of the props in the two stores, and there is plenty of hilarious slapstick along with some more subtle humor (for example, watch for the running gag each time they go next door). Not to be missed for fans of these master comics.

This movie perfectly shows the reasons why I like Laurel & Hardy pictures so much. It has got a great silly story, well timing and some great comical moments, all perfectly executed by the characters. The story is very, very simple but it works oh so well and is oh so strong. Basically the movie is about Stan and Olie, who just opened an electrical repair store, having a small war with their neighbor the grocer. Basically the movie is about the two parties taking constantly revenge on the other, in a comical hilarious way. This movie is a direct (and the only) sequel to a previous Laurel & Hardy movie, namely; "Them Thar Hills". The returning joke of the costumer who robs the store every time Laurel & Hardy went away is absolutely hilarious. The simple story of the movie is extremely well executed and makes this movie one of the most enjoyable Laurel & Hardy shorts. 8/10 http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Those who have seen a lot of Laurel and Hardy will most likely see that this movie isn't especially original. The plot involving an argument gone awry with the neighboring shop keeper is very reminiscent of their silent film, BIG BUSINESS except in this case they are arguing and becoming VERY destructive with Charlie Hall instead of James Finlayson AND there is the plot element of the jealous husband that was added to TIT FOR TAT. But, despite this lack of originality, the movie is still great fun and it is absolutely wonderful watching the 3 men literally destroy each other's businesses over absolutely nothing! This movie is certainly a sight to behold as their behavior gets more and more and more out of control as the film progresses!