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Tit For Tat (1935)
In Laurel and Hardy's slapstick, Academy Award-nominated
comedic short - a direct sequel to their film Them Thar Hills
(1934):
- the set-up: two side-by-side stores - Stan and Oliver's
newly-opened electrical supply store ("Open for Big Business"),
next to Mr. Hall's (Charlie Hall) grocery store
- an accident while screwing in light bulbs in his electrical
store's marquee sign left Oliver stranded on the grocery store's
2nd story outdoor window ledge (as he sarcastically told Stan: "I'm
waiting for a streetcar!"); Oliver was forced to enter the window
of the apartment above the store, with Mrs. Hall's (Mae Busch) permission;
as he descended the stairs and entered the main floor, grocer Mr.
Hall overheard Oliver's risque line to his wife: ("I've never
been in a position like that before!") - causing Mr. Hall to
assume sexual shenanigans and accuse Oliver of fooling around with
her
- the sequence of mutual, back-and-forth property destruction
("tit for tat" - although Stan misinterpreted the phrase
as "Tip me hat") between the disgruntled proprietors, as
Stan and Oliver repeatedly hung a "Will Be Back Soon" sign
on their door as they proceeded next-door to wreak havoc and mayhem,
and vice-versa: (1) a hot electrical curling iron pinched and burned
Oliver's nose; (2) a faceful of white stickey mashed potatoes (?)
was flung into Mr. Hall's face; (3) Hall destroyed about six watches
from a circular store display by grinding them up in a milkshake
blender; after calmly watching the damage, Stan picked up a spinning
wheel (one of the damaged watch parts) and put it into his overalls
pocket; (4) honey was poured into Mr. Hall's cash register; (5) the
top of Ollie's hat was severed by Hall's deli slicer; (6) a bucket
of Rex pure lard was dumped over Hall's head; (7) Stan and Oliver
ate marshmallows from a bin spiked with alum powder; (8) Hall's rampaging
in the electrical store - he destroyed all of the overhead light
fixtures, and broke the front window; (9) both Stan and Ollie were
hit with a faceful of the mashed potatoes; (10) Hall was placed bottom-first
into a crate of eggs, while another crate of eggs was poured over
his head
- meanwhile, there was the running gag of a shoplifting-customer
(Bobby Dunn) repeatedly entering and stealing items from the electrical
store as the pair left each time, although always exchanging pleasantries;
first, he carried things out, then used a wheelbarrow, and finally
culminated with backing up a moving truck to completely empty the
store during the many reprisals
- the final gag: a policeman (James C. Morton) who urged
the two feuding parties to apologize to each other, non-chalantly
grabbed one of the marshmallows (covered with alum) and suffered
the consequences
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