The Battle of the Century (1927)

Director:

Clyde Bruckman

Writers:

Hal Roach (writer)
H.M. Walker (titles)

Release Date:

31 December 1927 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Comedy

Plot:

Fight manager (Hardy) takes out an insurance policy on his puny pugilist (Laurel) and then proceeds...

Plot Keywords:

Two Reeler | Pie Fight

Cast

Stan Laurel	...	Prize fighter
Oliver Hardy	...	Manager
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jack Adams	...	Undetermined Role
Ed Brandenburg	...	Warring pedestrian
Dorothy Coburn	...	Pie victim boarding auto
George B. French	...	Dentist
Anita Garvin	...	Slips on pie
Dick Gilbert	...	Sewer worker
Charlie Hall	...	Pie delivery man
Jack Hill	...	Ringside spectator
Ham Kinsey	...	Ringside spectator
Sam Lufkin	...	Boxing referee
Gene Morgan	...	Ring announcer
Bob O'Connor	...	Warring pedestrian (as Bob O'Conor)
Eugene Pallette	...	Insurance agent
Bert Roach	...	Ringside spectator
Dick Sutherland	...	Dental patient
Lyle Tayo	...	Woman at window
Ellinor Vanderveer	...	Lady in car (as Ellinor Van der Veer)
Dorothea Wolbert	...	Warring pedestrian
Charley Young	...	Fruit vendor
Noah Young	...	Thunder-Clap Callahan

Runtime:

19 min (original version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Germany:o.Al. | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Hal Roach Studios Inc.

Trivia:

An entire day's production from the Los Angeles Pie Company - some 3,000 pies - was used in the famous pie fight.

Goofs:

Continuity: 'Lou Costello' leaps from second row to ringside between shots.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Laurel and Hardy's Laughing 20's (1965)

Two hilarious movies in one.

The two parts of the movie have absolutely nothing to do with each other but that's no complaint, since the two part each are absolutely hilarious and well constructed. The timing is perfect.

It is especially the second part of the movie, the huge pie fight, which most people will remember. Basically everyone in town gets involved in the pie fight; the mayor, a costumer at the barbershop, a sewer worker, a person at the dentist. It's silly, it makes no sense that everybody in town gets hit perfectly in the face with a pie but it works oh so hilarious! I don't know why but pie and food fights in movies are always hilarious. Just think about movies like "The Great Race" and "Blazing Saddles".

But really, the first part of the movie is also more than great, in which Stan is in a boxing match against Thunder-Clap Callahan played by Noah Young. That guy is great! He is so intense and has great scary eyes. I think he would had done great in horror movies but I don't know whether or not he ever appeared in one? Don't think so, because to my knowledge he only ever worked for the Hal Roach studio's.

A must see 2 part silent comical short with Laurel & Hardy in top-form.

9/10