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

Trivia:

'Lou Costello' makes one of his earliest screen appearances as an extra in the boxing match sequence. He is visible standing close to the ring.

Goofs:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld (1994) (TV)

Very Funny Even in Fragmented Form

In its original form, this was probably one of the best of all of the Laurel & Hardy short comedies. It's too bad that it no longer exists in complete form, but what remains is still very entertaining. It has an even better variety of gag material than usual, with excellent timing and a good supporting cast to help out. The prize fight sequence is a hilarious take-off on the controversial Dempsey-Tunney fight that at the time was still fresh in everybody's mind. The pie fight sequence is still as good as or better than the many attempts to imitate it. It combines escalating chaos with plenty of creative gags. The now-missing portions of the film seem to have tied everything else together very nicely. The Nostalgia Archive reconstruction at least gives you some idea of what it would have been like in its original form, by using the continuity scripts. And even in the fragmented form that remains, it's very funny.