IMDb RATING
7.1/10
1.5K
YOUR RATING
A scheming fight manager attempts to collect insurance on his puny fighter by causing an accident. Things don't go according to plan, and the situation escalates into a pie-throwing battle o... Read allA scheming fight manager attempts to collect insurance on his puny fighter by causing an accident. Things don't go according to plan, and the situation escalates into a pie-throwing battle of epic proportions.A scheming fight manager attempts to collect insurance on his puny fighter by causing an accident. Things don't go according to plan, and the situation escalates into a pie-throwing battle of epic proportions.
- Awards
- 1 win
Jack Adams
- Man Being Photographed
- (uncredited)
Chester A. Bachman
- Policeman at end of film
- (uncredited)
Wilson Benge
- Pie Victim in Top Hat
- (uncredited)
Ed Brandenburg
- Corner Man
- (uncredited)
- …
Dorothy Coburn
- Pie Victim Boarding Auto
- (uncredited)
Monte Collins
- Undetermined Secondary Role
- (uncredited)
Lou Costello
- Ringside Spectator
- (uncredited)
Edgar Dearing
- Man who says 'Gimme a pie'
- (uncredited)
Jim Farley
- Undetermined Secondary Role
- (uncredited)
Budd Fine
- Policeman who slips on Banana Skin
- (uncredited)
George B. French
- Dentist
- (uncredited)
Anita Garvin
- Woman Who Slips on Pie
- (uncredited)
Dick Gilbert
- Sewer Worker
- (uncredited)
Pete Gordon
- Barber
- (uncredited)
Charlie Hall
- Pie Deliveryman
- (uncredited)
Al Hallett
- Man Hit by Pie in Doorway
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFor years only the pie fight sequence had survived in a somewhat condensed version, as prepared for inclusion in the Robert Youngson documentary The Golden Age of Comedy (1957). There was one video restoration by the Museum of Modern Art in the 1970s that used portions of the script, combined with still photographs, to give an idea of what the first reel was like. Blackhawk Films released this sequence. The complete second reel was located in 2014 and restored to this short. It was a 16mm safety from the collection of Robert Youngson.
- GoofsIn the final scene, a woman slips and does a pratfall onto a pie on the sidewalk, but when she gets up to leave, the sidewalk is free of pie debris.
- Quotes
Undetermined Secondary Role: Did you start that pie fight?
Manager: What pie fight?
- ConnectionsEdited into The Golden Age of Comedy (1957)
Featured review
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were comedic geniuses, individually and together, and their partnership was deservedly iconic and one of the best there was. They left behind a large body of work, a vast majority of it being entertaining to classic comedy, at their best they were hilarious and their best efforts were great examples of how to do comedy without being juvenile or distasteful.
'The Battle of the Century' is nowhere near classic Laurel and Hardy, later films, short and feature, had stronger chemistry when fully formed and used their considerable talents better. At this point, Laurel was much funnier and more interesting while Hardy in most of the previous outings had too little to do. 'The Battle of the Century' is still worth watching and is an improvement on some of their previous short films, to me it's easily one of their best at this point of their careers and one of the first to feel like a Laurel and Hardy short rather than a short featuring them.
Personally would have liked more sly wit that made their later entries better, though the slapstick does entertain and is timed well if a bit too far on the simplicity.
The story is a bit busy at times and both slight and sadly incomplete-feeling and fragmented.
Laurel however is very funny, and sometimes hilarious. Hardy is at least not wasted, and he does give one of his funniest and most interesting appearances of his pairings with Laurel up to this point and has much more to do in comparison to their previous outings. The chemistry is certainly much more here than in previous outings of theirs, namely because there's more of them together, if still evolving. Support is nice. 'The Battle of the Century' is well worth seeing for the funniest and one of the best pie fight scenes ever.
A good deal of the humour is well timed, hugely energetic and very funny, with everything going at a lively pace, and there is a lot of charm and good nature to keep one going, as well as a surprising bizarre one that doesn't feel too much. 'The Battle of the Century' looks quite good still.
To conclude, decent with a great scene. 7/10 Bethany Cox
'The Battle of the Century' is nowhere near classic Laurel and Hardy, later films, short and feature, had stronger chemistry when fully formed and used their considerable talents better. At this point, Laurel was much funnier and more interesting while Hardy in most of the previous outings had too little to do. 'The Battle of the Century' is still worth watching and is an improvement on some of their previous short films, to me it's easily one of their best at this point of their careers and one of the first to feel like a Laurel and Hardy short rather than a short featuring them.
Personally would have liked more sly wit that made their later entries better, though the slapstick does entertain and is timed well if a bit too far on the simplicity.
The story is a bit busy at times and both slight and sadly incomplete-feeling and fragmented.
Laurel however is very funny, and sometimes hilarious. Hardy is at least not wasted, and he does give one of his funniest and most interesting appearances of his pairings with Laurel up to this point and has much more to do in comparison to their previous outings. The chemistry is certainly much more here than in previous outings of theirs, namely because there's more of them together, if still evolving. Support is nice. 'The Battle of the Century' is well worth seeing for the funniest and one of the best pie fight scenes ever.
A good deal of the humour is well timed, hugely energetic and very funny, with everything going at a lively pace, and there is a lot of charm and good nature to keep one going, as well as a surprising bizarre one that doesn't feel too much. 'The Battle of the Century' looks quite good still.
To conclude, decent with a great scene. 7/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Aug 9, 2018
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Битва століття
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime19 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was The Battle of the Century (1927) officially released in Canada in English?
Answer