The Battle of the Century (1927)
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- Passed
- 19min
- Short, Comedy
- 31 Dec 1927 (USA)
- Short
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.
Directors:
Writers:
Stars:
Award:
- 1 win.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Complete, Cast awaiting verification
| Stan Laurel | ... |
Stanley
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| Oliver Hardy | ... |
Manager
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Jack Adams | ... |
Man Being Photographed (uncredited)
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| Chester A. Bachman | ... |
Policeman at end of film (uncredited)
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| Wilson Benge | ... |
Pie Victim in Top Hat (uncredited)
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Ed Brandenburg | ... |
Corner Man / Warring Pedestrian (uncredited)
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| Dorothy Coburn | ... |
Pie Victim Boarding Auto (uncredited)
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Monte Collins | ... |
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
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| Lou Costello | ... |
Ringside Spectator (uncredited)
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| Edgar Dearing | ... |
Man who says 'Gimme a pie' (uncredited)
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| Jim Farley | ... |
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
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Budd Fine | ... |
Policeman who slips on Banana Skin (uncredited)
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| George B. French | ... |
Dentist (uncredited)
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| Anita Garvin | ... |
Woman Who Slips on Pie (uncredited)
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| Dick Gilbert | ... |
Sewer Worker (uncredited)
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| Pete Gordon | ... |
Barber (uncredited)
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| Charlie Hall | ... |
Pie Deliveryman (uncredited)
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Al Hallett | ... |
Man Hit by Pie in Doorway (uncredited)
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Jack Herrick | ... |
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
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Jack Hill | ... |
Ringside Spectator (uncredited)
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| Ham Kinsey | ... |
Ringside Spectator (uncredited)
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Jack Lloyd | ... |
Irish Biddy (uncredited)
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| Sam Lufkin | ... |
Boxing Referee (uncredited)
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Eric Mack | ... |
Spectator (uncredited)
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Bob Minford | ... |
Cornerman (uncredited)
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| Gene Morgan | ... |
Ring Announcer (uncredited)
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Arthur Mund | ... |
Postman (uncredited)
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Steve Murphy | ... |
Noah Young's Assistant (uncredited)
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| John M. O'Brien | ... |
Shoeshine Patron (uncredited)
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| Bob O'Connor | ... |
Photographer (uncredited)
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| Eugene Pallette | ... |
Insurance Agent (uncredited)
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| Bert Roach | ... |
Ringside Spectator (uncredited)
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| Hayes E. Robertson | ... |
Shoeshine Man (uncredited)
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| Dick Sutherland | ... |
Dental Patient (uncredited)
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| Lyle Tayo | ... |
Woman at Store Window (uncredited)
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| Ellinor Vanderveer | ... |
Lady in Automobile (uncredited)
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| Dorothea Wolbert | ... |
Warring Pedestrian (uncredited)
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Charley Young | ... |
Fruit-Cart Vendor (uncredited)
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| Noah Young | ... |
Thunder-Clap Callahan (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Clyde Bruckman | ||
| Leo McCarey | ... | (supervised by) |
Written by
| H.M. Walker | ... | (titles) |
| Hal Roach | ... | () (uncredited) |
Produced by
| Hal Roach | ... | producer |
Cinematography by
| George Stevens | ||
Editing by
| Richard C. Currier | ... | (as Richard Currier) |
Production Management
| Leo McCarey | ... | production supervisor |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1927) (United States) (theatrical)
- Jury Metro-Goldwyn (1928) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Regal Films (1928) (Canada) (theatrical) (as Regal Films Ltd.)
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1928) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Kino Video (1998) (United States) (VHS)
- VCI Entertainment (2020) (United States) (Blu-ray)
- VCI Entertainment (2020) (United States) (DVD)
Special Effects
Other Companies
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Fight manager (Hardy) takes out an insurance policy on his puny pugilist (Laurel) and then proceeds to try to arrange for an accident so that he can collect. When a pie delivery man (Hall) slips on a banana peel, meant for the fighter, a classic pie throwing scene results.
Written by Herman Seifer |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | The comedy that you've read about, heard about, and waited for. (Print Ad- Eugene Register-Guard, ((Eugene, Ore.)) 30 January 1928) See more » |
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| Parents Guide | Add content advisory for parents » |
| Certification |
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Additional Details
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | For 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. See more » |
| Goofs | In 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. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Edited into The Golden Age of Comedy (1957). See more » |
| Quotes |
Undetermined Secondary Role:
Did you start that pie fight? Manager: What pie fight? See more » |