Tit for Tat (1935)

After the events in Them Thar Hills (1934), Stan and Ollie encounter their old nemesis whose grocery shop is next to their home appliances store. Unable to let bygones be bygones, a war breaks out. Will those tit-for-tat battles ever end?

Director:

Charley Rogers (as Charles Rogers)

Stars:

Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Mae Busch

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Stan Laurel	...	Stan
Oliver Hardy	...	Ollie
Mae Busch	...	Mrs. Hall
Charlie Hall	...	Mr. Hall (as Charley Hall)

Storyline

Stan & Ollie have set up their own electrical repair store. Unfortunately, for them, the grocery store opposite is run by the man & wife they encountered with in Them Thar Hills (1935). Stan & Ollie go and visit, to offer the hand of friendship, but the grocer soon becomes convinced that Ollie is trying to seduce his wife. The grocer takes his revenge first upon Stan & Ollie and then upon the goods in their shop, with the duo carrying out similar attacks on the grocer and his property.

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Plot Keywords:

store | shop | electrical | electric | household appliance | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Short | Family

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the only Laurel and Hardy short that could be called a sequel. Here the owners of the grocery store next to Stan and Ollie's new electrical shop are the same Mr and Mrs Hall who stopped in at Stan and Ollie's trailer in the mountains when their car broke down in Them Thar Hills (1934). (Other than this coincidence, there is no other connection between the two stories.)

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Quotes

[first lines]
Oliver: Good morning officer.
Policeman: Good morning. Well, open for business, eh?
Oliver: Yes, sir. We would have opened yesterday; but, my partner had a nervous breakdown.

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Alternate Versions

There is also a colorized version.

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Connections

References Big Business (1929)

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Soundtracks

Bonnie Banks O' Loch Lomond
(uncredited)
Traditional
Sung a capella a bit by Stan Laurel and later by Oliver Hardy with slightly modified lyrics.

User Reviews

Who's Minding the Store?

Stan and Ollie run an electrical shop (I'm sure they are stellar businessmen). Unfortunately, they have had previous dealings with the guy next door who runs a grocery store. Somehow the guy gets it into his head that Ollie has a thing for his wife (Mae Busch) and decides to start a war (a tit for tat kind of thing) with the boys. Soon they are trying to outdo one another in their cruel attacks. What is also going on is a man who goes into Stan and Ollie's store and starts stealing their stuff. At first he takes little things. As time goes by, he is utterly ignored because the parties are so involved in their discord. Soon he is hauling out huge amounts of stuff, using a wheelbarrow. The timing and interaction between these people is delightful and, as usual, things don't go well.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 January 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tit for Tat

Filming Locations:

Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

19 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1