Tit for Tat (1935)

I love this movie so much

Thanks for the memories!

Admirable film.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

"Tit for Tat" is a 1935 black-and-white short film from the days where you could actually hear Laurel and Hardy's voices. The silent era was long gone and this was actually one of the last short films from the duo. This one was Oscar-nominated and was made after "The Music Box", which even won the Award. The was one thing that Stan and Ollie had over the likes of Chaplin, Lloyd and Keaton, but this was also really only because they did not transition really into the era of non-silent films.Anyway, this film here runs for almost 20 minutes and the two own a store. Sadly, another store owner suspects Ollie of having a relationship with his wife and so mayhem ensues and the two go against each other all the time. Rogers, Busch and Hall have worked on several films of the two, so quite a few familiar faces in here. I find Laurel as funny as Ollie, probably more, so it sucked a bit that he was only a spectator here most of the time. His look at Ollie's broken hat was priceless though, maybe the best thing about this film. Other than that, I was not too well entertained though, so all in all I think there are better films out there with the two. Not recommended.

Revisitng Laurel and Hardy's films it's surprising to see that the practice of slipping in a few adult references for the grown-ups wasn't the idea of the makers of full-length 90s cartoon films. As other reviewers have mentioned, Ollie's comment to Mae Busch, the wife of the diminutive neighbouring shopkeeper with whom he is embroiled in the 'tit for tat' feud of the title, is clearly a deliberate double-entendre that somehow slipped by the censors as, no doubt, it would have any watching children. There's a similar sight gag in County Hospital that is quite subtle by comparison but no doubt just as deliberate.Anyway, this one's pretty good. It's a sequel to the previous year's Them Thar Hills which introduced us to the memorable song lyric Pom Pom and it probably just shades that one for laughs. The boys were at the top of their game in the mid-thirties thanks to sharp, well-paced shorts like these and some of the touches here are truly first-class.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are the most famous comedy duo in history, and deservedly so, so I am happy to see any of their films. Ollie and Stan have just opened a new Electrical Supplies store, and feeling friendly they decide to say "hello" to the business next door, at Hall's Grocery. They were not expecting to see Mr. and Mrs. Hall (Charlie Hall, Mae Busch) again (remember them from Them Thar Hills), and he warns them to stay away from them. Unfortunately an argument begins when Ollie ends up on the Halls' window sill (because of the basement elevator), having to go down their stairs, and Mr. Hall thinks he was doing something with her. So the rest of the film sees Hall going into Ollie and Stan to do something to them, and them doing vice versa, and while the two boys leave their electrical store, it is slowly being cleared out. So Ollie, Stan and Hall are throwing things at each other, covering each other in things, breaking things and much more silly and childish, but utterly funny things. Filled with wonderful slapstick and all classic comedy you could want from a black and white film, it is an enjoyable film. It was nominated the Oscar for for Best Short Subject, Comedy. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were number 7 on The Comedians' Comedian. Very good!

With a fine combination of both obvious and subtle laughs, "Tit For Tat" is one of the funniest Laurel & Hardy short comedies. It is a follow up to "Them Thar Hills", and it plays off of the memorable confrontation scene with Charlie Hall in the earlier movie - this time, Stan and Ollie open up an electrical supply store, only to find out that Charlie runs the grocery store next door. It doesn't take much for a full-scale battle to break out once again. It's very funny creative chaos - they make full use of the props in the two stores, and there is plenty of hilarious slapstick along with some more subtle humor (for example, watch for the running gag each time they go next door). Not to be missed for fans of these master comics.