Customer Reviews

Laurel & Hardy: Big Business [VHS]

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I would have to rate this as the funniest silent movie ever made. Yes, I put it ahead of Chaplin's "Gold Rush" and Keaton's "The General." This is Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy (not to mention arch-rival James Finlayson) at their very best.

The plot is simple. Stan and Ollie are trying to sell Christmas trees in sunny California. They knock on the door of the grumpy Finlayson, who is in no mood to be bothered by pesky salesmen. From this modest start, the movie builds perfectly. Small misunderstandings grow to total war.

I could go on...but why try to describe it? You really have to see this one for yourself.

BIG BUSINESS is arguably Laurel and Hardy's finest silent film. It's also one of their best, period. Not exactly what you'd call a "Christmas movie," this is still the film you'll want to watch after you've had your fill of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE and the umpteenth remake of A CHRISTMAS CAROL.The boys are door-to-door Christmas tree salemen who accidentally run afoul of frequent foil Jimmy Finlayson. The reciprocal destruction battle that ensues is so beautifully paced and inventive that the film holds an honored place on the Library of Congress' list of 100 American cinema classics.The film looks great in this video transfer (a couple of shots are a trifle dark), and the music track is well done.

Big Business is considered by many Laurel and Hardy buffs (and I have to admit I'm one) to be their BEST silent film. In his book The Films of Laurel & Hardy William Everson writes that "one could not imprudently label (this film) the funniest two reels on film." For many years, according to one report, it was one of the most popular silent shorts. The premise is shockingly simple: "the boys" are going door-to-door selling Christmas tress in California. They have no luck (and get some bumps on the head) and then have the misfortune of knocking on the door of James Finlayson. For younger audiences, Finlayson is the bald-headed, moustachioed originator of the "DOOH!" on film later uttered and made popular at the end of the 20th century by Homer Simpson. But this is a silent flick, beautifully transferred onto video with a nice score. So what's so funny? It's a film of comic retaliation and escalation. Each time Finlayson does something, Laurel and Hardy respond. He watches, sometimes steaming but not moving, other times grimacing. Then he responds and they watch. It escalates in silliness until we see Laurel & Hardy destroying his home by playing baseball with car parts (from his car) batting them through his window, while Finlayson wrestles on the ground in anger with a Christmas tree (which seems to be winning the match). All the while a stunned cop watches on. It's all in the TIMING of these comic bits, the reactions, and the cast's chemistry. There's a flow to the whole piece -- starting slow, and building with laugh after laugh. You can see why Jerry Seinfeld and others have sited Laurel and Hardy as just plain funny and inspirational. According to legend, when Roach studios filmed this they went to the wrong house and destoyed it by mistake. There are conflicting reports on this. But some years ago during one of the Laurel and Hardy club Sons of the Desert get togethers in L.A. members jumped on a bus and visited this and other houses used in their films. The Big Business house has hardly changed -- although it is better shape today than at the end of this priceless, laugh-crammed film. Big Business is worth seeing -- and owning.

Stan and Ollie in one of their all time best films that has become a Hollywood legend. In it, the boys are a couple of door to door Christmas tree salesmen in sunny California. They run afoul of bald-headed, pickle-nosed Jimmy Finlayson. Simple misunderstanding leads to open warfare as the Stan and Ollie all but destroy Finn's house and he wrecks their "Tin Lizzy" in their most famous episode of civilized "reciprocal destruction". A bona fide all time classic. Don't miss this one!! Legend has it that when this film was made, cast and crew went to the wrong address and wrecked the wrong house by mistake!

All I can say about this film is that it was probably the funniest, most perfectly made comedy of all time. I've seen it dozens of times, and I still laugh at one point, for about 15 minutes straight (and it's only a 20 minute film!)

My family and I saw this on tv, and talked about it for years after but never saw it again! I always remembered the good laugh we had so when I found it here I ordered it. I remember that the boys were selling Christmas trees door to door, and when they left this one house the man slammed the door on them catching the top of the tree. Well as things go on they get into a fight and end up destroying each others property, trying to out do each other! Enjoy!

"Big Business" is definitely a comedy classic. It is great to see this film (and numerous other Laurel & Hardy silent shorts) restored and made available on video. Some of the last silents released by The Nostalgia Archive (now going under the corporate name Hal Roach Studios) include the original Vitaphone music soundtracks. The 1929 jailbreak comedy "Liberty" benefits the most from this treatment, with music and effects synchronized perfectly with the action on screen. My only complaints with the whole line of tapes from this company are that the 20-minute shorts are parceled out only one to a tape, at a hefty price of around $10 each (the recent DVD compilations are a much better deal), and some of the films (happily not including "Big Business") have "frozen" title sequences with awkward transitions. But it's great to have them available for viewing, and here's hoping that L&H's sound-era shorts will be made available on video once again, preferably with as much care as seen in this series.

I haven't seen all of The Boys short films, but this is certainly one of the best I've seen, if not the best. The groundwork for the humor is well-laid out. The timing of the gags is superb, better than in "Two Tars." Also, there is very little that is superfluous to the story. They simply want to sell a tree to Finlayson. Once relations deteriorate between them and Finlayson, and the "retribution" starts cascading, this film really hits its stride. The house, yard, car, and Christmas tree are all creatively used by the principals. The gags seemed timed in the second half of the film that laughter would slow only slow down (not stop) before another laughter-producing event would occur, and so on.

I saw this movie for the first time in the middle 70's and had wanted to add this to my collection ever since. Keep your remote controller close at hand to pause the action as you go running off to bathroom. It will have you in stitches and is a great party-warmer-upper, especially at Christmas time.

This seems to be most peoples' favorite L&H silent. Although it's not my personal favorite, it is somewhere in my Top 5. The plot is very simple, and is pure classic slapstick. I know not everyone cares for slapstick, but a lot of people are big fans of it, and it's really counterproductive and even a bit insulting to basically say that it's good enough if you like that sort of thing, but you'd be better-served checking out the work of other less-physical comedians. That is a personal opinion, and one which isn't stated in a very tactful or respectful way. Anyway, Stan and Ollie are Xmas tree salesmen, driving around the neighborhood hawking their wares when they encounter a very belligerent guy (the always fantastic Jimmy Finlayson) who wants no part of their business, and quickly goes from merely politely refusing to buy a tree to outright warfare. The boys of course refuse to take this lying down, and begin fighting back. Wholesale destruction of property ensues, as a nearby cop (Tiny Sanford) is just watching and waiting for one of them to do something that will give him cause to intervene. Charley Hall, one of their other great supporting regulars, also puts in an appearance as one of the neighbors. And contrary to what many people believe, this does take place in December, not July. California is sunny, so there won't be much or any snow on the ground in December. We also see the boys wearing coats, so we have another big hint that this probably does not take place in July. I'm curious as to where exactly that urban legend got started. All in all, a great little film that would be one of the ideal first L&H silents for a fan to see if s/he's only familiar with their sound work.