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Tit For Tat (1935)
In Laurel and Hardy's slapstick, Academy Award-nominated
comedic short - it was a direct sequel to their film Them Thar
Hills (1934):
- the set-up was that there were two side-by-side
stores - Stan and Oliver's newly-opened electrical supply store
("Open for Big Business") was positioned
next to Mr. Hall's (Charlie Hall) grocery store
- Oliver became stranded on the grocery store's 2nd
story outdoor window ledge, because of an
accident while screwing in light bulbs in his electrical store's
marquee sign; he sarcastically told Stan: "I'm
waiting for a streetcar!"
- Oliver was forced to enter the window
of the apartment above the store, with Mrs. Hall's (Mae Busch) permission;
as he descended the stairs and entered the main floor, grocer Mr.
Hall overheard Oliver's risque line to his wife: ("I've never
been in a position like that before!") - causing Mr. Hall to
assume sexual shenanigans and accuse Oliver of fooling around with
her
- there was a great sequence of mutual, back-and-forth
property destruction: ("tit for tat" - although Stan
misinterpreted the phrase as "Tip me hat") between the
disgruntled proprietors, as Stan and Oliver repeatedly hung a "Will
Be Back Soon" sign
on their door as they proceeded next-door to wreak havoc and mayhem,
and vice-versa:
- (1) a hot electrical curling iron pinched and
burned Oliver's nose
- (2) a faceful of white sticky mashed
potatoes (?) was flung into Mr. Hall's face
- (3) Hall destroyed
about six watches from a circular store display by grinding
them up in a milkshake blender; after calmly watching the damage,
Stan picked up a spinning wheel (one of the damaged watch parts)
and put it into his overalls pocket
- (4) honey was poured into
Mr. Hall's cash register
- (5) the top of Ollie's hat was severed
by Hall's deli slicer
- (6) a bucket of Rex pure lard was dumped
over Hall's head
- (7) Stan and Oliver ate marshmallows from
a bin spiked with alum powder
- (8) Hall rampaged into the
electrical store - he destroyed all of the overhead light fixtures,
and broke the front window
- (9) both Stan and Ollie were hit
with a faceful of the mashed potatoes
- (10) Hall was placed
bottom-first into a crate of eggs, while another crate of eggs
was poured over his head
Milkshake Blender
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Rex Pure Lard Dumped on Hall's Head
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A Faceful of Mashed Potatoes
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- meanwhile, there was the running gag of a shoplifting-customer
(Bobby Dunn) repeatedly entering and stealing items from the electrical
store as the pair left each time, although always exchanging pleasantries;
first, he carried things out, then used a wheelbarrow, and finally
culminated with backing up a moving truck to completely empty the
store during the many reprisals
- the final gag: a policeman (James C. Morton) who urged
the two feuding parties to apologize to each other, non-chalantly
grabbed one of the marshmallows (covered with alum) and suffered the consequences
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Stan and Oliver's Electrical Supply Store
Oliver Stranded on 2nd Story Window Ledge
Oliver to Mrs. Hall: "I've never been in a position like
that before!"
Shoplifter Using a Moving Truck
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