Big Business (1929) User Reviews

Iconic Laurel & Hardy humor

[knsevy · 9/10 · 29 March 2004]

*XMAS SPOILERS*

One of The Boys' funniest silent films, 'Big Business' contains their trademark Reciprocating Destruction theme. Irascible James Finlayson's temper and Stanley's oblivious ineptitude light the fuse to a battle that starts with a broken tree branch and ends with the total destruction of a Model T and the partial destruction of a Culver City bungalow.

It's a sheer delight to watch The Boys and Fin deliberately, and with malice aforethought, find new ways to inflict indignities upon each others' property. Fin cuts up the Christmas tree they were trying to sell, Stanley takes a pen knife and carves the wood off Fin's door frame. From there, we build to a crescendo of Stanley pulling up shrubs and hurling them through windows and Ollie methodically potholing the yard with a shovel, while Fin dances on the rubble that used to be The Boys' delivery truck. The neighbors gather on the sidewalk, unsure what to make of the melee; even the neighborhood cop is too stunned to step in and break it up.

This is a sport at which Laurel & Hardy excelled, and at which they can be seen again in the all-out wardrobe assault of 'Hats Off' and the freeway free-for-all of 'Two Tars', possibly their greatest Reciprocating Destruction movie.

This is a movie you should definitely buy.

Absurdity.

[magnetic84 · 9/10 · 15 August 2000]

This classic Laurel and Hardy silent is definitely one of their best. Sound is not necessary to realize how absurd the concept of selling Christmas trees door-to-door in California is. The film drags a little bit at the beginning, but picks itself up incredibly fast to be incredibly funny. This is a must for everyone.

Classic Laurel and Hardy short

[Libretio · 9/10 · 13 March 2005]

BIG BUSINESS

Aspect ratio: 1.33:1

Sound format: Silent

(Black and white - Short film)

A minor dispute between two Christmas tree salesmen (Laurel and Hardy) and an irate customer (James Finlayson) escalates into massive mutual destruction.

The first collaboration between L&H and veteran comedy director James Horne is a masterpiece of its kind, in which two bickering salesmen become involved in a war of attrition with bad-tempered customer Finlayson (an invaluable member of the L&H universe). The escalation of conflict is joyously contrived (Finlayson reduces The Boys' car to spare parts, and they do the same to his house), and the pay-off - in which the entire cast is reduced to tears! - is no less satisfactory. Legend has it that the filmmakers accidentally destroyed the wrong house, after hiring the one next door...

The smell of burning Model T in the morning

[rsyung · 12 December 2003]

As an avowed Laurel and Hardy fan, I must say that Big Business falls into a special category all its own. I find the simple, deliberate nature of it immensely appealing. There is something downright innocent about the long-lost freshness of those semi-developed streets of Culver City and environs on that sunny December morning in ‘28 and they add a quality of mise-en-scene which was surely never foreseen back then. The snowballing reciprocal destruction starts innocently enough: an errant branch of Christmas tree--that symbol of peace and goodwill to men--gets caught in Jimmy Finlayson's front door once too often…and ends up with extensive property damage on both sides. But each step in the progressively destructive game is almost reasonable…its just when one contrasts point A with point Z that the absurdity, and the comedy, of the situation is so apparent. Produced on the cusp of the talkies, Big Business is also a sort of frantic paean to a lost art. And, in a strange way, unlike so many of their other films, Stan and Ollie are triumphant as they run from officer Tiny Sanford into the fade out. For as Jimmy lights up his exploding cigar, they are the ones lucky enough to have gotten in their last licks. In spite of losing the battle, they have won the war. One can almost smell the fragrance of pine needles intermingling with the stench of burning Model T

The Build-Up

[boblipton · 10/10 · 7 December 2020]

If you know one Laurel & Hardy silent movie, this is the one, and it deserves to be. There are other fine Laurel & Hardy silent shorts, and I adore them, but this one has the slow build-up in violence, the tit-for-tat rhythm as each side does something even more destructive while the victim alternates standing there calmly while watching a tree be uprooted or a car torn to pieces, while a crowd gathers to watch the growing chaos.

There are lots of stories about this short, none of which are true. No, they didn't tear apart the wrong house by mistake. No, it's not about selling Christmas trees in July. There's no need to ornament the movie. It's perfect as it is.

They're Selling Christmas Trees in California? Well, We Guess It's Easier Than Selling Refridgerators to Eskimos! ( or makin' a Great Comedy!)

[redryan64 · 10/10 · 8 November 2007]

The year of 1929 marked the Big Turnabout for Hollywood. The clamor for Sound Film, "the Talkies", "All Singing, All Talking" and what have you, had started out slow and was rapidly snowballing to the point that "sounded" the end of silents. In this year we had both sound and silent films released as well as some released in both sound and silent versions. If there were to be any more Silent Masterpieces, now was the time to do it, or forever remain Silent.

As it just so happened that there was to be this one, truly unique Silent Laurel & Hardy Comedy Short coming down the pike! And this was 1929, it was surely none too soon!

One thing for sure is that BIG BUSINESS was far better known by title to the public than most any other L & H Silent Short. This is mainly because of the Robert Youngson compilation film FOUR CLOWNS (1970). The film from Mr. Youngson centered on the Silent Screen work of 4 of the top artists from that period. They were: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Charley Chase and Buster Keaton. Among the titles that were reviewed and condensed was BIG BUSINESS.

Furthermore, back in the1970's, before the advent of Home Video Recorders, film buffs/collectors had film with which to pursue their hobby. There was 16 mm and 8 mm. And late in the game we saw the arrival of the format of Super 8 and finally, Super 8 Magnetic Sound films.

Various catalogue houses around the country provided us with the titles we wanted. At that time, one firm, Blackhawk Films of Davenport, Iowa, was perhaps the greatest company in that field. As well as featuring titles from other companies (Castle Films aka Universal 8, Ken Films, Official Films), Blackhawk was probably the largest company to bring more titles into 16 mm, 8 mm and Super 8 formats under their own label.

Furthermore, it was the folks at Blackhawk who had the exclusive with Hal Roach Studios to manufacture and offer for sale the titles from the Roach back-log. And that of course meant a legalized monopoly on Laurel & Hardy Films! So, an awful lot of collectors in those early days of yesteryear made their first Laurel & Hardy home film BIG BUSINESS. I know we did!

OUR STORY: As the movie opens, we see Stan & 'Babe'* riding along in their truck with facial expressions betraying the fact that they haven't been doing so well that day. They stop and very ceremoniously unload a Christmas Tree from the back and proceed to go up to the door of the 1st house in front of them to sell their wares. After an absurd exchange with a Lady, they go to the second house. After having no more luck and even receiving a clunk on the head they finally get to the house of old nemesis, James Finlayson .

The sale not only goes bad, but the three get involved in an ever escalating back and forth battle, which is in itself a classic example of what Roach Studios Directorial Supervisor, Mr. Leo McCarey had dubbed, "Reciprocal Destruction. As things continue to intensify, more and more neighbors are drawn into the gallery. At last, a Police Officer (Stanley J. "Tiny" Sandford) arrives via Prowl Car; but at first, rather than making his considerable presence known, 'Tiny' sits pen in hand, jotting down his observations in his notebook.

Finally we see an official Police intervention and it has the effect of pouring oil on a choppy sea. One by one, the Beat Cop gets the story from each about the disturbance, and some questionable "Crocadile Tears" from "the Boys" turns the mood to sadness and conciliation. Peace is restored and tranquility reigns supreme, momentarily, that is until…..No, no Senor, I'm not gonna tell!

See the Picture! Or better yet, buy the Picture! In the whole scheme of things, at least in regards to film history, BIG BUSINESS ranks as just about the zenith of the Laurel & Hardy silents. It showed a team that had been together for nearly 3 years, all the time finding their way and perfecting the business between the twosome that, to the public, was Laurel & Hardy.

And BIG BUSINESS was perhaps the finest single film exponent of that above mentioned "Reciprocal Destruction". What a fitting way to bid a fond farewell to the '20's and the Silents, and a hello to an Exclusively Sound output.

NOTE: * Oliver Norvell Hardy, while known on the screen and to the public as "Ollie", had, to all his friends, the nickname of 'Babe'.

An eye for an eye, and a house for a truck

[weezeralfalfa · 7/10 · 27 September 2018]

Nearly all the reviewers have rated this as one of the greatest comedies by Laurel and Hardy, or perhaps that anyone has produced. However, the overall mean rating of raters is not as high, at 7.8. Perhaps there is more than one person out there, besides the one current reviewer, who thinks that mutual destruction of property by two parties angry at each other is not especially funny, even when set in a humorous context. ......Stripped to it's bare essentials, this was a war, just as 2 nations try to destroy the other , piece by piece. Or like 2 boxers trying to bloody the other and wear them out, before knocking them out. Do we laugh at such? We may smile in approval, but really laugh?....... Yes, there is a degree of humor in the proceedings. But, I find ACCIDENTAL destructiveness potentially much funnier. Thus, in "The Boat", Buster Keaton accidentally destroys his house in getting the newly built boat out of his basement, because of lack of foresight. And, he accidentally allows his car to slip off the edge of the pier, into the sea. That is funny to me, although it wouldn't be to a real person. We don't feel guilty at laughing at Keaton's misfortune, because we realize his character doesn't represent a real person.......Here, I would say that Finlayson got the better of the boys in their war of attrition, since he totally destroyed their truck. However, the boys got in the last lick, with the exploding cigar Christmas 'gift'.

Silence is golden.

[BA_Harrison · 8/10 · 31 December 2020]

Thus far, my only experience with Laurel and Hardy has been their talkies; I wondered how I would fare with their silent comedy, that era of cinema being virtually unknown to me. I needn't have worried: such is the comedic excellence of the bowler-hatted duo that they're more than capable of reducing the viewer to fits of giggles without the need for dialogue.

Big Business is an example of what is known to L&H fans as 'Reciprocal Destruction', wherein the pair engage in tit-for-tat violence with an irate stranger, in this case, a homeowner (played by regular L&H co-star James Finlayson) who isn't pleased with the guys' Christmas tree salesmanship. It starts off slowly, with minor damage inflicted on the homeowner's property after he takes a pair of cutters to one of Stan and Ollie's trees. The level of damage gradually escalates, the homeowner dismantling L&H's Model T Ford, while the comedic pals trash the man's house - all under the watchful and bemused gaze of a local policeman.

Magnificently absurd and brilliantly performed by the three leads, Big Business gets big laughs as matters spiral out of control: Stan and Ollie's facial expressions are priceless and the physicality of their comedy is superb. 7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

Tit-for-Tat Hilarity

[Cineanalyst · 7/10 · 17 October 2019]

After viewing "Stan & Ollie" (2018), I decided to see some Laurel and Hardy films, many of which I'm shamefully unfamiliar with, but I've been disappointed. I don't find their brand of knockabout especially funny, and it hardly seems enough to sustain a feature-length production such as "Way Out West" (1937). I don't even particularly care for their Oscar-winning "The Music Box" (1932). This earlier, silent short, though, "Big Business," holds up well. I'd seen it before and laughed heartily, and it continues to have the same effect. The tit-for-tat destruction of each others' property, between Laurel and Hardy and James Finlayson, for whom the duo try to sell a Christmas tree, works.

It's not only the petty vandalism, as each side initially stands by calmly watching the other before retaliating, but also the nonplussed expressions of pedestrians and a police officer looking on. Other silent slapstick--I'm thinking particularly of early cinema or the later Keystone ones, such as say "Tillie's Punctured Romance" (1914)--made the mistake of having the on-lookers laugh at the spectacle of the main action, which for me at least, seems to have the counter-intended effect of suppressing any chance of laughter on my end. The comicality comes from the faux earnestness of those on screen.

Never-to-perish Comedy Classic

[Prichards12345 · 10/10 · 3 May 2006]

Want to know how to give yourself a self-induced hernia? Just watch this Laurel and Hardy Masterpiece unfold before your eyes. The first time I saw it I was reduced to a fit of hysterics - it made my entire week, and I only have to think of James Finn, a Christmas Tree wrapped around his neck as he tries to snap it, to get the giggles all over again. What can one say that hasn't been said already? To me it seems to tell us so much about why we humans fight and squabble over things that are not that important, and do it in an infinitely better and less heavy-handed way than Chaplin. Ugh! I'm getting all serious here - and one should not be serious at all about one of the funniest twenty minutes in screen history.

This is a beautifully polished perfect gem. It will survive as long as the movies themselves.

Big Business

[CinemaSerf · 7/10 · 12 September 2022]

This is a bit of a hoot.... Stan and Ollie are a couple of Christmas tree salesmen who fall foul of local curmudgeon James Finlayson. After an innocuous incident in his garden, we soon end up engaged in some quite funny - and very creative - tit-for-tat, wholesale destruction - all watched by a growing crowd of neighbours and Culver City's finest! Robert Israel provides a great accompaniment to their antics and it's a great instruction as to just how much damage three people can inflict in just 20 minutes!! Maybe some of the antics are a bit predictable, but the two have a synchronicity that is really quite enjoyable to watch.

Big Business is the best Laurel and Hardy holiday comedy I've seen

[tavm · 10/10 · 21 December 2008]

Hours after I rewatched The Fixer Uppers, I remembered another Laurel and Hardy short that had something to do with Christmas: This one called Big Business (also the title of a feature starring Lily Tomlin and Bette Midler from 1988). The boys sell Christmas trees in this one and are not very successful at it (maybe because it's sunny in this short's setting). One customer who's particularly annoyed is played by usual nemesis James Finlayson. The gradual destruction caused by these three as well as their reactions to each indignity make this one of the funniest of the L & H silents. There's also notable bit players like Charlie Hall, Lyle Tayo, and as a cop watching all the shenanigans, Tiny Sandford who's also good in his role. So on that note, this is my favorite of the Laurel and Hardy holiday comedies. P.S. If you can read lips, you've probably noticed Stan addressing Ollie by his nickname, Babe, which he was called when he first worked in the film industry when it was briefly based in Jacksonville, Florida, which is where I once lived during the late '80s-early 2003. Update-9/24/11: I just watched this again at an outdoor screening at the Baton Rouge Gallery with live musical accompaniment by The Incense Merchants, whose contemporary stylings add to the proceedings immensely, with an appreciative audience of which one female member laughed as loud as I did. (she must also be an L & H fan like yours truly!)

A Smashing-Bashing Matured Comedy with every signature trademark of Legendary Comedy Duo Laurel And Hardy.

[SAMTHEBESTEST · 7/10 · 27 July 2021]

Big Business (1929) : Brief Review -

A Smashing-Bashing Matured Comedy with every signature trademark of Legendary Comedy Duo Laurel And Hardy. Having seen Laurel and Hardy's talkies already, Big Business was a new experience to me and new lesson as a movie buff, too. Well, this was really amazing and surpassing. I didn't expect a shot film to bring so much in such a short runtime and that too in a silent mode but Big Business was really a BIG BUSINESS of matured comedy. Ollie and Stanley are two Christmas Tree sales reps who get into one of their usual mutual-destruction fights with a disgruntled homeowner. First 2 minutes and they were at work to make you laugh. The next 5 minutes already gave positive vibes that it is gonna be a laugh riot next 15 minutes and that's exactly what happens. It wasn't any senseless laugh riot but a matured one. Lauren And Hardy had few punches in intertitles but rest it's a smashing-bashing crazy frenzy berserk all over. Keeping their every signature intact, they smashed the house and us too. That entire smashing scene was so hilarious that it didn't even need any dialogues, i mean intertitles to fetch laugh. It has enough, actually too much in those physical actions which many great dialogues failed to achieve sometimes. First it's about slapstick comedy with Lauren and Hardy at their best and then it's a clash of smashers. In one word, Terrific! I have seen some of Leo McCarey's great films of 30s and this was my first film of him from 20s decade jointly directed with Horne. Both of them put up a smart and nice show together. The understanding of sensible situations and matured, genuine comedy was there. Overall, another fine piece of work from Legendary Duo Laurel and Hardy. Unmissable for their fans and a fantastic watch for others too.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest.

Vaguely Unpleasant

[JoeytheBrit · 5/10 · 19 August 2009]

This is probably one of Laurel & Hardy's more famous silent comedies, in which they become embroiled in a relentless tit-for-tat war of attrition with homeowner James Finlayson who refuses to buy a Christmas tree from them. The boys wear heavy overcoats, as if to persuade the Californian residents that it really is winter weather but to no avail. Their tree and Stan's coat keep getting caught in Finlayson's door and each time Finlayson has to open it he is a little more irate until finally he cuts the tree into three sections. That's the cue for battle to commence. This isn't really one of my favourite Laurel & Hardy films –it's too mean-spirited for my liking, and there's something unpleasant about the destructive rage involved when Stan and Ollie enter Finlayson's house and begin smashing it up.

Non-Stop Zany Laughs

[Snow Leopard · 17 July 2001]

With non-stop zany laughs, "Big Business" is one of the very best Laurel & Hardy short comedies. It's pure lowbrow, slapstick humor, but it's done with perfect pacing and timing, and it's impossible to watch it without laughing.

It builds up gradually, beginning with Stan and Ollie going door-to-door trying unsuccessfully to sell Christmas trees, and soon leading to a wild fracas with irritated homeowner James Finlayson. This 'tit-for tat' premise was later the basis for a couple of their best sound comedies, with Charlie Hall instead of Finlayson (Hall also has a bit part in this one), but the idea works even better in a silent film like this, since there is no need for dialogue that might slow down the madcap antics. Tiny Sandford also provides some funny moments as a policeman observing the battle.

This is slapstick at its best, and anyone who enjoys these old comedies should make this a must-see.

Laurel & Hardy At Their Best

[CitizenCaine · 9/10 · 20 December 2003]

One of the funniest comedy shorts ever made. Laurel & Hardy are Christmas tree salesmen in California, trying to sell grouchy James Finlayson a poor excuse for a tree. That's it for the plot, but in the days of comic genius and timing, that's all we need. The boys play tit for tat with the disgruntled Finlayson in the form of mutual destruction of the one ups-man variety. This is perhaps a perfect vehicle for Laurel and Hardy's style of comedy. This is comedy in its simplest form imitated many times since, especially in cartoons. It's very very funny even when you know what's about to happen next. Do not miss this, if given the opportunity to see it. ***1/2 of 4 stars.

" What A Novel Idea "

[PamelaShort · 10/10 · 5 January 2014]

Big Business is one of Laurel and Hardy's best silent comedies. The whole idea of the two selling Christmas trees door to door is already a set-up for disaster. Trouble soon begins when an irate James Finlayson becomes extremely frustrated with the two annoying salesmen. Having slammed his door on them, the unwanted Christmas tree continues getting caught in Finlayson's door over and over until a hilarious tit-for-tat between the three escalates into a full blown destruction of Finlayson's property and Laurel and Hardy's car reduced to rubble. The facial expressions and comic antics of all involved are absolutely priceless. Hystericaly funny and very well paced, with a surprise ending, this is Laurel and Hardy at their finest. If you have never seen a Laurel and Hardy silent film, then Big Business is the perfect film to start with.

Laurel & Hardy vs. James Finlayson.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 7/10 · 12 July 2006]

The premise of this movie is very good. Laurel & Hardy are trying to sell Christmas trees in sunny California. Of course nobody wants to buy any. One of their costumers is being played by James Finlayson, with who they get into a serious brawl.

Basically the movie only has one big joke; The two boys totally wrecking Finlayson's house, while he totally wrecks the boys their car and Christmas trees. It's sort of fun to watch, mainly thanks to the acting and of the chemistry the three of them have on the screen. But it's not really a movie that made me laugh constantly. Sure of course I laughed and the movie had its moments of greatness but it overall wasn't really surprising enough to make this for me a memorable Laurel & Hardy comedy short.

Call me old fashioned but I prefer a Laurel & Hardy short with more slapstick humor in it, rather than just constantly wrecking and throwing things.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Features the comic theme of persistency

[StevePulaski · 9/10 · 25 August 2014]

The Laurel and Hardy comedy short Big Business is predicated off of the reliable comedic screen writing device of persistency, where characters tirelessly chase after a certain goal or continue engaging in a dead-end action hellbent for success (and laughs). The result can often be tiring, but the theme finds its home efficiently in this eighteen minute short by two of comedy's greatest leading men. Big Business concerns Laurel and Hardy as a pair of door-to-door Christmas tree salesman, looking to score big from ill-prepared clientele this holiday season. The two stumble upon a grumpy customer (James Finlayson), becoming persistent in their efforts to make a sale with him and effectively alienating him more and more with every word.

The man finally gets enough of it and proceeds to chop one of their Christmas trees with his hedgeclippers, which escalates a feud like no other. The men take turns by destroying whatever item they can get their hands on that belongs to the other person, meaning the home owner destroys Laurel and Hardy's inventory and their vehicle, while Laurel and Hardy take turns destroying the home of the home owner. This back-and-forth camaraderie catches the attention of a police officer (Tiny Sandford), who watches it all go down in awe.

One of the funniest scenes of the entire short is seeing Laurel throw the home owner's vases out of a window onto Hardy, who is standing on the front lawn using a shovel to hit and break them. The scene makes for hilarious, rapid-fire comedy that is only all the more impressive being that it's clearly and impromptu skit. Furthermore, the zealous attributes of Laurel and Hardy keep the comedy flowing, with complete and total awareness in terms of pacing and structure, on part of writer H.M. Walker and directors James W. Horne and Leo McCarey. Big Business is one of the funniest Laurel and Hardy shorts I have yet to see.

Starring: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson, and Tiny Sandford. Directed by: James W. Horne and Leo McCarey.

A Hilarious Symphony Of Destruction.

[FerdinandVonGalitzien · 7/10 · 7 January 2007]

For German aristocrats, California it is a very strange land, certainly… a place in where never rains is very suspicious for a Northern aristocrat accustomed to the cosy cold or the fresh north wind in their old bones. Due to the sunny, inconvenient weather during the whole year in such a place, is there is a point trying to sell Christmas trees, for example, to those warm-climate people? … Besides, who would like to buy a Christmas tree at this time of the year??...

In the film, there are two Christmas tree sellers with that particular conviction (fortunately the aristocracy have invented the back door in order to not be bothered by such unexpected visits). There is no chance of Christmas spirit in California… it is a terrible fact to have such a strange employ in that place. It is not a big business at all, certainly with all of the heat and tension that it is in the air. Irreconcilable attitudes arise between seller and buyer, no agreements are reached and it all ends up in with the police being called in as the neighbors bear witness to such destructive points of view and noisy selling methods.

Those bizarre Californian behaviors and persuasive methods, can be seen in "Big Business", a Hal Roach short comedy directed by Herr James W. Horne and supervised by Herr Leo McCarey, which starred by Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. It is a perfectly well-paced short film and a hilarious symphony of destruction.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must give orders to the servants not to allow trespassing sellers in the Schloss area to come around.

Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/

hilarious early Laurel and Hardy short

[planktonrules · 10/10 · 21 February 2006]

This is the granddaddy of all Laurel and Hardy fight with the neighbor shorts. A small disagreement escalates to a near-world war and destruction and mayhem result. This formula worked great here and was reprised in such Laurel and Hardy films as TIT FOR TAT, TWO TARS and THE BULLFIGHTERS. All these fights are excellent, but I have to give a higher score to this film because it was the first and most outrageous.

Laurel and Hardy are door-to-door Christmas tree salesmen! Naturally, their business is terrible (since it is Stan and Ollie) and some of their prospective customers, namely James Finlayson, are irritated by their bothering them. Well, this mild irritation quickly escalates to breaking the boys car and the boys destroying the man's home. All this is very funny and well-paced and I especially liked the ending--it might just catch you by surprise. This silent short is about as good as you can find from this duo.

By the way, this film appears in an abbreviated form at the end of Robert Youngson's compilation film WHEN COMEDY WAS KING (1960).

The 15th Annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival, David Jeffers for SIFFblog.com

[rdjeffers · 7/10 · 15 September 2006]

Yuletide Mayhem

Saturday July 17, 2010, The Castro, San Francisco

"Merry Christmas!"

Two salesmen who refuse to take "no" for an answer meet their match in an equally stubborn homeowner.

Only Stan and Ollie would attempt to sell Christmas trees door-to-door in sunny California. Their failure is of course inevitable, as is the havoc they wreak on the home of unfortunate Jimmy Finlayson, who has the temerity to rile them up! By the time a policeman finally arrives, the house and their truck are all but demolished as a neighborhood crowd watches from the street. Stan pitches breakable objects out a window to a batting Ollie on the lawn, while Finlayson gleefully dismantles their truck, one piece at a time as the cop observes unnoticed.

A popular Hollywood myth claims Hal Roach arrived on the set late in the day to discover the cast and crew of Big Business had destroyed the house next-door to the one he purchased for the film!

Big Business

[jboothmillard · 10/10 · 27 May 2009]

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. Stan and Ollie are selling Christmas trees door to door, and they are not having the best of luck, asking an unmarried woman, and someone not wanting peddlers with a hammer. It is when they get to the door of the male Homeowner (James Finlayson) that the laughs really commence. He says he is not interested, and the boys keep ringing the bell when the tree and Stan's coat keep getting caught in the door, until Finlayson loses patience and throws their tree away. They ask if he wants an answer for next door, and he cuts up their tree, and this sparks a hilarious battle of properties. We see house numbers pulled off, door hinges taken off, Finlayson's hair cut, a pocket watch broken, the door bell and phone line ripped, Ollie's shirt and tie cut up, Finlayson sprayed in the doorway by a hose, the boys' car destroyed piece by piece, and Finalyson house and plants vice versa. A crowd gathers and a policeman eventually comes over to break it up, and Stan's sobbing gets everyone else going too, and the boys apologise giving Finlayson a sorry cigar. The film ends with the policeman chasing the boys' after seeing them laugh, and Finalyson's cigar blows in his face. This is among Laurel and Hardy's greatest films, it features some of the funniest moments and all the wonderful slapstick and classic comedy you could want from a black and white film, and even with slightly off tune music it is an excellent silent film. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were number 7 on The Comedians' Comedian. Outstanding!

A good Laurel and Hardy short, but there are many greater ones

[bigstar303-0-166865 · 6/10 · 19 May 2015]

First let me say that I bow to no one on earth in my love for Laurel and Hardy. They were the greatest comics in cinema history, in my view. Yes, better than Chaplin, yes even better than Keaton (though I consider Keaton more of a film artist than a comic — in that realm, he's untouchable).

So I feel fully qualified, knowing The Boys' oeuvre backwards and forwards, to state that this film, while good, is overrated.

I used to believe that its status as the absolute apotheosis of their film career (and perhaps in all of film comedy) was simply a matter of a statement being repeated again and again until it becomes the truth without regard to its actual substance.

This still may be so, though I would think at least some of the reviewers here may not have read every book on Laurel and Hardy that exists, as I have...so maybe this really is their unaided view.

In any case — this is a one-joke film. There are some amusing bits, but there is very little of the character exploration and development that goes hand in hand with the slapstick and marks the best Laurel and Hardy comedies. Once the game is on with Fin, it's simply a series of ever-escalating spasms of childish destruction.

They did this sort of tit-for-tat mutual destruction bit much more deftly in other films — and most of those films have additional L&H delights going for them that this one-trick pony does not.

To me, the ultimate test is the laugh quotient. There are a great many Laurel and Hardy films that can literally put me on the floor, collapsed in helpless laughter. This is not one of them.

I know that I may be virtually alone in my view of "Big Business," but that's OK. To those who are new to Laurel and Hardy, I just want to say that there are many other films in their canon that are superior to this one.

The Greatest Comedy Ever Made

[CHARLIE-89 · 16 June 2001]

Granted, there are feature films such as SOME LIKE IT HOT, DR. STRANGELOVE, ANNIE HALL, TOOTSIE, DUCK SOUP and so on that are classier, more well-written, and other such qualities. But when it boils down to laughs per minute, this short has them all topped. I mean, it is simply the best comedy ever done...anytime, anywhere. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy as two Christmas tree salesmen in sunny California. And James Finlayson as their potential customer. When they start to tear his house apart, I don't stop laughing for a second. I seriously believe that this film should be placed in a museum, next to any other great works of art.