Tit for Tat

Another fine mess for Laurel and Hardy. A remake, sort of, of Big Business, where in a tit-for-tat the pair reduce a guy's bungalow to matchwood, while the irate guy reduces their Model-T to scrap. In Tit For Tat L and H are again in business, when they open an electrical store. They soon fall out with the store-owner next door, Mr Hall, when he recognizes Hardy as someone who had some previous 'dealings' with his wife (Mae Busch). Unfortunately, Hardy falls from a ladder while fixing his store's signboard and lands on the first floor window ledge of Hall's shop. He is rescued by the wife, and hall can hardly miss the fact that Hardy comes down the stairs with his wife. Basically, the film comprises a series of tit- for-tat actions, between L & H and Hall, a small guy acting tough. Hall fries Hardy's nose with a pair of electric tongs, Hardy tips honey in Halls' cash register, Hall cuts top of Hardy's derby with a bacon slicer ad infinitum. While all this is going on another little guy is busy walking in and out of L & H's shop with their stock. Eventually he brings a wheelbarrow, then a truck.

Silent movie-land and early talkies constitutes a small world, and this movie has a link with a certain silent era comedienne. In Hollywood legend, the idea of the tit-for-tat in comedy films came from one- time Roach director Leo McCarey. He once attended a Hal Roach black-tie party, at which there happened along a certain Roach star (and ex- Queen of Keystone) by the name of Mabel Normand. Hearing that McCarey had spent an hour tying his dickie bow, Mabel walked up to him, flicked her finger in the tie and undid all the good work. While everyone laughed, Leo turned to the next man and flipped his tie apart, prompting the man to flick apart the next man's and so on, down the line. Thus, it is said, began the tit-for- tat film series. Unusually for a party attended by 'Madcap Mabel' no-one died.

Stan Laurel and Mae Busch have a big connection with Mabel Normand. Mae Busch, a long- time friend of Mabel, is the actress she (allegedly) caught with Mack Sennett, shortly before Mack and Mabel were (allegedly) to be married in 1915. End of wedding plans. However, in 1970, an aging Minta Arbuckle added the sequel that there was a scuffle during which Mae smashed a heavy vase over Mabel's head, fracturing her skull. However, as there was no revenge on Mabel's part, the latter story is probably untrue. Others insist Mabel's arm was broken, Mack insisted no one was hurt.

Stan Laurel was a serial mimic, who spent years on stage imitating fellow Karno actor Charlie Chaplin. When he got into films Stan took on a kind of Buster Keaton look, which met little success. He ran into Mabel Normand at Hal Roach's studio, and later seems to have relaunched his career using Mabel characteristics. The first time the dumb 'Stan' face appeared on screen was on Mabel in 'Extra Girl' (1923). Stan used to take off his hat, and ruffle up his hair, but Mabel was doing this in 1913. Where was Mabel while this movie was filmed? She was dying in a Californian sanitarium.