Shawn Hall Laurel and Hardy are best known for their 1930s and ’40s films, but their rise to fame began in the silent era. One of their standout hits from this early period is Big Business (1929), a short comedy that showcases their signature blend of slapstick and escalating absurdity. Big Business was voted #94 on Silent Era’s Top 100 Silent Movies List, which I’m reviewing as part of a bi-weekly series sharing whether I agree with each film’s inclusion on the list.
In Big Business, the duo plays Christmas tree salesmen roaming the streets of Los Angeles. They go door-to-door trying to sell trees, but meet mostly rejection. Things take a turn when one irritated homeowner snaps and destroys a tree with his hedge clippers. Laurel and Hardy respond the only way they know how: with complete mayhem. A petty argument quickly escalates into full-blown destruction, as the trio takes turns wrecking a house and a car, all while a bewildered policeman unsuccessfully tries to keep the peace.
Laurel and Hardy wreak chaos in Big Business
The film’s premise is simple, but that’s exactly where the comedy shines. Watching these madcap characters tear everything apart over such a slight is just simple fun. It’s a short film that relies on its physical gags, slowly crescendoing until a burst of energy that finishes out the film’s last half. The short’s comedy is a good showcase for the comedic timing that made Laurel and Hardy legends of the genre.
One of the most persistent legends around Big Business comes from its producer, Hal Roach. He claimed that the studio had bought a house just to destroy it for the film; however, the crew accidentally demolished the wrong home while the owners were away on vacation. Like many old Hollywood stories, it’s not true, just one of Roach’s fabrications. Still, it adds a bit of fun lore to the film that would make a great premise for another short comedy.
Hijinks Ensue
Big Business ranks number 94 on Silent Era’s Top 100 Silent Movies list. It’s an enjoyable 18-minute romp that silent film fans will definitely appreciate. That said, I personally wouldn’t put it in my own Top 100 as I don’t even think it’s Laurel and Hardy’s best silent short. For me, that title goes to The Battle of the Century, which features an epic pie fight that I think surpasses not only the laughs in Big Business but its chaotic energy as well.
Later this month, I’ll be switching gears entirely, swinging from the classic comedy duo to a hallmark of arthouse cinema, looking at Carl Theodor Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc.
