Movie Review "Big Business"

Hal Roach Studios ( 1929 ) Two Reels
Cast: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, James Finlayson
Producer: Hal Roach
Director: James W. Horne

Stan and Ollie are selling Christmas trees out of the back of a truck going door to door. At the first house they ask a woman if she would like to buy a tree and she says no. They ask her if her husband would like to buy a tree and she says she has no husband. Laurel asks " - If you had a husband, would he buy one? - " which insults the woman who calls them both a***s and slams the door in their face. ( You have to be a lip reader to get that last line. ) Ollie then tells Stan that he will be doing the talking from now on. At the next door there is a sign that reads POSITIVELY NO PEDDLERS OR SOLICITORS. This does not prevent Ollie from ringing the doorbell as he tells Stan " - It's personality that wins - " But as he stands next to the door a hand holding a hammer comes out and cracks Ollie over the head.

They try their luck at another house and James Finlayson answers the door. He is not interested and closes his door. Ollie and Stan go to leave but one of the branches of the tree is caught in the door's hinge. Ollie rings the doorbell to get Finlayson to open the door so the tree can be pulled free. Fin opens the door, tells them he is not interested, and slams the door before Stan can pull the tree free. Ollie rings the bell again and again Fin opens the door only long enough to tell them to get lost and once again Stan forgets to pull the tree free before the door closes. Ollie rings the bell again and this time as it opens yanks the tree free and smacks Ollie in the face with it. Fin yells at them and as Stan is trying to explain that the tree was caught in the door Fin slams it closed again. This time Stan's coat is caught in the door's hinge. Ollie rings the bell again, and angry Fin answers and yells at the two, Stan pulls his coat free, the door slams, and Stan finds out he got the tree caught in the hinge again. Ollie rings the bell one last time and Fin opens it, grabs the tree, and throws it across the yard. While they are putting the tree back into their truck Stan tells Ollie he has a big business idea. He goes back to Finlayson's door and rings the bell. When Fin answers Stan asks " -- Could I take your order for next year? -- ". A fed up Finlayson tells Ollie to bring the tree over and when he does he cuts it into three pieces with lawn clippers, then tells the boys to leave and slams the door.

An angry Stan takes out his pocket knife and pries off the address numbers on the side of the house. Fin sees this through the window and comes out. He takes Ollie's pocket watch and smashes it against the ground, then stamps on it before going back indoors. An angry Ollie borrows Stan's pocket knife and pries the doorbell off the wall, rings it, and then yanks it off the house. When Fin comes back out he shows the broken doorbell to him. Fin brings his phone outside and begins to call the police when Ollie cuts the phone cord and throws the phone away. Fin retaliates by taking out scissors and clipping Ollie's shirt and tie, then retreats back inside. Ollie and Stan turn the hose on, point it at the door, and knock on it to get Fin to come out where he is hit in the face with water. Stan and Ollie retreat to their truck and put up the windshield so that Fin can not squirt them. Fin yanks one of the headlights off and throws it through their windshield. Stan and Ollie retaliate by pulling a light off the side of the house and throwing it through a window. Fin retaliates by ripping the door off their car. They retaliate by kicking in his door and breaking it off the house. Fin attacks the trees in the back of the truck then begins yanking parts off the truck while Stan and Ollie chop down his trees, break his windows, and begin smashing his furniture. A crowd of people gather to watch the mayhem. Among them is a cop who does not get involved until after Fin sets fire to the gas tank and explodes the truck. the officer breaks up the riot and demands to know who started it. Both sides begin to cry an accuse the other of destroying their stuff. The police man gets them to shake and make up and Ollie gives Finlayson a cigar. As Stan and Ollie walk of they begin to laugh and realizing they were not really sorry for what they did the police officer chases them off. Finlayson smokes his cigar and it explodes.

This was one of Laurel and Hardy's most acclaimed comedies. It has a couple of urban legends surrounding it. One was that they were selling Christmas Trees in July. This plot point is repeated in many contemporary reviews when it is not the case during the movie which only states that they are selling Christmas Trees in California. Another legend was begun by Hal Roach himself. Roach claimed they had rented a furnished house that they had permission to destroy. On the day of shooting they arrived the house but the keys did not work. Deciding they were going to kick in the door anyway the broke in and filmed the movie, destroying the house in the process. When they were done the actual owners showed up and they found out they had destroyed the wrong house. Recently it was revealed that this story was not true.