The Battle of the Century (1927)
A hapless prizefighter managed by Oliver Hardy is knocked out in the ring, prompting a scheme involving a banana peel and an insurance policy. A dispute with a pie-delivery man then escalates until an entire city block is hurling custard pies.
Long known only from fragments, The Battle of the Century stages what is often called the largest pie fight ever filmed; a near-complete restoration assembled from rediscovered material in the 2010s renewed attention to this early Laurel and Hardy landmark, which is listed in the National Film Registry.
Background
The Battle of the Century is a 1927 Laurel and Hardy short directed by Clyde Bruckman and produced at the Hal Roach studio, where the two comedians were working together at the time. It is best known for a pie fight that takes over an entire city block. Oliver Hardy plays a prizefight manager whose boxer is knocked out by a banana peel, which leads to a scheme involving an insurance policy. A dispute with a pie-delivery man escalates until the whole neighbourhood joins in. The short runs about twenty-seven minutes and is one of the best-known set pieces of silent comedy.
What to watch for
Pay attention to the pie sequence, which is staged with a large cast of extras and built as a long chain of escalating throws. Laurel and Hardy’s timing is precise, and the short depends on their reactions as much as on the pies. The comedy rests on small misunderstandings that grow larger, which is typical of their work together. The story begins with a gag that looks almost incidental, and the escalation that follows shows how carefully the short was structured. Notice how the chaos is still easy to follow, with the central pair kept at the centre of the action.
