To be fair, there was no such inter-title on any previous TBOTC home video releases either, very likely because virtually nobody knew anything about the specific content.This film combines the French language versions of two Laurel & Hardy short films, Be Big and Laughing Gravy, into a pseudo-feature in which the actors speak phonetic French.
LORD HEATH LAUREL AND HARDY COLLECTION TV
This inter title is included in the edit that played on the German Arte TV station in early 2019, and yes, made its way to YouTube! It’s too bad that inter-title somehow got left off of the transfer that was used on the Definitive Restorations release.
The inter-title which details Ollie’s tripping over a Victrola Player is missing, along with the rest of the missing footage that bridges the gap between the insurance scene on the park bench and the start of Reel 2. However, there is one slight issue with the Definitive Restorations edit of this short. However, after being missing for so many decades (Apart from the 3:41 of highlighted pie throwing footage!), a complete reel in any form is most welcome, and it does appear about as mint as 16mm sourced footage from a late 1920s film title can be expected to look! Farewell to the truncated 10 and a half minute version! Bitterly ironic, considering the rest of that reel’s eventual fate!Īs has been previously observed, of course the 16mm sourced Reel 2 footage doesn’t have quite the same eye popping appearance, as the film’s 7 minutes of extant Reel 1 footage, which is sourced from 35mm film. Apparently, keeping both parts together would have led to damaging the non tinted portion of the reel. This was because the entire boxing sketch was tinted, but the rest of the reel wasn’t. Speaking of Reel 1, what was previously a little known fact, is the reason when the opening boxing scene was found in the 1970s, the subsequent insurance bit didn’t accompany it, was Reel 1 was actually split into 2 sections.
Like so many others, I am quite pleased to be able to view this iconic 2 reel comedy in its near complete form! A few minutes are still missing, from the insurance bit that takes place at a park bench, to when Babe trips over a Victrola Player as the boys walk down the street, which ends Reel 1! THE BATTLE OF THE CENTURY (1927) Observations & Opinions: However, it is explained below how the rest of the first reel "became" separated (Source: Richard W Bann commentary track): I don't recall a specific reason as to why the prizefight portion of "The Battle Of The Century (1927)" ended up being tinted. I wonder why we ended up with a tinted first reel (without the last few minutes), I guess it was intentional for the fight? Was it a promotion for the Technicolor process? I was listening to the latest L&H Blogcast by Patrick Vasey, with Randy Skretvedt as a guest, and it's interesting to hear the history of Battle Of The Century, in particular its rediscovery over the years. It's definitely the best version I've seen.
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