Women in slapstick comedy are rare in film history. In A PAIR OF TIGHTS, the athletic, imposing Anita Garvin and the petite Marion Byron excel as a comedy odd couple. They play two hungry young women who venture on a chaotic date with two penny-pinching, desperate admirers, resulting in plenty of witty exchanges, physical gags and masterfully timed slapstick routines. At the heart of it all is the attempt to buy ice cream at an ice cream parlour and then eat it. The first-rate comedy from Hal Roach Studios sparkles in this new restoration.
Rescued from obscurity by its inclusion in Robert Youngson’s 1960 compilation WHEN COMEDY WAS KING, this is a justly celebrated classic, one of the best Hal Roach comedies from a peak period of creativity. The 1928 Date Book tells us that movie animal provider Henry East was paid $35.00 per day for the services of “Hank,” the aggressive dog, on September 19 and 20, and that the Chrysler “65” Roadster which figures prominently was rented from “Covey.” Laurel and Hardy filmed some climactic scenes, but since these took the attention away from Anita, Marion, Edgar and Stu, it’s probably best that these landed on the cutting-room floor. Thanks to newly discovered 35mm elements in the Blackhawk and Jon Mirsalis collections, this new restoration reveals the complete film with a perfect image quality for the first time since 1928.
Randy Skretvedt, in: Laurel & Hardy: Year Two. The Newly Restored 1928 Silents (Flicker Alley Blu-ray booklet), 2024
