Part of the beauty of this perfectly paced classic comedy is not just it's gradual compounding of incident but how resonant it's plotting is today. Who likes traffic jams? Nobody! Stan and Ollie seem almost prescient to have tapped into a vexation that plagues us even now; maybe more than ever on today's superhighways that still cannot accommodate the flow of modern commuting. It is not so much the individual performances that matter here, but the over-all building of pace and piling on of incident. I think of this film every time I'm tangled in bad traffic; so will you, but please resist the temptation to rip the fender off of the car alongside you -- it may be mine.
23 Reviews
How Many Ways To Destroy A Car
chuckamania6918 January 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Laurel and Hardy were perhaps the most destructive comedy team of all time. They prove that time and again as they find more ways to destroy cars from mass destruction in Two Tars to the sawing in half of their car in BUSY BODIES.
The first part of this two-reeler is a setup. There are some funny gags which are typical L&H. The boys are "Two Navy Dreadnaughts" on shore leave who have rented a car and treat it as such. Who's the worse driver, Stan or Ollie. Two damsels in distress (young flappers) catch the eyes of our heroes. A wicked and greedy gum ball machine has refused to give forth its goods in exchange for coinage inserted into it. Not to worry, Stan and Ollie to the rescue. Well, maybe not. After Ollie breaks the 'thingy' the store owner (Charlie Hall) comes out to confront the hooligans. Here Stan shows his genius for taking a pratfall, obviously learned while he was understudy to Charlie Chaplin. None-the-less they impress the damsels in distress and they become their dates.
The real fun starts when the party is driving back from the date and they hit a traffic jam. This is the ultimate lesson on how to destroy cars which are bashed, ripped apart, pushed over and rammed into. In typical Roach tradition, this feature builds its situation and then reaches a crescendo of destruction.
The first part of this two-reeler is a setup. There are some funny gags which are typical L&H. The boys are "Two Navy Dreadnaughts" on shore leave who have rented a car and treat it as such. Who's the worse driver, Stan or Ollie. Two damsels in distress (young flappers) catch the eyes of our heroes. A wicked and greedy gum ball machine has refused to give forth its goods in exchange for coinage inserted into it. Not to worry, Stan and Ollie to the rescue. Well, maybe not. After Ollie breaks the 'thingy' the store owner (Charlie Hall) comes out to confront the hooligans. Here Stan shows his genius for taking a pratfall, obviously learned while he was understudy to Charlie Chaplin. None-the-less they impress the damsels in distress and they become their dates.
The real fun starts when the party is driving back from the date and they hit a traffic jam. This is the ultimate lesson on how to destroy cars which are bashed, ripped apart, pushed over and rammed into. In typical Roach tradition, this feature builds its situation and then reaches a crescendo of destruction.
Laurel and Hardy start an informal demolition derby in heavy traffic
weezeralfalfa2 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
A popular Laurel and Hardy silent comedy short. Most people emphasize the last two thirds of the film, which involves the boys starting a little shoving match with the car behind them, as they are the first car in a long line, stuck because of road work. Eventually, this expands to involve most of the cars in their line, as well as the other line, in a tit for tat affair. This is quite funny, especially for those who like slow, methodical , mutual destruction of property. Another good example involving a vehicle is provided by L&H in "Leave 'em Laughing", in which their truck is totally dismantled.........In case you haven't figured it out, 'tars' is a derogatory label for sailors, derived from the common use of tar to seal wooden ships........The first 9 min. includes the boys, in a rented car, getting acquainted with a couple of street tarts: one blond and the other brunette, for variety. The girls get them in trouble because they are upset that the street gumball machine cheated them. Hardy tries to pull one out of the dispenser, but no dice. Next, he picks up the whole thing and shakes it. This is overkill, as most of the gumballs fall on the pavement, creating a walking hazard. Finally, the shopkeeper(played by L&H regular: Charlie Hall) comes out to see what's going on. Laurel takes a couple of ineffective swings at him before being discombobulated by slipping and sliding on the gumballs. This, brings the girls out of the car. One kicks the shop keeper in the shin, then messes up his hair. He doesn't do anything about it, and they leave, with gumballs still all over the sidewalk. After a drive around town and country, we see them again, the girls wearing the boy's sailor hats, and the boys wearing the girl's hats. They will soon be in a traffic jam. The boys continue to wear the girl's hats all through the demolition derby, even after the girls inexplicably disappear, half way through the demolition. Another incongruity is that the boys eventually drive off, but previously their left front tire had been slashed and blown out......Thelma Hill: the brunette tart, mostly played bit parts in the late silent films period. She couldn't adapt well to talkies, preferring silent comedies. She would die of alcoholism at age 31..........See it at YouTube.
Hilarious Laurel and Hardy...Their Best Silent!
CHARLIE-8928 March 1999
TWO TARS (1928) is probably the best silent Laurel and Hardy ever made. It is hilarious. From the opening lamp-post gag, to the gumball machine, to the hilarious traffic jam and finally the train ending, this movie really is a rib-tickler. It's one of the greatest comedies ever made! Thelma Hill and Ruby Blaine are the girls, and Edgar Kennedy is the motorist whose car Laurel and Hardy promptly tear to shreds.
Road Rage 1920s Style
JoeytheBrit11 January 2010
Laurel & Hardy are once again sailors in this silent short from the early days of their partnership. The relationship between them is pretty much fully-formed by now, and the tit-for-tat format of their rucks with those who displease them (or whom, more often, they displease) is already established. On shore leave, they rent a car and go off in search of girls. They find a likely pair attempting to retrieve sweets from a sidewalk dispenser, and despite inevitably scattering the sweets all over the street, the boys somehow manage to entice the ladies into their car.
It's not long before they find themselves at loggerheads with other drivers as they find themselves stuck in a traffic jam, and soon cars are being systematically destroyed as tempers fray. The film is pretty good and there's quite a few laughs scattered throughout.
It's not long before they find themselves at loggerheads with other drivers as they find themselves stuck in a traffic jam, and soon cars are being systematically destroyed as tempers fray. The film is pretty good and there's quite a few laughs scattered throughout.
My favorite Laurel & Hardy short...
Renaldo Matlin14 March 2003
When I was young my stepfather borrowed - for quite some time - this old movie-projector and some old short-reels that we used to watch on a white wall in his radio-shack (later I learned he borrowed it, not to entertain the kids but to watch old pornographic movies, but that's another story).
My favorite memory from this was "Two Tars", a 21-minute short with Laurel and Hardy, and ever since it has been my all-time-favorite comedy short. I will not dwell on the reason for this, only tell those who haven't seen it that it contains what has to be the wackiest traffic-jam in the history of movies! Every time I come across it on TV it just cracks me up how a small quarrel ends with the motorists literally TEARING their cars apart! It has to be one of most brilliant examples of crazy-comedy put together, masterfully staged by it's director James Parrott.
Not surprisingly, Leo McCarey who originated the story for "Two Tars", five years later directed the mother of all crazy-comedies: the Marx Brothers' "Duck Soup".
A must see!
My favorite memory from this was "Two Tars", a 21-minute short with Laurel and Hardy, and ever since it has been my all-time-favorite comedy short. I will not dwell on the reason for this, only tell those who haven't seen it that it contains what has to be the wackiest traffic-jam in the history of movies! Every time I come across it on TV it just cracks me up how a small quarrel ends with the motorists literally TEARING their cars apart! It has to be one of most brilliant examples of crazy-comedy put together, masterfully staged by it's director James Parrott.
Not surprisingly, Leo McCarey who originated the story for "Two Tars", five years later directed the mother of all crazy-comedies: the Marx Brothers' "Duck Soup".
A must see!
Classic Laurel & Hardy
rbverhoef11 November 2003
Laurel & Hardy are two sailors. They take to girl with them on their rented car and end up in a traffic jam. They get hit by another car and the wrecking of cars start. In the end all people there are involved in one big fight.
This is a funny short although for me it had no real big laughs. Nevertheless I enjoyed it very much. Another short classic from Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.
This is a funny short although for me it had no real big laughs. Nevertheless I enjoyed it very much. Another short classic from Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.
A Lovely Day's Drive?
theowinthrop17 September 2006
TWO TARS has gotten a deserved reputation as being one of the funniest of the Laurel & Hardy short comedies (and certainly among the best of their silent comedies) due to the last half of the film. Initially Stan and Ollie are on furlough from the navy, and meet two young ladies (Thelma Hill and Ruby Blaine). After some typical Hardy small talk (in which he drops his close relationship to Secretary of the Navy Curtis Wilbur), he and Stan decide to rent a car and take the girls for a drive in the country. Unfortunately their car ends up in a traffic jam.
Keep in mind that this was only 1928, and the expansion of American automobile use (from the days when the car was only the toy of the rich or the object of early racing figures like Barney Oldfield and Edward Vernon Rickenbacker) dated back only to 1914 when Henry Ford's Model T was put on the assembly line. By 1928 nearly 15 million of Ford's car was on the road - and there were other car companies too. And here we have a film (a short film comedy) which is about a traffic jam. Modern problems are always mirrored in the movies.
The series of confrontations L & H have are with equally grumpy motorists like Edgar Kennedy (whose front tires and fenders the boys manage to pull off in timed unison). Cars backs are dumped off, or they are reduced to accordions on wheels. Every possible disaster that could befall a 1928 car is shown. And the police are fairly powerless to do much, except to watch in amazement (at the conclusion) of the parade of mangled cars. And it is, surprisingly, very funny indeed.
Keep in mind that this was only 1928, and the expansion of American automobile use (from the days when the car was only the toy of the rich or the object of early racing figures like Barney Oldfield and Edward Vernon Rickenbacker) dated back only to 1914 when Henry Ford's Model T was put on the assembly line. By 1928 nearly 15 million of Ford's car was on the road - and there were other car companies too. And here we have a film (a short film comedy) which is about a traffic jam. Modern problems are always mirrored in the movies.
The series of confrontations L & H have are with equally grumpy motorists like Edgar Kennedy (whose front tires and fenders the boys manage to pull off in timed unison). Cars backs are dumped off, or they are reduced to accordions on wheels. Every possible disaster that could befall a 1928 car is shown. And the police are fairly powerless to do much, except to watch in amazement (at the conclusion) of the parade of mangled cars. And it is, surprisingly, very funny indeed.
Bad first part, hilarious second.
Boba_Fett113831 January 2006
I didn't really cared much for the first part of the movie but the second part was absolutely hilarious.
The second part of the movie in which a small war gets unleashed between several different car drivers who are in a traffic jam is absolutely comedy gold. Almost every car ends up broken or entirely destroyed. The slapstick humor during the fights is Laurel & Hardy comedy at their best. Also the ending sequence is something hilarious and unforgettable.
It's a very satisfying Laurel & Hardy comical silent short, despite the weaker first halve.
7/10
http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
The second part of the movie in which a small war gets unleashed between several different car drivers who are in a traffic jam is absolutely comedy gold. Almost every car ends up broken or entirely destroyed. The slapstick humor during the fights is Laurel & Hardy comedy at their best. Also the ending sequence is something hilarious and unforgettable.
It's a very satisfying Laurel & Hardy comical silent short, despite the weaker first halve.
7/10
http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
Brilliant
Caz196428 May 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Laurel and Hardy did some brilliant silent shorts as well as talkies,i think i have most of them in my collection,other great silent shorts they made were Sailors Beware,and Why girls love Sailors where Stan for the first time dresses up as a woman with hilarious effect,But for me the one that stands out as the funniest is Two Tars the ending is hilarious especially when the police man lets all the broken down cars go and is holding Stan and Ollie as the culprits,and they are laughing behind his back as they watch the cars go by.It ends with one of cinemas funniest car chases.This is one silent short L&H didn't do a remake of in the talkie era,unlike a lot of their others,Two Tars was best left as a silent classic as it stands out on its own.
Nowadays one seldom sees the sort of highway mayhem . . .
cricket3012 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
. . . comprising the last half of TWO TARS. The reason for this should be obvious to any self-respecting American Citizen. When this flick was released almost a century ago, Authorities estimate only about 15 million Peacemakers were held in private hands. However, in our enlightened modern year of 2022, experts suggest that we can all rest easy because the USA's "well-regulated militia" (or Citizen Army) is packing more than 600 million pieces--if you count all the antique rods, ghostly printer products, as well as various incarnations of "zip guns," and other Secret Agent 007-type satchel, camera and briefcase firearms. Surely Stan and Ollie would be drilled more times than Bonnie and Clyde if they tried to pull their anti-social vandalism shenanigans on a contemporary American highway. So enjoy TWO TARS, and don't forget to thankfully support your local chapter of BANGS: Broke Americans Need Gun Stamps.
Laurel & Hardy get into a traffic jam in Two Tars
tavm3 August 2011
When I first watched this at the East Baton Rouge Parish Library about 30 years ago, I remember being a bit disappointed since there was no dialogue or sound effects, this being my first exposure to a silent film in its entirety not to mention that of Laurel & Hardy without their voices. I liked it much better when I bought the VHS tape during the '90s and having now rewatched it on Hulu as linked from IMDb, I now think this is one of their near-best ever! Everything from Stan's first accident when driving to Ollie's when he takes the wheel to a bubble gum machine incident involving L & H regular Charlie Hall to that chaotic traffic jam, it's just one hilarious visual gag after another! Besides Hall, other funny supporting turns come from Thomas Benton Roberts, a prop man at Hal Roach Studios, as a man with the tomatoes, Edgar Dearing as the motorcycle cop attempting to arrest the boys, and especially Ruby Blaine as the blonde half of the girls Stan and Ollie pick up for dates who really gives it to Hall and later sprays oil on another female passerby. Ms. Blaine was reportedly a professional wrestler then appearing in near Pasadena. Thelma Hill plays the other brunette half. If you're interested in the behind-the-scenes info on this particular short, I highly recommend Randy Skretvedt's book "Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies" on which he reviews all their films (though since one of them-Hats Off-is completely lost for now, he can only mention what reviews at the time said of that). So on that note, Two Tars is highly recommended.
Tars in cars
Horst_In_Translation17 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This is a 20-minute black-and-white movie with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy from over 85 years ago. The duo made this one still during their earlier years, so it's still a silent film and we get all the interactions from intertitles. However, i have to say that, in general, I find them funnier when they are talking. Then again the problem with this one is that it's simply too repetitive. The entire thing is basically about a traffic jam and the car owners stuck on the streets being angry at each other. It gets physical quickly and a huge brawl ensues with our two heroes right in the middle. Oh yeah and there's also two girls in there cheering happily for they guys fighting, occasionally fighting themselves earlier in the film. The irony about these two actresses is that one died at an old age, but was not too prolific of an actress while the other died at 31 with already over 100 performances in her body of work. In any case, this one here is probably among their most famous, but not among their best I hope as "Two Tars" (made by the regular Stan&Ollie collaborators Parrott and Walker) is a fairly forgettable movie. Not recommended.
Good Short Comedy
Snow Leopard13 August 2001
This is a good short feature, among the best of Laurel & Hardy's silent movies and one of several of their popular 'retribution comedies'. Stan and Ollie are "Two Tars" on leave, who pick up a couple of women and then get involved in a series of slapstick confrontations. The second reel, set in a traffic jam, is particularly funny. Two of their best supporting players appear in Charlie Hall and Edgar Kennedy. If you like Laurel & Hardy's silent films, make sure to see this one.
Coping with life's greatest challenges
StevePulaski20 July 2014
Laurel and Hardy's silent short Two Tars could essentially be branded as "the quintessential silent comedy," boasting a great deal of physical comedy, broad, situational comedy, early examples of breakneck slapstick, and two engaging and energetic leading men at its core. The short concerns Laurel and Hardy as your average sailors, who meet two dashing dames in the middle of town, who are having trouble operating a gumball machine (or, what they refer to as, a "doodad") since it ate their penny. Trying to assist the girls becomes a comedic affair in itself, as Hardy mistakenly breaks the doodad, with gumballs flying everywhere. Possibly one of the most famous scenes in the career of Laurel and Hardy involves Laurel slipping and sliding on a mess of gumballs that now lie on the town's sidewalk.
After ditching the mess just in time, the quartet find themselves stuck in the middle of a monstrous traffic jam, one so big, it almost, almost compares to the one we would witness in Jean-Luc Godard's Weekend a few decades down the line. As always in traffic jams, tensions flair and motorists become restless, leading to unsurprisingly fun and unpredictable results. Another element of Two Tars that I neglected to mention, with it adhering to the building blocks of silent filmmaking, is that it makes complete use of its elements of unpredictability, always deceiving you in which direction you think the short would presumably go. It also helps we have such energized leads like Laurel and Hardy to make the affair that much more fun and engaging.
Two Tars can ultimately be summed up as the classic silent comedy from the 1920's, and a fine depiction of two of life's greatest challenges and patience-testers, which are pleasing women and coping in traffic jams.
Starring: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Thelma Hill, and Ruby Blaine. Directed by: James Parrott.
After ditching the mess just in time, the quartet find themselves stuck in the middle of a monstrous traffic jam, one so big, it almost, almost compares to the one we would witness in Jean-Luc Godard's Weekend a few decades down the line. As always in traffic jams, tensions flair and motorists become restless, leading to unsurprisingly fun and unpredictable results. Another element of Two Tars that I neglected to mention, with it adhering to the building blocks of silent filmmaking, is that it makes complete use of its elements of unpredictability, always deceiving you in which direction you think the short would presumably go. It also helps we have such energized leads like Laurel and Hardy to make the affair that much more fun and engaging.
Two Tars can ultimately be summed up as the classic silent comedy from the 1920's, and a fine depiction of two of life's greatest challenges and patience-testers, which are pleasing women and coping in traffic jams.
Starring: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Thelma Hill, and Ruby Blaine. Directed by: James Parrott.
An escalation of vandalism on the open road.
alexanderdavies-993823 August 2017
Laurel and Hardy scored another comedy masterpiece about vandalism on the open road and on a rather grand scale! In "Two Tars," Stan and Ollie play two sailors who are enjoying some shore leave for a few hours. After becoming acquainted with two young ladies, they all take off in a rented car for some fun. Unfortunately, there is a considerable traffic jam on this long stretch of open road. In the world inhibited by Stan and Ollie, it never takes long or very much for the people around them to display any kind of hostility toward them. Such is the case here. Edgar Kennedy begins the trouble as one of many irate drivers. We see one action of vandalism after another and committed by one and all! It is all orchestrated and edited superbly. This has a generous dose of location shooting, not that Laurel and Hardy needed much of that in order to be funny.
VERY familiar material, but it still will make you laugh!
planktonrules22 November 2007
This Laurel and Hardy silent short might seem very familiar to Laurel and Hardy fans even if you've never seen the film before. That's because it uses a formula that worked well in many of their shorts. Basically, Stan and Ollie are trying to act tough (this time spurred on by two cute ladies) and after a small altercation develops, the two take the "tit for tat" notion to amazing heights. In this case, a tiny fender bender results in car destruction on a massive and hilarious scale. A few Laurel and Hardy films that have used similar plot construction are the great BIG BUSINESS, BATTLE OF THE CENTURY, TIT FOR TAT and the final portion of MEN O'WAR (which, incidentally ALSO has them playing sailors on shore leave).
So, if the formula is so familiar, why bother watching TWO TARS? Well, like the other films listed (and others), TWO TARS is just plain funny. Period. While the first 75% of the film is mildly funny, seeing the end results of all the destruction. The many, many sight gags are very reminiscent of the Keystone comedies and must have, for the time, cost a lot of money.
Now there is a problem with viewing this film, however. There are no DVD sets of the existing prints of all the Laurel and Hardy films. There was a videotape set produced many years ago, but it's out of print. As a result, I know of no place where you can now view this rare Laurel and Hardy film except online. Under Google Video, there's an old Blackhawk films print (probably taken from an 8 or 16mm home movie) but there is no incidental music--just silence. But, even given these limitations, it's still well worth finding and watching. Not the best Laurel and Hardy film, it IS among the better ones this fine team produced.
FYI--This short is currently playing at the Museum of Modern Art in New York with organ accompaniment. I have no idea how much longer this will be, but it's sure worth seeing--even if much of the art in the museum is too sophisticated for 99% of the public.
So, if the formula is so familiar, why bother watching TWO TARS? Well, like the other films listed (and others), TWO TARS is just plain funny. Period. While the first 75% of the film is mildly funny, seeing the end results of all the destruction. The many, many sight gags are very reminiscent of the Keystone comedies and must have, for the time, cost a lot of money.
Now there is a problem with viewing this film, however. There are no DVD sets of the existing prints of all the Laurel and Hardy films. There was a videotape set produced many years ago, but it's out of print. As a result, I know of no place where you can now view this rare Laurel and Hardy film except online. Under Google Video, there's an old Blackhawk films print (probably taken from an 8 or 16mm home movie) but there is no incidental music--just silence. But, even given these limitations, it's still well worth finding and watching. Not the best Laurel and Hardy film, it IS among the better ones this fine team produced.
FYI--This short is currently playing at the Museum of Modern Art in New York with organ accompaniment. I have no idea how much longer this will be, but it's sure worth seeing--even if much of the art in the museum is too sophisticated for 99% of the public.
Manic hilarity in a traffic jam
TheLittleSongbird19 August 2018
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were comedic geniuses, individually and together, and their partnership was deservedly iconic and one of the best there was. They left behind a large body of work, a vast majority of it being entertaining to classic comedy, at their best they were hilarious and their best efforts were great examples of how to do comedy without being juvenile or distasteful.
Although a vast majority of Laurel and Hardy's previous efforts ranged from above average to very good ('45 Minutes from Hollywood' being the only misfire and mainly worth seeing as a curiosity piece and for historical interest, and even that wasn't a complete mess), 'Two Tars' for me is their first great one with close to flawless execution. Definitely the best and funniest Laurel and Hardy short film up to this point of their output, one of their best from their overall early work and very nearly one of my personal favourites of theirs. Their filmography, apart from a few bumps along the way, was getting better and better and 'Two Tars' exemplifies this.
It may not be "new" material as such and the first part takes a little bit of time to get going.
When 'Two Tars' does get going, which it does do very quickly, it is non-stop funniness all the way. The ending especially is hilarious and my favourite ending of their early short films. There is insane craziness that doesn't get too silly, a wackiness that never loses its energy and the sly wit emerges here, some of the material may not be new but how it's executed actually feels fresh and it doesn't get repetitive.
Laurel and Hardy are on top form here, both are well used, both have material worthy of them and they're equal rather than one being funnier than the other (before Laurel tended to be funnier and more interesting than Hardy, who tended to be underused). Their chemistry feels like a partnership here too, before you were yearning for more scenes with them together but in 'Two Tars' we are far from robbed of that.
'Two Tars' looks good visually, is full of energy and the direction gets the best out of the stars, is at ease with the material and doesn't let it get too busy or static. The supporting players are solid.
Overall, terrific fun. Traffic jams don't get much crazier or funnier than this. 9/10 Bethany Cox
Although a vast majority of Laurel and Hardy's previous efforts ranged from above average to very good ('45 Minutes from Hollywood' being the only misfire and mainly worth seeing as a curiosity piece and for historical interest, and even that wasn't a complete mess), 'Two Tars' for me is their first great one with close to flawless execution. Definitely the best and funniest Laurel and Hardy short film up to this point of their output, one of their best from their overall early work and very nearly one of my personal favourites of theirs. Their filmography, apart from a few bumps along the way, was getting better and better and 'Two Tars' exemplifies this.
It may not be "new" material as such and the first part takes a little bit of time to get going.
When 'Two Tars' does get going, which it does do very quickly, it is non-stop funniness all the way. The ending especially is hilarious and my favourite ending of their early short films. There is insane craziness that doesn't get too silly, a wackiness that never loses its energy and the sly wit emerges here, some of the material may not be new but how it's executed actually feels fresh and it doesn't get repetitive.
Laurel and Hardy are on top form here, both are well used, both have material worthy of them and they're equal rather than one being funnier than the other (before Laurel tended to be funnier and more interesting than Hardy, who tended to be underused). Their chemistry feels like a partnership here too, before you were yearning for more scenes with them together but in 'Two Tars' we are far from robbed of that.
'Two Tars' looks good visually, is full of energy and the direction gets the best out of the stars, is at ease with the material and doesn't let it get too busy or static. The supporting players are solid.
Overall, terrific fun. Traffic jams don't get much crazier or funnier than this. 9/10 Bethany Cox
Funny Laurel and Hardy silent short
zacadoodles24 July 2011
This is one of the best Laurel and Hardy shorts made, even though it is a silent one. Big Business came out a year later and has the same premise. It has been argued that BB is the funnier of the two. I think Two Tars is funnier because it is much more relevant today as it deals with frustrations found in a traffic jam.
What makes these Laurel and Hardy silents a bit funnier to me then when they were first released is, since I know what their voices sound like, I can imagine them saying the lines when I read the title cards. Their voices matched them perfectly.
It's a shame here in the United States that there are not box sets of their shorts on DVD.
What makes these Laurel and Hardy silents a bit funnier to me then when they were first released is, since I know what their voices sound like, I can imagine them saying the lines when I read the title cards. Their voices matched them perfectly.
It's a shame here in the United States that there are not box sets of their shorts on DVD.
Two Tars
jboothmillard26 October 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are the most famous comedy duo in history, and deservedly so, so I am happy to see any of their films. We see the old good old US navy,then we see Battleship Oregon dreadnoughts Stan and Ollie driving without a care in the world nearly crashing their car, but they do crash and Ollie gets a lamp shade on his head. They stop and get out of the car to assist the two women who interest them, Thelma Hill and Ruby Blaine, trying to get some chewing gum out a broken dispenser, and obviously all the gum balls go all over the floor. It then moves on, and after a good day and swapping each others hats, the gang end up in a traffic jam, which they try and pass but end up crashing at the end of. When reversing they crash into the behind car, and they retaliate, and there is a little reversing and forwarding crashing argument. They end up making the next behind car getting a knock, and the driver of the before car gets out to kick the boys car, and there is a ruining each others cars argument there. A fight is occurring in another part of the jam, and Stan manages to cause more arguments further down, and soon enough everyone in the jam is fighting with everyone else. A motorcycle policeman (Edgar Dearing) comes along to stop it all, and everyone points to the boys as starting the big fight, and you see many cars driving forward with humorous damages (including two front wheels gone, log through wind screen, walking through floor to move, upside down and bouncing up and down through ruined roof). Before the policeman can take the boys anywhere, a truck runs over and flattens his motorcycle, and the boys drive away in a panic. The policeman gets all drivers to chase after them, and everyone follows them through a train tunnel, while only a few are hit head on by the oncoming train, the boys car is shrunk from the sides as it passed. Also starring Edgar Kennedy as Motorist and Charlie Hall as Shopkeeper. Filled with wonderful slapstick and all classic comedy you could want from a black and white silent film, it is an enjoyable film. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were number 7 on The Comedians' Comedian. Very good!
Considered One of Laurel and Hardy's Funniest Short
springfieldrental28 May 2022
Laurel and Hardy improvised many of their takes. Laurel was also involved in editing the final movies, dictating what scenes should stay-and which should be cut. No finer example of their ad-libbing was in November 1928's "Two Tars." There are two set pieces making up what many cite as one of the funniest shorts the pair created. The first revolves around a gum ball machine, where two attractive woman can't get their gum out. Hardy, being the ever macho fix-it man, decides to shake the machine-breaking the glass with hundreds of balls of gum pouring all over the sidewalk.
Later, the women latch on to the tipsy Laurel and Hardy, who play sailors needing to get back to their ship. Road construction causes a momentary traffic jam. The impatient Laurel goes around the cars, resulting in a series of battle royals between the comics and the other drivers, each tearing the other's cars apart and throwing vegetables.
Film historian Glenn Mitchell wrote in his review of "Two Tars," "The civilized exchange of violence is a motif recurrent in their films but seldom executed with the skill, variety and careful construction demonstrated here. Some consider it their greatest work." The pair's biographer noted this film catapulted the two into the higher echelon of film comedians. "They had moved without fanfare into the ranks of Chaplin, Lloyd, Langdon and Keaton." Nice company for a pair of actors who barely had seen their names lit on theater marquees before 1928.
Later, the women latch on to the tipsy Laurel and Hardy, who play sailors needing to get back to their ship. Road construction causes a momentary traffic jam. The impatient Laurel goes around the cars, resulting in a series of battle royals between the comics and the other drivers, each tearing the other's cars apart and throwing vegetables.
Film historian Glenn Mitchell wrote in his review of "Two Tars," "The civilized exchange of violence is a motif recurrent in their films but seldom executed with the skill, variety and careful construction demonstrated here. Some consider it their greatest work." The pair's biographer noted this film catapulted the two into the higher echelon of film comedians. "They had moved without fanfare into the ranks of Chaplin, Lloyd, Langdon and Keaton." Nice company for a pair of actors who barely had seen their names lit on theater marquees before 1928.
Sublime in every way
blueish3528 October 2023
Two Tars is a look at Stan and Ollie's formula perfected. They took this silent perfection into the sound era. I digress, on Youtube Pimpernel Smith did quite an incredible job turning the two-reeler silent into a talkie adding lifted dialog and sound effects from other L&H movies from the sound era. It obviously required an immense amount of work BUT it distorts the true nature of this quintessential silent masterpiece. Kudos for his craftsmanship but I prefer mere musical accompaniment. Problem is Nostalgic Entertainment has the preferred musical accompaniment but their print is inferior to Pimpernel's which is practically pristine. Alas.
Back to Two Tars, in the first reel it's all about the boys using their guileless charm in landing dates to take on a driving excursion. The boys usually fare well with the ladies, as long as they aren't their wives. The second reel is the tit-for-tat that they made an art form raised to the nth degree. A lot credit has been given to Parrott's direction and Leo McCarey's germ. I always champion Richard C Currier, editor extraordinaire. Also, did anyone notice that cameraman was George (Giant and Shane) Stevens?! Hal Roach may have been a real schmuck but we can thank him for this 22 minutes of heavenly bliss. I end by saying if your in the right mood this is screamingly funny.
Back to Two Tars, in the first reel it's all about the boys using their guileless charm in landing dates to take on a driving excursion. The boys usually fare well with the ladies, as long as they aren't their wives. The second reel is the tit-for-tat that they made an art form raised to the nth degree. A lot credit has been given to Parrott's direction and Leo McCarey's germ. I always champion Richard C Currier, editor extraordinaire. Also, did anyone notice that cameraman was George (Giant and Shane) Stevens?! Hal Roach may have been a real schmuck but we can thank him for this 22 minutes of heavenly bliss. I end by saying if your in the right mood this is screamingly funny.
Traffic Jam
rmax3048233 October 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Laurel and Hardy are sailors who help two girls who are having a duel of wits with a gum ball machine. They destroy it.
Taking the girls for a drive, they get stuck in a traffic jam. The car behind bumps theirs and jolts the four passengers. One thing leads to another and a general mêlée ensues. It ends with a dozen cars in various stages of demolishment pursue Laurel and Hardy into a railroad tunnel and hastily back as a locomotive roars through it. Laurel and Hardy didn't quite manage to escape, and the exit the tunnel in a car that has been squished in half laterally.
I don't think it's among their best, though it's mildly diverting. The brawl among the stalled cars isn't very inventive. People plop cement on others' heads, squirt oil in somebody's face, and tear each others cars apart piece by piece. They were to do far more inventive stuff in a short while.
Taking the girls for a drive, they get stuck in a traffic jam. The car behind bumps theirs and jolts the four passengers. One thing leads to another and a general mêlée ensues. It ends with a dozen cars in various stages of demolishment pursue Laurel and Hardy into a railroad tunnel and hastily back as a locomotive roars through it. Laurel and Hardy didn't quite manage to escape, and the exit the tunnel in a car that has been squished in half laterally.
I don't think it's among their best, though it's mildly diverting. The brawl among the stalled cars isn't very inventive. People plop cement on others' heads, squirt oil in somebody's face, and tear each others cars apart piece by piece. They were to do far more inventive stuff in a short while.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
