Thunder-Clap is played by none other than the dangerously menacing Noah Young, returning again after terrifying the boys in their previous comedies Do Detectives Think? and Sugar Daddies, and you’d be hard pushed to find a more frightening looking opponent. This farcical scene is reproduced at the start of the Laurel and Hardy film, with Stan as Canvasback Clump, “ better known as the human mop“, gearing up to take on Thunder-Clap Callahan, “ who will probably win“. This ridiculous delay lasted so long that Tunney was eventually able to compose himself, stand up, continue to fight and ultimately win. This incident gave the fight the historic nick-name ‘ The Long-Count Fight’, due to the fact that whilst Tunney was on the canvas, seeing stars, Dempsey wouldn’t retreat to a neutral corner of the ring, delaying the referee’s count. The victor of the bout was Tunney, despite him being knocked down in the seventh round. It was an eagerly awaited re-match and was promoted as, ‘ The Battle of the Century’. The actual sporting contest that Stan and Babe parodied in the film, was held on September 22 nd, 1927, just one month before shooting commenced, between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney. and as one of the main features of the picture is a parody of a famous heavyweight boxing match, it could be reasonably posited that it was Leo McCarey who came up with the idea for the picture. Gehring, McCarey’s father was a notable boxing promoter covering the West Coast of the U.S. The story begins, as all stories do, right at the beginning, and even though Clyde Bruckman took the directorial credits for the film, a large portion of its genesis, development and overall success can, arguably, be attributed to Supervising Director, Leo McCarey. ‘ Battle’s’ history is an interesting one and incredibly stretches from its inception in late 1927 up to the end of 2020. Among Stan and Babe’s films that remained missing for decades was the 1927 silent two-reeler, The Battle of the Century. Today, Hats Off remains the only Laurel and Hardy film still frustratingly missing in its entirety, along with large sections of the 1930 Technicolor operetta, The Rogue Song. Thankfully most of these films have since been recovered, owing to the efforts and dedication of certain committed individuals, prepared to scour the globe and chase down these elusive titles. Five of the boys’ films from this period were ‘lost’ over time by the Hal Roach Studios. However, there is another reason that makes the year significant. It’s widely acknowledged that 1927 is an important year in the history of Laurel and Hardy, for the main reason that this was the year that saw them develop into and become a well-established and widely loved comedy team. Main Cast: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Noah Young, Charlie Hall, Eugene Pallette, Dorothy Coburn, Anita Garvin
Filmed: October 5 to OctoReleased: DecemProduced by: Hal Roach Directed by: Clyde Bruckman Photographed by: George Stevens Titles by: H.M.
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