Review of Two Tars

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.