This is probably one of Laurel & Hardy's more famous silent comedies, in which they become embroiled in a relentless tit-for-tat war of attrition with homeowner James Finlayson who refuses to buy a Christmas tree from them. The boys wear heavy overcoats, as if to persuade the Californian residents that it really is winter weather but to no avail. Their tree and Stan's coat keep getting caught in Finlayson's door and each time Finlayson has to open it he is a little more irate until finally he cuts the tree into three sections. That's the cue for battle to commence. This isn't really one of my favourite Laurel & Hardy films –it's too mean-spirited for my liking, and there's something unpleasant about the destructive rage involved when Stan and Ollie enter Finlayson's house and begin smashing it up.
Review of Big Business
