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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 1213

Big Business

192918 minUnited States
Comedy
Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs
17:50
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · James W. Horne and Leo McCarey · Public domain

Synopsis

Two Christmas-tree salesmen refuse to leave an unwilling customer alone. The destruction of a tree prompts retaliation against his house, and each side patiently enlarges the damage. A policeman's attempt to restore peace arrives after the disagreement has consumed far more than a failed sale.

Cast

DirectorsJames W. HorneLeo McCarey

Behind the scenes

Laurel and Hardy build the short around measured, reciprocal destruction. A later story that the wrong house was accidentally demolished was disputed by Stan Laurel, so it should not be treated as an established production fact.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceWikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 15, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

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