The Bargain of the Century

Bargain of the Century, The (1933)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

This here is one of the best Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts shorts that I've seen and I can't help but think some of the success has to be due to Charley Chase who directed the film. Todd and Pitts lie to a cop (James Burtis) so that he will help them get some cheap sheets at a department store. The cop ends up getting fired so he moves in with the girls and slowly drives them crazy. The women invite the captain (Billy Gilbert) to diner to try and get the cops job back but things don't go as planned. I'm really not a fan of the Pitts-Todd shorts but I found this one here to be quite entertaining since it has many laughs and some all around nice touches. I also couldn't help but think that Chase's timing as a director really helped this film as it's not the typical film you'd expect from the group. This time out it really seems as Todd and Pitts are working together and we're given some real chemistry between the two. I thought them working together against Burtis made for some nice laughs and when Gilbert enters the picture it just gets better. The gag with the watch and the ice cream was very impressive and manages to get some nice laughs. The final joke in the film works quite nicely as well. The film is still no classic but there are enough laughs to make it worth sitting through.

Having achieved success with Laurel and Hardy's shorts, producer Hal Roach decided to create a female comedy team in 1931. He paired sultry Thelma Todd with plain-jane ZaSu Pitts. The comediennes immediately clicked with moviegoers and continued making two-reelers until Pitts was replaced by Patsy Kelly in 1933.

BARGAIN OF THE CENTURY was one of the last Todd-Pitts shorts. As in their other films, the stars' charming personalities boost this one. Thelma Todd's glamour and levelheadedness effectively counterpoints ZaSu Pitts's drabness and dizziness. Despite their contrasts, one perceives a companionable bond between them.

The scenario isn't much. The girls accidentally get a policeman friend, Butterworth(James Burtis,) fired. Mistaking someone (Billy Gilbert) for the police captain, they try to play up to him so Butterworth can get his job back. What makes BARGAIN OF THE CENTURY move along are the comedic set ups and gags. Particularly hilarious are a series of booby traps for crooks that Butterworth sets up when he temporarily moves into the girls' apartment. These traps not only provide funny inconveniences for Todd and Pitts, but they also help humorously resolve the plot.

The supporting cast is fine with Billy Gilbert standing out as the "captain." His German accent is funny in itself. And he is ferociously hilarious when he rages over a prized watch ZaSu accidentally broke, assaulting every clock he can find in the girls' apartment.

This two-reeler was the only one in the Todd-Pitts series directed by comedy legend Charley Chase. He handles the comedy with flair and energy, making sure that the gags supplement but never overwhelm the stars. It's a pity Chase never directed any other Todd-Pitts shorts or any Todd-Kelly shorts for that matter.

BARGAIN OF THE CENTURY not only exemplifies a prime showcase for Thelma Todd and ZaSu Pitts but also a prime showcase for Hal Roach comedies as well. This two-reeler easily measures up to the best of fellow Roach stars Laurel and Hardy, Our Gang, and Charley Chase.

When Thelma Todd and Zasu Pitts get their new pal James Burtis fired from the police force, they have to let him move into their apartment. He turns out to be an inventor of anti-theft. devices that render their apartment a death trap. Things grow complicated when Zasu slips on a banana peel and stage-Dutch police captain Billy Gilbert carries her to the apartment.

Charley Chase directs this episode of THE GIRL FRIENDS. He reaches into his bag of gags, including his 1927 FLUTTERING HEARTS, the failed watch trick, and mechanical gadgets. Mostly, it relies on the top comic talents of the four players. Even Burtis gives a fine performance. He entered films in 1930 and by the time he died in 1939 at age 46. he had appeared on more than 120 shorts and features.

As this film began, I was surprised to see comedian Charley Chase billed as the director. Now it did NOT surprise me that he directed this comedy short, but I was surprised because he did so using his stage name and not his given name (Charles Parrott)--like he did in many other films.

The girls head to a department store where they are having a big sale. As the shop opens, an army of crazed customers storm the place and the place is in chaos. In a rare change from the norm for a Pitts-Todd film, there are actually quite a few laughs during this scene. Perhaps Chase at the helm was the difference, as there were more laughs in that scene than in four or five of their other films--put together! After causing an innocent cop to get fired, the ladies let him move in and set up house (remember, this is a Pre-Code film, so such goings on were allowed). When Zasu meets the police Captain by chance, she and Thelma contrive to get him to give their new friend his old job. However, ex-Officer Butterworth and the ladies manages to make more a nuisance of themselves than anything else. Can they somehow, in spite of this, manage to impress the Captain and get Butterworth his job? Well, tune in and see for yourself.

Aside from the department store scene, it was also fun seeing Gilbert go crazy towards the end. While there were a few flat moments, however, they were few and the film managed to do something few of the team's other films did---made me laugh and was entertaining! Well worth seeing.

The comedy is quaint at best, but Thelma Todd and ZaSu Pitts have a certain charm to them which makes it palatable. Gotta love that extendo-boxing-glove coming out of the closet too.