The story of two girls who were born hungry, raised hungry, grew up hungry - And still are - (opening intertitle)My favorite thing I've learned recently is that Marion Byron, best remembered today as Buster Keaton's love interest in Steamboat Bill Jr., was briefly (for about a year) in a silent comedy duo with Anita Garvin, a performer who appeared in several Laurel & Hardy shorts in the late 20s and early 30s, amongst other comedy work and character actress/bit part roles. Tiny "Peanuts" (five feet tall) and taller Anita (I've seen her height listed as either 5' 6" or 5' 9") made only three of these two-reelers together and A Pair of Tights is the only one that's still completely extant - available here on YouTube - to show off the women's chemistry and potential together. Don't they look like a fun time?It's not surprising at all to find that producer Hal Roach originally intended this as an L&H vehicle (they were busy filming something else) since the concept reminds me a lot of Two Tars, considering how quickly a city can devolve into chaos because of some goofy misunderstandings and pratfall absurdity. All these gals want is to snack on some ice cream cones during a day out with Stu Erwin and Edgar Kennedy ("tights" refers to these companions as tightwads), so seeing this supposed-to-be-easy experience descend into total mayhem - including perennial L&H foe Charlie Hall as an irate motorist - is par for the course, but nevertheless entertaining to see in connection with two such enjoyably sassy ladies, giving as good as they get with kicks and smacks and nose-squeezing. Doesn't this make you wish that there were so many more silent star comediennes, beyond the men we've already canonized?Besides, sometimes a guy just deserves to have ice cream dumped onto his head. Cold fact.This whole film is about being really hungry, scamming men and trying to buy ice cream, I strongly relate (grace, LB review, 2017)
