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.