Fit to Be Tied: George Burns vs. the worst store clerks ever

You should watch this if you have ten minutes and like seeing George Burns get annoyed. It's basically a time capsule of how people used to annoy each other back in 1930. If you want a big plot or something *cinematic*, you're probably gonna hate it. It’s just people standing in a shop talking way too fast.

The whole thing is about a tie. George just wants a simple tie, but the staff acts like he's asking for a kidney. There’s this one clerk who looks like he’s never seen a customer before in his life. He keeps showing George these ties that are just... terrible.

You can't see the colors because it's black and white, but you can feel how loud the patterns are. George's face during these scenes is pure gold. He has this way of looking near the camera without actually looking at it. Like he’s asking the audience, "Is this guy for real?"

Then Gracie Allen shows up. The movie actually gets better once she starts her specific brand of nonsense. She has this bit about a tie being "wrapped" that makes zero sense. But she says it with so much confidence you almost believe her logic. 🤡

It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in A Rustic Romeo. But this is way more verbal and less about people falling over stuff. Some of the jokes feel a bit dusty now, I'll admit. There is a joke about a wife's cooking that didn't really land for me at all.

But the rhythm is what matters here. They talk so fast it feels like a song. I noticed one of the background actors just staring at the floor for a second in the corner. Maybe he forgot his line or he was just wondering what he was doing with his life. It’s weird how department stores in these old movies always look so empty. Like, there's five employees for one guy buying a piece of silk.

It’s not quite as wild as The Wild Party. But it has that same early sound film clunkiness that I actually kind of love. The sound quality is a bit fuzzy, so you have to really lean in to hear the puns. One guy in the back is just shuffling papers the whole time. It's actually kind of distracting once you notice it.

Is it a masterpiece? No, not really. It’s just a sketch that someone decided to point a camera at. But George Burns is just so good at being the straight man. He doesn't even have to do much besides hold a cigar and look tired.

The ending is a bit abrupt, honestly. It just sort of... stops. I guess that's how these shorts worked back then. Get the laugh and get out before the audience realizes there's no story. If you’ve seen Night Life, you know this vibe. Low stakes, high volume.

I wish we still had stores where people wore carnations in their lapels. Even if they were as useless as the guys in this movie. Anyway, it's worth a look for the history. And for Gracie's hat. That hat is a choice. 👒