Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Nov 14, 2013 0:26:53 GMT -5
1939Three Little Sew and Sews Invited to a luncheon at the home of Count Alfred Gehrol (Harry Semels), who is believed to be a spy, Admiral Taylor (James C. Morton) sends his jacket to be pressed by tailors Moe, Larry, and Curly. When Moe and Larry try to ditch Curly for an afternoon off, Curly tries the jacket on to play a gag on his fellow tailors. Posing as an admiral, he barks orders at Moe and Larry until he is found out, after which Moe and Larry chase him and start smacking him around in the hall. They are caught outside by two guards and jailed for assaulting an officer, leaving their fate in Curly’s hands.
Curly offers them freedom for $5 each, and once they pay up, they’re free to go back to the tailor shop and try on officer jackets themselves, hoping to pick up women. Curly finds the invitation to Count Gehrol’s party in his jacket, and they decide to crash the party themselves.
Once there, Curly is seduced by Gehrol’s sexy assistant Olga (Phyllis Barry), and she talks them into boarding one of the navy subs. On the sub, Gehrol and his seductress turn on the Stooges and take the sub out of port, causing the navy to open fire. However, the femme fatale sees a mouse and faints, dropping her gun in the process. The Stooges grab the gun and turn the tables on their captors, and wave a white flag, but not before a dud bomb is caught by Curly.
Admiral Taylor boards the sub and the Stooges convince him that they caught the spies on skill. Curly demonstrates his technique by hitting the bomb with the hammer, blowing the sub up.Three Little Sew and Sews manages a strong and unique premise with perfect execution. The end result is a bonified laugh riot. Curly’s antics in the admiral’s uniform are hilarious, and the writing for these scenes is intelligent. It’s wildly fun to watch Curly get the best of Moe and Larry, simply by the clothes he’s wearing. The party scene is a gas, as watching the Stooges mingle with high society usually is. The screwy scenes with the submarine at the end top the short off with as much delight as possible. That’s the difference between this short and the previous, Flat Foot Stooges. Three Little Sew and Sews provides goofy zany antics and great chaos meanwhile still being coherent, smart, and fun in the process. This is a Stooge classic to be raved about for all time. Notes:- The “Sew and Sew” in the title of the short are a reference to the phrase “so and so…” which is a cleaner way of calling someone an obscenity. The word “so” has been substituted with “sew” as a reference to the Stooges occupation as tailors.
- Toward the beginning of the short, director Del Lord can be heard telling Curly to get out of the tub.
- During the closing scene where the Stooges play angels, Larry found himself terrified of the height. Politely asking if he could be the lowest of the trio, he soon found himself hoisted far above the others and started screaming. Del Lord responded to Larry's protest "You are going to stay up there until we finish the goddamn shot!" Larry stayed silent until the scene was finished shooting.
We Want Our Mummy The curse of King Rutentuten has already claimed two historians, one dead and the other missing. The remaining curators of the Museum of Ancient History send three investigators (Moe, Larry, and Curly) to investigate the tomb of King Rutentuten.
The boys hail a cab to Egypt, where they trek across the sand and battle mirages. Stumbling upon the tomb of King Rutentuten, the Stooges explore the underground structure. With various creepy crawlies and even a living mummy running around, the boys get the heebie jeebies and try to find King Rutentuten and get out as fast as possible. Upon finding a mummified body, Curly tries to haul it out only to drop it and have it disintegrate on the ground. Did Curly just kill the long dead Rutentuten?
However, they hear rumblings through the wall, and discover the kidnappers of the missing Professor Tuttle (Robert Williams) are behind the spooky shenanigans. The kidnappers prepare to burst through the wall and find King Rutentuten, but the body has been destroyed. Fearing for their safety, Moe and Larry wrap Curly up in bandages and try to pass him off as King Rutentuten. The kidnappers break through and prepare to autopsy Curly in order to find jewels. All they find is a newspaper declaring the Yankees have won the World Series!
Discovering the fraud mummy, the kidnappers chase the Stooges to a neighboring room, where they stumble down the hole. The Stooges are alive, but King Rutentuten is gone. But Professor Tuttle has the answer! The mummy Curly destroyed wasn’t Rutentuten, but his wife! The professor finds a tiny sarcophagus and declares that Rutentuten was a midget!
An alligator then enters the tomb, and Curly (thinking it’s a mummy gator) tries to take it with him. But when the gator snaps at him, Moe, Larry, Curly, and the Professor run back to the taxi cab.Some shorts have the build to be great, and even have scenes of richness that would seemingly ensure a spot on an all-time classic list, yet when other scenes fail to keep up the momentum, you can’t help but judge it as underwhelming. We Want Our Mummy is one of these shorts. The scenes of our boys in the desert and the tomb of King Rutentuten are all absolute treasures to be held up to the richest of jewels this side of the Nile. Curly is at the top of his game, and runs into each scene with the energy the amount of gags requires. He is quite possibly the hero of this short, saving it from mediocrity. Not to knock Moe and Larry, who do a great job, but Curly definitely seems to be the driving force here. When compared to these scenes, the opening at the museum is slow and a bit dull. The boys try out a few gags, none of which really give the short any steam. It doesn’t pick itself up until Curly’s mirage scene, in which Curly gives a terrific performance in reacting to nothing. It feels as if they had ideas for a certain section of this short, and not its entirety. The ending also suffers, as Curly’s bout with an alligator (in the desert?) doesn’t really conclude the short with any gusto. The short on the whole, though, is really good. I laughed my ass off. This would make a grand opening feature to a screening of one of Universal’s The Mummy films. Be it the 1932 original, its reinvented sequel The Mummy’s Hand, or the 1999 blockbuster. A lot of fun will be had. Notes:- The title is a play on the phrase “I want my mommy!”
- We Want Our Mummy features a newspaper headline “Yanks Win World Series!” One of the characters is dismayed because he bet on the Cubs. This is the actual outcome of the 1938 World Series, where the Yankees swept the series over the Cubs winning four games out of four.
- When The Family Channel owned the rights to the Three Stooges Library, We Want Our Mummy was edited down to a mere 7 minutes! Its normal runtime is 16 and a half, which means more than half the short was cut out!
A Ducking They Did Go Vagrants Moe, Larry, and Curly try to steal a watermelon and end up on the run from a police officer (William Irving). The Stooges take refuge in the office of the Canvas Back Duck Club. Obtaining jobs as salesmen, the boys set out to sell memberships. However, they bump into their old friend the police officer outside. He chases the boys yet again, and they wind up inside, of all things, a police station. However, they use the opportunity to sell all the memberships they have to the police chief (Bud Jameson) and even the mayor (Chuck Callahan)!
Unfortunately, the Duck Club is a scam, and there hasn’t been a wild duck around for years. The owners of the Canvas Back Duck Club take the money and run, leaving the Stooges to lead a bunch of law enforcers on a hunting trip. When no ducks show up, Moe and Larry send Curly out to fetch some any way possible. Curly plays “Pied Piper” with a duck call and leads an army of ducks into the lake.
The police and the Stooges shoot their fill, but they are informed by a farmer that the ducks are owned by him and will cost $5 each. The police officers turn their guns on the Stooges, and they run off.Plot thin but laughs o-plenty, A Ducking They Did Go gets the Stooge formula right. The short follows the routine of Stooges as vagrants, police officer chase, and con men in its first half. It’s nothing to write home about, but it sets itself up rather finely, with giggles to spare. Playing football with a watermelon and the boys selling the police chief on the idea of duck hunting are highlights. The short doesn’t set fire until its wacky-quacky hunting scenes. Moe and Larry tossing out decoys to keep their club members happy is grand, and Curly’s march of ducks is just beautiful. The climax is entirely man vs. nature, as the Stooges try to get their quota of ducks as well, only to be outsmarted by the fowl. It’s a lot of fun. This is a short I find I often forget about, or at least underestimate. It doesn’t sound all that appealing on the surface, but I’m always surprised by how funny it really is. Notes:- The title of the film is obviously a play on the song “A Hunting We Will Go.”
- The pond which was used at the end for the hunting scenes was built exclusively for this short.
- The final shot of this short is stock footage from A Pain in the Pullman.
Yes, We Have No Bonanza Maxey (Dick Curtis) has just pulled off a $40,000 bank heist and buried it up in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, a crack to the head also knocks his gold filling out there too.
Under his employ at a saloon, singing waiters Moe, Larry, and Curly are desperate to help three gorgeous singing waitresses (Jean Carmen, Lola Jensen, and Suzanne Kaaren) who are stuck there until their father can pay off his debt to Maxey. However, the Stooges get the idea that there is gold in them thar hills and set off for prospecting. Once there, they find Maxey’s gold filling and start digging. Eventually they find the stolen money, thinking that it’s treasure.
They return to pay off the debt, but seeing the cash, Maxey guesses the truth. Maxey takes the money and makes a getaway, but the Stooges follow, leading to a high speed chase that ends in a police station where Maxey is arrested.
Yes, We Have No Bonanza seems like a short that should be one of their best, what with the promising idea of the boys’ gold digging in focus, but ultimately fails to rise above average. The plot barely exists, and just seems to be there to put a pickax in Moe’s hands. Moe makes decent use out of it, but nothing spectacular results. There are good gags sprinkled here and there, Curly’s touchdown passes with beer glasses being a standout, but the short seems to be running on fumes for inspiration. Even a hilarious concept such as a donkey supposedly eating dynamite turns into a long, dry sequence where I couldn’t help but feel I should have been laughing harder than I was. As far as treasure hunting goes, Three Stooges fans are better off seeking out Cash and Carry, which features more bang for your buck. Yes, We Have No Bonanza seems like fool’s gold by comparison. Notes:- The title is a reference to the song “Yes, We Have No Bananas.”
- The short was actually untitled during production, but Curly adlibbed the closing line “Yes! We have no bonanzas!” during filming. The cast and crew loved it so much they named the short after this line.
Saved by the Belle Moe, Larry, and Curly are wardrobe salesmen stranded in the country of Valeska. However, they are broke and must pay their hotel bill. Anticipating a check from the home office, they receive a telegram telling them they will not receive financial aid until they get rid of their present wardrobe in stock. Unable to pay the owner, they lock him in a room and make a break for it.
Not long after, they are arrested on the streets for questioning regarding spies in the country. A search of their person finds the letter, yet the chief officer (Gino Corrado) misreads “get rid of present wardrobe” as “get rid of President Ward Robey.” Thinking they are the spies he’s looking for, he has them jailed and schedules them to be shot at sunrise.
Waiting to be executed, the Stooges find themselves a visitor in the lovely Rita (Carmen Laroux), who stages a jail break for them thinking they’re fellow spies. She and the Stooges sneak secret plans back to the enemy base ran by the hotel owner the Stooges skipped out on. He orders them to be executed, but the Stooges escape in an explosives truck and finally a horse.Featuring less of a plot and more of random ideas strung together, Saved by the Belle doesn’t have enough laughs to make it a worthy addition to Stooge legacy. The short ends up just plain goofy instead of funny, as the Stooges stumble around to one random situation to the next in utter confusion. By the time the short ends, you’d have forgotten half of it because it’s incoherent nonsense. The Stooges try to make the best of it, but no lemonade can be made out of these rotten lemons. Curly especially seems to be trying his damnedest to make this short funny, and he manages to turn what could be an abysmal effort into something that has its moments. The jail scene is a triumph, though. There’s quite a few gags that work in it, but the short becomes a dud again as soon as the Stooges are on the run again. It’s a shame that a group as fall down funny as the Three Stooges can be hampered by the material they’re given, because the glints of gold in the dirt can’t shine when it’s buried. Notes:- This short features two co-stars of the legendary John Wayne. The first is LeRoy Mason who starred in seven films with the Duke. The other was Carmon Laroux, who only co-starred in one, The Desert Trail. Both tragically died at a young age in the 1940s, Mason at 44 and Laroux at 32. Laroux’s final film was Orson Welles’ masterpiece Citizen Kane.
- The title is a play on the phrase “Saved by the bell,” which is a boxing term describing a boxer on the brink of losing only for the round to suddenly end.
- At one point, when the Stooges believe they are about to have their picture taken, Curly states he’s going to “send one to Elaine.” This is a reference to Curly’s then wife Elaine Ackerman.
- Gino Corrado had a resume most Hollywood stars can only dream of. The man appeared in Gone With the Wind, Citizen Kane, and Casablanca, three of the most respected films of all time!
Calling All Curs Mrs. Bedford’s (Isabel La Mal) prize poodle Garcon is in for an operation by the greatest veterinarians in the world; Dr. Moe, Dr. Larry, and Dr. Curly. Luckily the Stooges seem to be competent at their job this time around, because the procedure is a success! However he must be kept under observation for the time being. This is the perfect opportunity for two dognappers disguised as reporters (Cy Schindell and Lynton Brent) to kidnap the mutt and hold it for ransom, taking it under the boys’ noses.
Upon discovering Garcon is missing, the Stooges disguise another dog as Garcon and try to fool Mrs. Bedford. The rouse doesn’t work and the Stooges go looking for Garcon. Luckily, the pooch they have in tow catches the scent and leads them to the house of the kidnappers where the Stooges have a final confrontation with the dognappers and save Garcon and her newborn puppies!Unimpressive, but the effort is there. Calling All Curs has good gags, but it feels a little stale. Like the last few shorts, the plot seems a bit uninspired. Granted comedy should be judged upon laughs and not story, but I feel the Stooges rely heavily on setting to make their gags work. They have to build upon their surroundings to bring their comedy to life. In fairness, some gags do work. Curly does his trademark barking routine and a dog barks back. Curly snaps back saying “This is my argument!” Watching the boys do surgery is mostly a treat, though their mumbo jumbo wording for utensils does get tiresome. In the end there’s enough here to call Calling All Curs a steady short without it being a solid short. Three middle of the road efforts in a row. I’d start to lose faith in the boys, but I know better because the next short released is a doozy. Notes:- The title is a pun on the police officer phrase “Calling all cars!”
- Curly was an avid dog lover, as such Calling All Curs became one of his personal favorite shorts.
Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise Unbeknownst to her, the Widow Jenkins (Eva McKenzie) has just been swindled out of her land which carries an oil deposit underneath it. Three swindlers (James Craig, Dick Curtis, and Eddie Laughton) con her out of her home for $50 an acre.
Vagrants Moe, Larry, and Curly come a-knockin’ at Jenkins’ door next, asking for a kind meal to fill their empty stomachs. The sweet widow invites them in and feeds them. Pleased with the kindness she’s shown them, they’ve offered to do work for her to repay her. She suggests that her water pump is broken, and the Stooges head in back to fix it for her.
The Stooges attempts at fixing the pump unleash a gusher of oil, proving that the Widow Jenkins is sitting on a large deposit of black gold. Jenkins becomes distraught at this news, realizing she’s sold her land for far less than its value. The Stooges vow to find the crooks and save the widow’s property.
On the road, the Stooges bump into the swindlers and overtake them, reacquire the deed, save the property, and become engaged to the widow’s lovely daughters, April (Dorothy Comingore), May (Lorna Gray), and June (Dorothy Moore)!When talking about Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise, three scenes must be brought up. The opening where the Stooges find themselves doing yard work for a stranger, in exchange for a meal is the first. The slapstick in the scene is dead on, as the Stooges take one shot after another to great comic effect. Curly takes a lot of punishment from saws in this sequence, getting smacked in the face and sliced on the head. He even attempts to repair a broken saw by sawing it in half, giving birth to one of my favorite Stooge lines “I’m sawing a saw in half with a saw, see?” The Stooges incompetence at the simplest tasks get the better of them in this sequence, as their property damage turned a man who offered them food for work into someone who demanded compensation. One can’t help but wonder how long it took to work off their debt, or if they just wandered away. The Widow Jenkins was a different breed than this gentleman. She didn’t ask for compensation and helped the Stooges out of the goodness of her heart. It was the Stooges that offered her compensation for their meal, which proves that they have good hearts buried within them as well. This also leads to the second sequence of slapstick, the pump scene, which is arguably the Stooges’ finest hour. This scene is positively brilliant. Every touch is just right. Every knock to the head is perfectly executed. Every sound effect has the right amount of oomph. Curly’s round as an “unsuccessful cork” brings the guffaws coming long and hard. Changing out of their oily clothes and into old lady dresses for the finale, the Stooges go looking for the crooks and have a battle with them in a runaway car. One of the crooks threatens to punch Curly out “dame or no dame,” prompting Curly to retaliate “Oh, hit a woman would ya’?!” The brawl brings the short to a triumphant conclusion, as the Stooges warm hearts conquer all. This is a rare Stooge short in which the boys get the girls in the end, and not only that, they’re the daughters of a millionaire widow, ensuring no money problems from here on out. If the Three Stooges shorts had continuity, I’d suggest Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise be the series finale, as it has an appropriate happy ending. As it is, it’s about as close to a perfect Three Stooges short you can get. There are three lengthy scenes of slapstick full of laughs and a story that makes you cheery. It’s an all-time favorite. Notes:- The title is a reference to Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote “Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” The phrase was pillaged for a title by the Stooges the previous year for Healthy, Wealthy, and Dumb.
- Dorothy Comingore gained fame the following year when she co-starred as Susan in Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane. While she achieved great acclaim for the role, she appeared rarely afterward, turning down various roles claiming they were uninteresting to her. Her career ended when she found herself among the Hollywood blacklist and was accused of being a member of the Communist Party, which she declined to answer whether or not she was.
- Moe became injured in an unlikely way during filming of Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise. During the scene in which the water pump sprays oil in his face, the prop oil (made of chocolate, whipped cream, asbestos chips, linseed oil, ketchup, and “other unknown goodies”) sprayed him directly in the eyes. It took hours to clean the “oil” out from underneath his eyelids.
- When Curly hits his head on the kitchen door while singing “A Pumping We Will Go,” it was actually an accident. Curly adlibbed the rest of his scene (including his dance with the Widow Jenkins) to cover up the goof and it was kept in the final film. If you listen closely, you can hear the crew laughing at him.
- The reference to the Stooges wanting quintuplet children is a reference to the Dionne Quintuplets, who were the first quintuplets known to survive infancy. Curly says they’ll achieve this by a “honeymoon in Canada,” the quintuplets were born in Ontario.
Three Sappy People Socialite Sheri Rumsford (Lorna Gray) has an appetite for fun that cannot be satisfied. Concerned for his wife’s mental health, Mr. Rumsford (Don Beddoe) calls for the aid of Dr. Z. Ziller, Dr. X. Zeller, and Dr. Y. Zoller. However, the doctors’ phone lines are out of order, leaving telephone repairmen Moe, Larry, and Curly there to answer the call. Thinking they can do the job themselves, the boys head to the Rumsford mansion.
Once there, the Stooges antics prove disgraceful to everyone except Sheri Rumsford, who finds them to be the most enjoyable company she’s ever had. She allows them into her party where their personalities don’t mesh quite right with the upper class, leading to a food fight in the dining room.
Seeing his wife having the time of her life, Mr. Rumsford considers it a job well done and pays the Stooges $1500.The Stooges slapstick is hard at work in Three Sappy People, and it’s ultimately what saves it from being a forgettable venture. The Three Stooges have found yet another reason to mesh with the higher class, this time it’s not a very good one. The short is mostly spoiled by the character of Sheri Rumsford. Her unnatural laugh litters this short and it becomes obnoxious over time. The short is so focused on her reactions to the boys that it detracts from their actual routine. As harmful as this is, the Stooges bring their A-game to the table and overcome it. Their limited knowledge of psychiatry provides grand fun and their battle with tamales at the end split my sides. The Stooges are just strong enough here for me to give this short a pass. But it’s just barely. Notes:- The title is a reference to the song “Two Sleepy People.”
- The Stooges’ violent antics accidentally caused injury to one of their costars in this short, as actress Lorna Gray accidentally swallowed a creampuff during the pastry fight and it became lodged in her throat. Gray claims that the rumors of the incident have been blown out of proportion though, stating she didn't need medical attention after the incident.
- Playing a Countess in Three Sappy People, Ann Doran never had much mainstream success, although she did have leading roles in the John Wayne classic Rio Grande and the critically acclaimed James Dean vehicle Rebel without a Cause. Despite her rare leading roles, she stared in over five hundred films and one thousand episodes of television. Science fiction fans might recognize her as the uncredited child psychiatrist in the giant ant feature Them!, and Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans will know her as Miss Varden in the film Kitten with a Whip.
Shemp Howard appeared in the following shorts and filmsBehind Prison Gates (Feature Film) Another Thin Man (Feature Film) The Glove Slingers (Short Subject)
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Nov 28, 2013 3:55:15 GMT -5
1940You Nazty Spy [/center] Cabinet members of the kingdom of Moronika plot to overthrow their king and appoint a dictator, and profit from the result. In an attempt to find a puppet for their needs, they appoint paperhanger Moe Hailstone their man in charge, and his co-workers Larry and Curly the minister of propaganda and field marshal.
Moe overthrows the king and rules with an iron fist. Proclaiming himself ruler, he preaches “Moronika for Morons!” to the public, bans reading, and plans to invade surrounding countries.
After an assassination attempt on his life, Moe becomes more determined for power and call a peace conference with their fellow nations. Moe demands “peace,” but claims the only way to gain peace is to let him have their countries. They refuse, and the peace conference ends with Curly knocking them all out, declaring “Success!”
However, the enraged public of Moronika turns on Moe, and chases the trio into Moe’s own lions’ cage, where three hungry lions await their next meal.Quite possibly the sharpest and most intelligent short the Three Stooges ever made, You Nazty Spy is a harsh criticism of the German dictator Adolph Hitler and his rule. Released slightly less than two years before the United States entered World War II, the short is unique amongst the Stooges other world event efforts in this period because it can’t be labeled war propaganda. Instead, it’s a criticism of events of Germany, and it labels Hitler’s actions as disturbing and unwarranted. The Stooges are merciless when it comes to satirizing Hitler. Many of his ideals are criticized here to great effect. I love the commentary on book burning, as Moe snatches a book from Curly’s hands and lectures him on the evils of books with the phrase of “Suppose you learn something?” The peace conference finale is very effective, as the Stooges cry for peace, and the leaders of fellow nations screaming at them that what they want isn’t peace. Very few times in Three Stooges history have they’ve been so successful both dramatically while still keeping the comedy up, and this scene delivers everything with the right amount of punch. Even three-quarters of a century post-Hitler, the film still manages to be relevant today. Moe’s dictatorship tagline of “Moronika for Morons” (a parody of the Nazi slogan “Deutschland den Deutschen”) is a haunting foreshadow of the mentality of “America for Americans” and various other sensibilities that prevent worldwide friendship and unity. Who would have thought that the Three Stooges had that much sense in them? You Nazty Spy is wonderful, hilarious, and classic. It’s something that needs to be viewed by Stooges fans and fans of comedy alike. It’s a beautiful melding of slapstick comedy, satire, and drama. Notes:- Moe Howard has gone on record claiming You Natzy Spy is his favorite short subject. Larry Fine has also declared a fondness for it as well, listing it among his own favorites, along with 1951’s Scrambled Brains and 1952’s Cuckoo on a Choo Choo.
- Moe Howard was the first Hollywood actor to portray/parody German dictator Adolph Hitler, with You Nazty Spy beating out the classic Charlie Chaplin film The Great Dictator by mere months. It can be disputed, however, that Chaplin truly was first, since The Great Dictator was in production before You Nazty Spy was.
- Larry had injured his leg before filming and is sporting a limp during the short. In an ironic twist of fate, the man he was parodying, Joseph Goebbels, walked with a limp due to a club foot.
- The names of the munitions manufacturers are Ixnay, Onay, and Amscray, which are Pig Latin for “Nix,” “No,” and “Scram.”
- Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard (as well as Ted Healy, Shemp Howard, and Joe Besser) were all Jewish. As an inside joke, they worked in Jewish and Yiddish cultural references throughout the short.
- Spy Mattie Herring uses an billiard 8 ball as a fortune telling device. This actually predates the popular Magic Eight Ball toy by ten years!
- The title is a parody of the phrase “You nasty man!”
Rockin’ Thru the Rockies Traveling entertainers Nell’s Belles (played by Kathryn Sheldon, Lorna Gray, Dorothy Appleby, and Linda Winters) have hired frontiersmen Moe, Larry, and Curly as bodyguards to lead them through the Rocky Mountains to San Francisco. However the Stooges constant bumbling and slow-going frustrate them to no end. But when a group of Indians threaten to scalp them if they are not out of their territory in two days, the situation becomes more urgent. But Curly accidentally scares off the horses with a shotgun, and the group finds themselves stranded.
The group is forced to find an alternate means of transportation, but that means pitching up camp and staying the night. After a snow storm and a visit from a bear, the boys start work on their new transportation. However, the Belles find themselves being chased by the aroused Indians who wish to “make whoopee” with the female “pale face.” The boys gather the Belles back into the wagon and hoist a sail, successfully driving them forward and out of Indian territory.A good short that teeters on the line of mediocre, Rockin’ Thru the Rockies brings solid laughs, but is unfortunately sandwiched in between two of the Stooges best films, making it seem lackluster in comparison. What little story the short has is squeezed into the very beginning and the very end, and just barely provides Moe, Larry, and Curly an excuse to produce antics in a mountain setting with four ill-tempered women. These four characters do very little except scowl at the trio and tell them what to do, as the Stooges do their best to please their lovely employers. As simple as it is, it’s effective. What’s more important, it gets laughs. This type of short relies heavily on the boys doing their shtick, and if the material they offer isn’t funny enough, the short drowns. Luckily, we’re brought the funny, though the short tends to sag with choice sequences where the boys aren’t entirely sure what to do. The snowstorm sequence, for example, with the Stooges in a tarp cabin, while amusing in concept, goes on far too long with too little gags. Curly trying to use a bear as a blanket almost rescues the scene, but it never really takes off as it should. The boys are at their best when they’re trying their damnedest to please their female companions, serving them and working for them with amusing results. The ice-fishing scene is a highlight, as Moe finds himself trapped under the ice, only to be caught by Curly. “Hey, this fish looks like Moe!” I liked this short well enough, but it didn’t spark much feeling in me. It’s a swell enough entertainer, though. Notes:- Dorothy Appleby’s career never really took off because Hollywood producers were concerned about her height. The petite 5 foot tall brunette was far shorter than most Hollywood starlets and leading men of the day. She finally found a steady line of work in Columbia’s short subject department, which enjoyed playing her off the Stooges since they weren’t much taller than she was! She retired from film in 1943, after her contract with Columbia expired.
- Curly’s line “The Walls of Jericho collapsed!” is a reference to the Frank Capra classic It Happened One Night.
A Plumbing We Will Go Recently released from court by a sympathetic judge, Moe, Larry, and Curly get into mischief yet again and go fishing in a pet store. Caught by a police officer, the Stooges make a break for it. They drive off in a plumbing van, and come to a stop in front of a house that has happened to have sprung a pipe leak. The Stooges, still hiding from the law, take the job.
The boys soon make a complete wreck of the house: Curly creates a maze of pipes in the bathroom, Larry digs up the front lawn, and Moe even manages to hook the water pipes into the electrical system, causing the various devices around the house to go haywire. Soon, the owner of the house returns home and is informed of the chaos they’ve cause. The man turns out to be the very same judge that freed them. Enraged by the Stooges mayhem, he calls for police aid, and the Stooges are chased off into the street.One of the great Stooge masterpieces, A Plumbing We Will Go is arguably the most popular short the trio has ever done. For good reason too, it displays their slapstick at its very finest. The short is manic mayhem from start to finish, but it’s crafted with gifted genius. Each gag used in each specific scene is perfect. While most shorts tend to slow down on occasion, A Plumbing We Will Go keeps its energy going nonstop. All three of the boys are giving this short their best effort, and when they click there is nothing that can stop them. Even when the trio is separated, coming up with their own chaos in different portions of the house, they each have no trouble holding their own end of the short up. What’s most surprising is that the supporting players get major laughs as well, especially Dudley Dickerson, who plays a chef who reacts to the results of an electrical system hooked up to the water supply. I daresay Dickerson gets more laughs than the Stooges do in this short, and his short scene is one of the funniest things to grace film. The confusion spreads to a party in the house, where lady of the residence is showing off her fancy new television and a broadcast from Niagara Falls sends a flood right through the screen. I laughed long and I laughed hard, and I’ve must have seen this short nearly 50 times. It can never be said that the Three Stooges don’t age well, because this short proves otherwise. Notes:- Sources claim that A Plumbing We Will Go was Curly Howard’s favorite short.
- As hysterical as Dudley Dickerson was, it’s a pity he was often used in stereotypical black servant roles such as the one seen here. Today he is best remembered for A Plumbing We Will Go and several other small roles in the Three Stooges’ short subject series, but he actually had starred in a decent number of other Columbia short films outside of this one series. In addition to working with the Stooges, Dickerson also had varying roles with other vehicles for classic stars: the Boris Karloff/Bela Lugosi horror film The Invisible Ray, Laurel and Hardy’s Way Out West, the Little Rascals comedy Spooky Hooky, and did work on the televised adaptation The Amos ‘n’ Andy Show.
- A Plumbing We Will Go is a remake of the 1934 Sidney and Murray short Plumbing for Gold. Columbia later remade the short for a then-outside of the Stooges comedian Shemp Howard in 1944 under the title Pick a Peck of Plumbers. Shemp would remake it yet again, along with Moe and Larry, in the 1949 Three Stooges short Vagabond Loafers which was later re-edited into Scheming Schemers in 1956, after Shemp’s death. In addition to this, the maze of pipes sequences was recreated in feature film several times, by Curly again in Swing Parade of 1946 and by Joe DeRita in Have Rocket, Will Travel. And if that wasn’t enough rehash for you, the majority of the short was edited into the film Stop, Look, and Laugh in 1960.
- Director Sam Raimi, a life-long Three Stooges fan, cited this short as the inspiration for a gore gag in his horror film The Evil Dead, where a light bulb fills up with blood. This is a reference to a light bulb filling up with water after Moe and Curly accidentally hook the plumbing up to the electricity.
- Like A Ducking They Did Go before it, this short’s title references the song “A Hunting We Will Go.”
Nutty but Nice A bank teller Mr. Williams (Ned Glass) has been kidnapped and his daughter, Betty, is caught in a severe case of depression. Two doctors hire singing waiters Moe, Larry, and Curly to try and put a smile on her face, but their best efforts prove to be futile. Determined to cheer up the little girl, the boys go in search of her father.
They check every person they come across, but their big clue doesn’t come until they hear a yodel in the distance. Knowing the father is a yodeler, they follow it to a house. However, the yodel isn’t coming from the father, but a radio. Luckily, the radio is being played by the kidnappers! The Stooges break in and escape with the father, successfully bringing a smile to the face of the little girl.We go from one of the best shorts of the Curly era straight to the worst, and one of the worst shorts the Stooges ever produced. Nutty but Nice is an inexcusable low energy effort with a stale plot and not enough laughs to sustain it. I don’t enjoy the Stooges when they are self aware of their comedy. Characters in comedy shouldn’t be aware that they’re actions are comical, it only kills the comedy. The first half falls victim to this, as the short seems to attempt a recreation of Cash and Carry’s sympathetic take on the Stooges. However, Cash and Carry portrayed the Stooges playing themselves. Nutty but Nice has them playing childish routines for the amusement of an obnoxious whispering child. Once the Stooges get out into the street, the short picks up steam, but it’s too little, too late. I already don’t care. And the short ends with yet another childish routine put on for the child, leaving a sour taste in my mouth. Maybe I would think more of it if the short had ended after a rather decent climax with recycled gags, yet competent gags. I can’t help but wonder if A Plumbing We Will Go left the Stooges exhausted, leading to this undercooked effort. Whatever the reason, it’s one that gives me indigestion. Notes:- Stuntman/actor Duke York was very prolific during his brief film career, typecast as thugs, gangsters, gunslingers, and monsters due to his imposing appearance. He often played these bit parts opposite the Three Stooges and is most well remembered today for his roles of Lupe the Wolf Man in 1943’s Idle Roomers and Angel in 1948’s Shivering Sherlocks. Unfortunately depression led him to cut his life short by committing suicide in 1952. He was only 43.
- The title is a reference to the phrase “naughty but nice.”
- Oddly enough, I can’t find the name of the actress who plays Betty in this short. I guess her identity has been lost to the ages.
How High is Up? After fixing a flat tire and a war with a sweater, fix-it men Moe, Larry, and Curly try to drum up business by puncturing a few lunch pails at a construction site, but when they’re discovered, they hide out in a large group gathering. The gathering proves to be a group of people looking for work, and the construction site is hiring riveters. They hire the Stooges, who promise to be “Three of the best riveters that ever riveted.”
They boys start on the 97th floor, proving to be too high for Curly, who promptly puts a parachute on. But the boys begin to work, however their work is shoddy, unstable, and formless. When the boss (Vernon Dent) comes inspecting the place and sees the final result, the Stooges are literally chased off the building, using Curly’s parachute for a safe landing.Another Stooge classic from 1940, How High is Up? puts the trio in an occupation that seems tailor made for their comedy, construction. Consider that the opposite term for “construction” is “destruction” and you’ll understand why. The Stooges get a lot of laughs in their attempts at being efficient at a job they don’t fully understand. Their riveting is a howl, as their touch and feel approach demonstrates that building things definitely isn’t their forte. It truly is a great setting for them, especially the 97th floor, in which vertigo kicks in. Curly, afraid of heights, is blindfolded by Moe so he can’t look down. A delighted Curly thanks Moe for this gesture. What really compliments this is the time period of the short, in which construction work was much more dangerous than it is today. The boys hitch a ride on a girder being lifted up, paralyzing the boys with fear. The laughs extend beyond the construction set as Curly fighting with his sweater becomes an instant classic scene in Stooge-lore. The short is hilarious both inside and outside its premise, and that makes it well worth watching. Notes:- The athletic Bruce Bennett originally started out playing sports, even going as far as playing tackle in the 1926 Rose Bowl! Later he pursued acting under the name Herman Brix but still intended to enter the 1932 Olympics. Unfortunately performing in MGM’s 1931 film Touchdown! prevented this from happening. Needing to make a living, he continued acting and was eventually cast in the role of Tarzan in the twelve-part serial The New Adventures of Tarzan, which was also edited into a film of the same name and a sequel entitled Tarzan and the Green Goddess. The role cost Herman to be typecast and forced him to change his last name to Bennett in the 1940’s in order to escape the stigma.
- The shots looking downward from the skyscraper were taken from the top of the Empire State Building in New York City.
- After Curly’s line “Don’t mind me! Don’t mind me!,” Moe tries to hide his face from the camera because he is about to crack up and ruin the take. Saving the day is a quick cut.
From Nurse to Worse Moe, Larry, and Curly meet up with their friend Jerry (Lynton Brent) who tells them the secret of his success. You see, Jerry is scamming an insurance company out of its money by claiming he is insane. He tells the boys they can do the same.
Taking his advice, Moe and Larry attempt to take an insurance policy out on Curly, who is pretending to think he is a dog. But Curly proves to be a little too convincing in the role. The examiner at the insurance company (Vernon Dent) claims that Curly needs to be given a lobotomy immediately. The Stooges attempt to make a run for it, but are caught and dragged to the hospital.
Once there, Moe and Larry attempt to spring Curly from the operation table. They try to sneak past a guard, but end up in a lengthy chase with him. Finally, the two disguise themselves as lady nurses and sneak into the operation room. They free Curly and make a break for it.
On the outside, the Stooges bump into Jerry, where they promptly start beating him up on the spot.It’s evident that the premise of From Nurse to Worse was given a fair amount of thought, since it’s not just another random “Stooges take a job” short that is a dime a dozen. The Stooges are fun when they’re con artists, and scamming an insurance company for some dough seems right up their ally. Curly pretending to be insane breathes a decent amount of life into this short. His antics as a canine are a hoot. Surely Curly’s real-life love for dogs was a factor in his playing the role so well. The concept of him getting a lobotomy is exciting, and it’s delivered well. From Nurse to Worse is definitely a good short for these reasons. I’d watch it again without hesitation. Note:- The Stooges’ escaping from the hospital is footage lifted from Dizzy Doctors.
No Census, No Feeling After accidentally destroying a local shop, Moe, Larry, and Curly find themselves on the run from the law yet again. They duck down into an office where they get a job taking the census. This job leads them from a high-society Bridge game to a football field, where a group of football players chase them into the distance after Curly gains possession of the ball.One of their more underappreciated efforts, No Census, No Feeling is an all-time favorite of mine. The short focuses more on verbal humor than it does physical, as the Stooges running around asking inane questions such as “Are you married or happy?” The short doesn’t have much in the way of story, it just comes up with a reason for the Stooges to knock on doors and even invade homes. All three are at the top of their game here, but extra props go to Larry, who is given some of the best lines in the short. One of my personal favorites is when Moe accidentally finds himself interviewing Curly and Larry at different times, and when he asks them how many siblings they had, Curly responds “I was one of a litter of three, and I’m the one they kept!” Larry also claims to be in a “litter of three,” but he was “The one they threw away.” The Bridge game sequence brings a lot of smiles, and the football game climax is a howl. This is one to rewatch over and over again. Notes:- Max Davidson was a bit player well known for playing a stereotypical Jew during the silent era, opposite of such greats as Charley Chase, Stan Laurel and his future partner Oliver Hardy (in separate films). Once sound was introduced his career quickly dried out. It’s been said MGM heads Lewis Meyer and Nicholas Schenck contributed to his downfall, as they disapproved of his portrayal of Jews on film.
- The title is a parody of the phrase “No sense, no feeling.”
- Curly’s line about thinking the Fourth of July being in October because “You never can tell, look what they did to Thanksgiving!” is a dated political reference. In 1939, President Franklin Roosevelt officially moved up the celebration of Thanksgiving to an earlier Thursday in November in an attempt to lengthen the Christmas shopping season ergo giving the country a much needed economical boost. After a backlash, Thanksgiving eventually was moved back to the last Thursday of the month.
- Larry’s reference to being a member of a litter of three that was “Thrown away” is a reference to the fact that he was the only member of the Three Stooges that wasn’t a member of the Horwitz (screen named Howard) family.
- During the scene in which Moe and Larry try to guess Symona Boniface’s age. Larry guessed 43, and Moe guesses 50. These two numbers average out to 46 and a half, which was Boniface’s real age when this short was filmed.
Cookoo Cavaliers Fish salesmen Larry Hook, Moe Line, and Curly Sinker decide they’re tired of the business they’re in. Moe wants to get into the saloon business, mix drinks, and mingle with the common man! However, upon trying to purchase a saloon, they accidentally wind up with a beauty salon in Mexico instead.
They don’t discover the mistake until they inspect the building. However, the boys are still convinced that big money is to be made and they keep the business. Upon opening up, the Stooges find their first customers to be four Bonita Latina showgirls (three of which played by Dorothy Appleby, Dorothy DeHaven, and Blanca Vischer). The Stooges try their best to give them the makeover of a lifetime, but one ends up with cement on her face instead of mud and the other three without hair at all. Furious at the result, the girls grab guns and chase the Stooges off into the distance.Just when you thought the Three Stooges have entered just about every occupation they can destroy, they come up with a beauty (no pun intended). Whoever came up with the idea of the Stooges as hairdressers is a bloody genius. Cookoo Cavaliers isn’t quite as genius as its concept, but it brings enough funny to do it justice (which is more than I can say for the shorts which made the Stooges into firemen). The fairly random opening with the Stooges tossing rotting fish at customers brings giggles, but the short lags in the middle before the boys get customers in their new business venture. The short springs to life in its finale in which the Stooges put their own spin on beauty work, and it’s a doozy. The climax makes the short for me, and with a concept this good, there’s no doubt as to why. Notes:- Cookoo Cavaliers was Anita Garvin’s final film appearance before retiring to raise a family. During her career, she had also starred with popular comedians Charley Chase and Laurel and Hardy.
- The actress playing Juanita is unknown.
Boobs in Arms Moe, Larry, and Curly are greeting card salesmen who get on the bad side of a pedestrian who they’ve knocked over (Lynton Brent). After he threatens them, they give him the works with their own style of violence and take off running.
They find their way onto the doorstep of an apartment, where they find a woman (Evelyn Young) crying because her husband (Richard Fiske) doesn’t pay attention to her anymore. The boys convince her that making him jealous is the best way and talk her into letting Curly woo her in front of her husband. But the prospect of having Curly flirt with her proves to be too much, and she faints. With her husband about to come home, the boys position her and act as if they’re convincing her to leave her husband. However, the man in question turns out to be the man they assaulted on the streets. He chases them down the block where they hide in a line of people. The line turns out to lead into the army recruitment office, and the man they’ve been offending all day is now their commanding officer!
After endless training with a sergeant that makes their life a living hell, the boys are ready for war. In the heat of a battle, they’re asked to fire a canon, but a mishap occurs which causes the Stooges to get a good dose of laughing gas and are promptly captured. At the enemy base, the Stooges (still under the effects of the gas) bravely fight off the soldiers in a fit of laughter as the place is bombarded by American gunfire.A minor reworking of 1936’s Half Shot Shooters, Boobs in Arms turns out to be a superior product, if only because it knows when to call it quits when a portion of the short isn’t working properly. The use of an army sergeant that hates the Stooges is used to more enjoyable effect here, if only because we sympathize with this sergeant more than we did in Shooters. What makes the short fall apart is that Richard Fiske is fairly obnoxious in the role, constantly breaking down into tears screaming “WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAPPEN TO ME?!” There’s only so much I can take, and he was testing my patience. The sequence in which the Stooges woo his wife is a genuine pleasure though, offering a lovely dose of laughs during this segment. The short seems to give up on the sergeant storyline about two thirds of the way through, and gives the Stooges something new to do. The climax is a delight, in which Curly’s ineptitude with the cannon saves the short from sinking like Half Shot Shooters. The finale with the Stooges fueled by laughing gas taking out enemy soldiers is a delightful and funny way to end this short as well. I came out of this one feeling more satisfied than I thought I would, but then remember why I wasn’t thinking so highly of it in the first place. Classic material is wasted on an unimpressive retread of something that wasn’t even that good in the first place. Notes:- Boobs in Arms was the very first film released based upon Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, better known as the United States Draft, which forced all men between the ages of 18 and 45 to enlist in the military. Military comedies became a hot commodity, resulting in many created in the 1940’s. These films included Bob Hope’s Caught in the Draft, Phil Silvers and Jimmy Durante’s You’re in the Army Now, Fred Astaire’s You’ll Never Get Rich, William Tracy and Joe Sawyer’s Tanks for Nothing, Laurel and Hardy’s Great Guns, and most popular of all, the smash hit comedies of Abbott and Costello Buck Privates, In the Navy, and Keep ‘Em Flying.
- The title is a parody of the 1939 musical Babes in Arms.
- The drill sergeant training routine was adapted from a Broadway performance by future Stooge Joe Besser. Besser would later adapt it himself in the short subject Aim, Fire, Scoot.
- Actor Richard Fiske was drafted in the Army in 1942. He was killed in France two years later during World War II at the young age of 28.
- Eddie Laughton has two separate roles in this short: a neighbor and a battlefield CO.
[/u] Murder Over New York (Feature Film) Money Squawks (Short Subject) The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady (Feature Film) Boobs in the Woods (Short Subject) Millionaires in Prison (Feature Film) Pleased to Mitt You (Short Subject) The Leather Pushers (Feature Film) The Bank Dick (Feature Film) Give Us Wings (Feature Film) The Invisible Woman (Feature Film) Joe Besser appeared in the following filmsHot Steel (Feature Film)[/ul]
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Nov 3, 2014 23:29:15 GMT -5
While I assure you that my project is far from forgotten (I have almost every log I intend to make for it on my computer) I am bumping this tho share this little slice of awesome with the Stoogephiles of the board. Now available from Warner Archive is Classic Shorts from the Dream Factory Volume 3, featuring the five Ted Healy and his Stooges shorts for MGM as well as Curly Howard's rather tedious Roast Beef and Movies short (his only appearance on film without Ted, Moe, or Larry). The centerpiece of the disc however is the home media debut of Hello Pop, the long thought lost short from the MGM era. Needless to say this disc is a must have for any Stooge fan and kine should arrive this week. Expect an update to my Hello Pop log with a full review soon. And updates in general are on thd horizon. Stay tuned!
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Apr 3, 2015 0:46:51 GMT -5
The Three Stooges on blu-ray? It's going to happen this month! But alas, Sony isn't going to be re-releasing their short subject sets in the pristine format (I'd be drooling right now if they did). Instead it's Mill Creek making good on their deal with Sony. A few years ago they released a DVD set featuring Time Out for Rhythm, Rockin' in the Rockies, Have Rocket Will Travel, The Three Stooges Meet Hercules, The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze, and The Outlaws is Coming, and these six flicks ran for about ten bucks for the whole lot. Not a bad deal, though picture quality suffered from shoving three films on one disc. Hopefully faring better will be their new triple feature blu-rays. Like just about all Mill Creek sets these will be pretty damn cheap. Amazon has them for about eight dollars each, a price I'll definitely be investing in. After all, not including any budget discs featuring the public domain shorts, this is the first time the Stooges have been represented in the blu-ray format. It's sad that it's mostly Curly-Joe era material, but the Stooge antics in Time Out for Rhythm are well worth preserving in high definition. Plus I do adore Around the World in a Daze. One thing that has garnered puzzled looks from Stooge fans is that Mill Creek has released all of the Stooge's Curly-Joe features at Columbia except for Three Stooges in Orbit, and it's still absent from the line-up. If there's a reason that it might be omitted from the Three Stooges deal between Sony and Mill Creek it still remains to be seen. (Note: I'm holding out a faint hope for a third triple feature disc featuring Orbit, Stop Look and Laugh, and as of yet unreleased Start Cheering. Probably won't happen but I can dream). In further Stooge-to-disc news, in recent years Moe Howard's son Paul held a Kickstarter to help fund a new documentary based on the Stooges and it paid off. Hey Moe, Hey Dad! will be sold as a Target exclusive in May. No word if it will go retail wide later, but it sounds like a hell of a set. The footage totals up to nine hours! I'm definitely getting this one!
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Apr 4, 2015 18:33:32 GMT -5
Out with the old and in with the new! It was slow going on getting a new write-up of Hello Pop up, but the original post is now edited and full of Poppy goodness! Having seen the short three times so far I finally felt like I could assess it more accurately than before. For those not wishing to flick back through the pages (and why would you? That would require work!) here's the new write-up: Hello Pop! Ted Healy is about to put on the biggest show of his career and everything has to go absolutely perfect. But problems arise in the form of Healy’s children (Moe, Larry, and Curly) wreaking havoc backstage, performers not ready for the stage, and a mysterious woman (Bonnie Bonnell) trying to audition for it.Hello Pop was long thought to be lost, leaving it a piece of Stooges history that has been a curiosity for quite some time. When I first saw the film I paid close attention to it, because it may very well be the last unseen footage I’ll ever see of the Curly-era Three Stooges as a unit in my entire life. And unless Curly Howard’s lost short Jail Birds of Paradise is ever found, it may very well be the last time I see footage of Curly that I haven’t seen at all. Note: I know for a fact this is the last time I’ll see footage of Bonnie Bonnell that I haven’t seen, but that’s of no importance to me. The woman was just painful to watch. After years of anticipation, Hello Pop is a bit of an anti-climax. It’s unfair to think it should be the ultimate Three Stooges presentation, but it does fail to be one of the better shorts that they made during their MGM tenure. There’s very little actual amusement in the proceedings, which just kind of throws random gags around that are kind of amusing in concept but always landing with a thud over a chuckle. Ted Healy just kind of runs around franticly but is rarely given any actual humor to perform (aside from the kissing scene, which is pretty funny I’ll admit). Bonnie Bonnell stumbles onscreen every once in a while, mumbles incoherently, and gets shoved off as Ted Healy melodramatically asks “Who IS that WOMAN?” As an audience member, instead of laughing I just find myself asking “Well, why don’t you ask her?” The final payoff for this gag (“I’m in the wrong theater!”) is less of a chuckle and more of a groan. The Stooges shine the brightest, though not by much. The children routine is a bit tired after having already seen Nertsery Rhymes. The Stooges try to find new and fun ways to run with it, as they try to rehearse the play themselves to goofy results. I very much like their hiding under a woman’s dress and fighting over a dollar at the end as well. My ultimate satisfaction in Hello Pop is that the short was found at all and now is readily available for viewing for all Three Stooges fans everywhere. That alone is a victory worth celebrating. It’s a below-average short, but deep down I can say I kind of wish The Big Idea was “the lost short” instead (though if I’m this disappointed in Hello Pop, imagine how disappointed I’d be in rediscovering The Big Idea). Notes:- Made in a time in which film preservation wasn’t a concern, Hello Pop’s only preserved copy was destroyed by a fire in an MGM vault in 1967. For over forty-five years the film was considered lost until January 2013 where it was discovered in a private film collection in Australia. Restoration of the film became a top priority and the film was ready for screening by September 30th of that year in New York. Almost a year later on September 24th, 2014, Warner Archive released an on-demand version of the movie on a DVD called Classic Shorts from the Dream Factory Volume 3 through the internet where it can finally be enjoyed for home viewing today.
- Was the second and last short the Stooges filmed at MGM in Technicolor. Curly and Moe had also appeared in a Technicolor short without Healy or Larry called Jailbirds of Paradise (considered a lost film) and Curly appeared by himself in the Technicolor short Roast Beef and Movies. This would be the final time the Stooges appeared in color until their television appearances of the 1950’s and 60’s and the last time they’d be theatrically presented in color until Snow White and the Three Stooges in 1961.
- Italian character actor Henry Armetta was born in Sicily but came to America illegally by stowing away on a boat at the age of 14. He was almost deported on the spot but an Italian-American citizen stood up to act as the boy’s sponsor. Armetta performed remedial jobs to get by before meeting actor Raymond Hitchcock, who got him a part in the play A Yankee Consul. Armetta continued his career into Hollywood, often playing a stereotypical Italian character. During his time he worked with not only the Three Stooges, but the Marx Brothers in The Big Store and Buster Keaton and Jimmy Durante in What! No Beer? He also performed with horror icons Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in the film The Black Cat.
- Edward Brophy is also an actor who worked with the legendary Buster Keaton. One of Brophy’s first film roles was the iconic dressing room scene in The Cameraman. The sequence was so enjoyed by studio executives that it helped launch his film career. Today he is best known as the voice of Timothy the Mouse in the Walt Disney animated film Dumbo.
- If that’s not enough of a comedy icon connection for you, Tiny Sanford was a frequent supporting player for Charlie Chaplin, being featured in The Gold Rush, The Circus, Modern Times, and The Great Dictator. He was also often a guest performer in the short films of Laurel and Hardy.
- Rosetta and Vivian Duncan were vaudeville performers by the name of The Duncan Sisters. They started their comedy act at the young age of 14 in a show called Kiddies’ Revue. As they matured they started to grow both in popularity and talent, as they began to write their own material and music and often molding them into one. Their most popular creation was the stage play Topsy and Eva, loosely based on the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The play was such a smash that the Duncan Sisters adapted it to silent film in 1927 directed by future-Stooge collaborator Del Lord. The sisters started making sound films at MGM as the leads in their next film, It’s a Great Life, which became a box office bomb. The Duncan Sisters’ career spiraled after that, attempting to co-star in the ill-fated musical The March of Time that went unfinished. The duo split afterwards but reunited several years later on stage, though occasionally making a guest appearance on television and film. A biography of the Duncans was in the works at Paramount in 1952 starring Betty Hutton and Ginger Rogers, but was left unmade after Hutton broke her contract with Paramount.
- The Three Stooges are credited as “Howard, Fine, and Howard.”
- Bonnie Bonnell is credited as “Bonny.”
I don't like throwing perfectly good stuff away. So for prosperity, the original write-up was this: Hello Pop! Producer Ted Healy is trying to put on a musical. But his efforts are disrupted and thwarted by a temperamental musician (Henry Armetta), a non-cooperative girlfriend (Bonnie Bonnell), and his three sons (Moe, Larry, and Curly).Notes:- No copies of Hello Pop! are known to exist. It is considered lost. However, production photos and a shooting script have been found.
- The musical sequences featured in the film were from It’s a Great Life and the scrapped film The March of Time.
- Was filmed in Technicolor.
AND KEEP ON YOUR TOES! 1941 IS COMING, I PROMISE!
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Feb 21, 2017 20:07:29 GMT -5
I never updated after receiving my copy of Hey Moe, Hey Dad!, which I have to say is quite possibly the greatest documentary of the Stooges ever recorded and if you're a self respecting Stooge fan you'll invest in it RIGHT NOW.
But today I feel relieved and lucky. I almost missed out on a separate release, but luckily I caught it just in time. Unfortunately that doesn't help many other fans reading this and just hearing about it for the first time but my hands are tied.
Long story short, we finally have Three Stooges shorts on blu-ray! And they aren't the infamous public domain quartet! (I'm sure those shorts are on blu-ray, but I haven't looked very far into it)
Here's the catch, there are only two and they're two Shemp era shorts, Spooks and Pardon My Backfire. And the disc was only available for a limited time through Twilight Time, a disc label that's notorious for doing one printing and done, so when they're sold out you're out of luck. These shorts were provided as bonus features on Twilight Time's 3D release of The Mad Magician.
Oh and by the way, there's a minor detail of note...the shorts are in 3D too!
These two shorts were originally in 3D upon release, and the 3D effect was replicated on the Collection DVD using the cheap red-and-blue process. Now we can finally watched the two shorts as intended, with clear polarized glasses. As long as you have a 3D television that is.
Luckily I do. Unfortunately I currently don't have a remote for it and can't look at the 3D transfer. However I can say that the picture on the shorts is gorgeous.
Even if these aren't on the market anymore, it's good to know the transfers exist, so if Sony decides to do Three Stooge blu-rays in the future these will be ready and waiting.
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