Slippery Silks (1936) Review // The Three Stooges #23

Are We Not Men?

Slippery Silks does retread some ideas we’ve already seen. As an example, this short and Pardon My Scotch feature gags related to woodworking. There’s also the common plot of trying to escape law enforcement. However, some of these ideas have more juice in the can now. The new “woodworking” jokes are not like the old ones. There’s plenty more to love here. We get a good introduction to the film and the Stooges with us opening on an image of them dressed ridiculously. The leads’ attempts to evade the police by hiding behind wood is hilariously bad. Curly running with wood glued to his feet is similarly solid. Same with when Moe and Larry accidentally run into a woman and she is clearly very willing and able to get them. This follows the Keystone formula of random people accidentally being involved in the problem, such as by getting hit, and they then decide to become violent participants. This is done a lot better here as it’s made so unexpected and the gags are more original.

The fact the Stooges are trusted with anything, especially something as valuable as what they have here, implies that they can actually do things well enough to have jobs. Larry at one point hits Curly not unlike how Moe would. This has happened a few times and it’s always a little surreal. Moe hits Larry and Curly tells him to “leave him alone”. The scene fades on this. Curly’s vocal suggests he’s out of character. Why he would say this is unclear, especially as the Curly character is not one to stand up for others. Moe tells someone else they’re not allowed to hit Curly. He even calls Curly his pal.

The gags with the scissors are both pretty solid and pretty painful looking. The “Right hand on your right hip” bit is a wonderful moment where Larry leads a scene. We also get a different type of joke than you’d expect, which makes it more rewarding. Larry’s wardrobe designs do make for a lovely surprise and commentary on how tacky this fashion culture can be. It’d be nice to have had more of a focus on this. Imagine a girl at one point opening one of those drawers and pulling something out of it that furthers the plot, like a pie to throw? Larry’s cabinet design in the beginning was arguably supposed to foreshadow his later dresses, as both have a somewhat similar design. It’s of course nice to see Larry get things to do. He is so great he should be closer to even footing with the others in terms of screentime. Curly getting punched over and over is quite good.

SPOILERS

We actually get to see the boys get beaten up in a way similar to how people are in more serious movies, though they bring their normal twists to it. It starts as a normal rough n’ tumble before turning into a concept that has unfortunately been repeated a little too often. “A polite situation of polite people turns into people throwing things at each other.” Even the final joke is basically one from Hoi Polloi. Admittedly, the gag is done a little better here, using a little more surprise. You can imagine that the women really thought they had maintained grace as they hit the leads, while in the earlier short it’s as if people understood the genie was out of the bottle for them! Moe’s way of launching weaponry is really clever.

OVERVIEW

As has been a recurring issue in The Three Stooges, pretty much every short has something brilliant going on that leaves you with a decent enough feeling. However, there’s points where it feels like no one knows what to do, so we resort to the same ol’ concepts. After the early shorts struggled to get things going, we’ve had higher quality episodes generally. Now, the “dull” ones aren’t too bad. Slippery Silks is the “new dull”. It’s decent, but below standard.

We Are Devo!

Whoops, I’m An Indian! (1936) Review // The Three Stooges #22 – Curly Gets Married To A Man

While Whoops, I’m An Indian! is expectedly a little racially insensitive, it doesn’t play into that particular hand as hard or as bad as you might expect. Bud Jamison acts like such a stereotypical dumb American that it’s always amusing when he speaks in broken English. That could imply the joke is more about how poorly understood Indians are by outsiders. The leads doing such comically poor impersonations of Indians could be an accidental commentary on this. It’s charming how suddenly one of the main conflicts is established, with Bud apparently thinking all Indians deserve to die because one “stole” his wife. This is topped with him smashing the table.

Larry taking his shoe off for no reason (for the sake of the audience) is a nice way to remind us that Larry is pretty dumb. That opening is very good at creating a unique atmosphere, where the gang is trying to con people. Sadly, it pretty quickly goes in a predictable direction, with them trying to evade capture by authorities. There are a few points where that leads them to interesting places, especially with the solid last few minutes, but overall there’s a little too much mud in the wheel. There’s of course many good gags: “Now you go out and get a moose and a few meeses.” Later there’s; Moe: “Oh, deer!” Curly: “I didn’t think you cared!” Curly’s chewing tobacco plan is amusing. Moe and Larry’s dance with Bud is probably the funniest bit in the picture, parodying a common trope.

There is a bit of a free spirit to this installment. When Moe yells, “I’m talking to you!” to Curly, he seems genuinely annoyed, like he’s gone through this all too much. Curly pulls up his skirt when trying to get a lift. The gang is clearly able to have a little fun and that makes it a reasonably engaging watch, though there’s not enough of a chance for things to develop or really get going. The Stooges and Bud Jamison have many good scenes together, so it would’ve been better if the short focused on their conflict. The ending scenes are quite strong. The plot easily could’ve been just that, but expanded on. As is, it works as a little twist.

SPOILERS

Curly trying to get Moe and Larry to save him from the marriage is another fine character moment, with Moe and Larry unwilling to actually do much to help him, showing their more selfish sides. Curly and Bud get a particularly solid exchange with, “Where are we going?” “Oh, for the honeymoon. For you I have the grand surprise.” “So have I if you only knew it.” When Bud wants to sleep with Curly, Curly doesn’t seem to mind as much as you’d think. He at points has a goofy smile on his face, though of course he is still trying to prevent anything from happening. Moe and Larry being under the bed not only makes for a funny surprise, but it shows the bond the leads have, that they’re willing to help each other out if possible and there is not a great personal risk.

OVERVIEW

This short shows some improvement over past installments. There’s some genuinely unexpected twists here. There’s still many filler scenes of things like the gang trying and failing to accomplish a simple task. This is epitomized by the final joke being quite poor, seeming like something was forced in because no one knew how to end it. The opening, ending, and a few other parts show a lot more ingenuity than usual and are thus pretty funny. The actual story here isn’t too bad and more importantly has momentum. The leads get in a situation, try to get out of it, then that causes strange and humorous things to happen. That sharp pacing is hurt by the aforementioned filler.

False Alarms (1936) Review // The Three Stooges #21

False Alarms feels unique as it is so far the most sitcom-like Stooge short. Namely, there’s a little more believability to everyone, with Moe less violent and Curly speaking in what is closer to a natural voice, and more notably the boys being able to have a-plots and b-plots, with certain Stooges on their own little adventure. That alone makes this among the most fascinating episodes. Moe sometimes acts more like an annoyed older friend or relative, rather than as comically vicious as he can be. A prime example is when he’s in the car with Curly. Curly’s more “realistic” approach is in turn shown when he says a line in response out of his comic voice, which really catches you off guard.

Curly is given too much focus, even getting an extensive scene of him with some women that you imagine could’ve featured all three leads. It’s fair enough to split them up, but there’s the suggestion someone is treating Curly like the main character. Curly seems a little too desperate to steal scenes. Still, some of those steals are pretty good. “Just why did you three halfwits join the fire department?” “So we wouldn’t have to buy any tickets for the fireman’s ball!” Other steals are more desperate. Even in the establishing shot of our heroes, Curly is singing loudly, probably to draw attention to him. Contrastingly, Moe and Larry in the opening are given a dialogue that you imagine would’ve normally gone to Moe and Curly.

The leads being revealed to be fully dressed in the shower is pretty funny. Curly falls on the captain, with his arms ending up around him, and says “Captain!” in a slightly romantic fashion. Moe picking up Larry by the hair is one of the most painful-looking bits. Curly saving the cake is a great bit and also shows a rare moment of a Stooge doing something right. Similarly as humorous is when you’re led to believe Larry is in the sink and the reveal related to that. When Larry deals with Moe’s wrath, he seems more annoyed, like he wants to be left alone. Curly often seems to actively do things where you think he’d know he’d get hit, thus emphasizing Larry as his own talent.

SPOILERS

Moe throwing water on the captain is quite poorly executed, but that may add charm for some. The water travels too slow, as various elements need to be established. The captain also announces his new suit awkwardly, only to immediately get soaked. After a cut, the captain is no longer wet. The captain saying he won’t fire the boys until they can pay for his suit is a rare example of a logical reason being given for the gang to continue their escapades.

The eye poke through a telephone is one of the big surprises here, making for a very memorable moment. Moe forcing Larry to not go to the girls implies the group is treated as a group. Theoretically, it shouldn’t matter if Larry is going to get himself fired if Moe is doing the right thing. Moe and Larry leaving the closet is one of the more blatantly stupid moments, topped off with a nice appearance by the dummies.

The final moment is sadly not a joke at all, but still interesting. Just like last time, the group has been rejected by society and now must make their escape. This illustrates better than usually that they are outcasts and it doesn’t quite make sense they could even get jobs. Them driving off into the distance makes for a poignant close to a short that almost implies sympathy, as they showed some ability to connect with other people, namely the three women.

OVERVIEW

Curly’s socializing with the women suggests a sort of casual domestication of the character, like he’d be better at being away from the others than you’d think. Sure, he has repeatedly been shown to not be so able at that, but this could suggest the writers wanted him to get in those situations more, or that the character is in some ways a charmer. The change in formula results in a pretty hilarious second half, which plays on that, with Moe and Larry trying to get to Curly, and for a pretty funny reason. It’s a shame the first is a little too typical. The boys doing things like thoughtlessly letting something get destroyed is already quite tired. Still, False Alarms proves itself to be a bit of a gem. Also, I’d like to think of this short as a sequel to the last firefighting escapade, Soup to Nuts.

While The Cat’s Away (1936) Review

While repetitive in some ways for those familiar with Laurel and Hardy, While The Cat’s Away does bring a lot of charm to the table. A lot of ideas are taken from Unaccustomed As We Are and Helpmates, both Laurel and Hardy short. The twists are really nice for those familiar with the other film. It’s a shame more wasn’t done to differentiate them. There is one really big difference that makes it easy to take this as a separate entity…

Shemp Howard is a lot of fun, acting like the Moe Howard character if he was a little better at being in society. Shemp’s character is named Henry, though it’s of course tempting to just call him Shemp. Johnny Berkes plays Johnny. Despite seemingly being the second half of a duoship with Shemp, he does way too little. Sure, Shemp is so funny that he doesn’t need others, but it’s a little odd how often Johnny is doing nothing or just playing into Shemp. He also sometimes does something way too expected or nonsensical, and is thus not a good foil. There is the occasional moment, like at the end, where he gets a little to do and he does it well. Shemp does rack up quite a lot of laughs.

There’s a lot of very charming humor. There’s the gag with the alarm clock, Henry’s repulsion at realizing he’s talking to his wife, Henry mixing a drink in Johnny’s mouth is a little bizarre, but not enough to erase how amusingly offbeat it is. Henry’s monologue and action in response to Johnny trying to sleep in the kitchen is one of the best, though unfortunately it’s obvious Shemp’s voice was dubbed in. The joke with the cat also packs a lot of punch, being very unexpected. “What are you doing? What are you doing there? I hollered help, not fire.” Later, “I have to take this back to the shop.” “Wait a minute, how about taking this dirt back with you?” “Oh, don’t worry about that, gentlemen, I have plenty more dirt outside in the suitcase.” Both are sharp lines. There’s some easy to miss gags, or at least unexpected ones that are very delightful, like Henry removing his blanket and having apparently slept with his shoes on.

Miscellaneous comments include: I can’t believe how disgusting Johnny’s method of cleaning dishes is. Henry foolishly gets dirt on Allyn Drake. He usually is at least slightly smarter here. You’d think the men would act more tired, considering circumstances. Maybe that dirt thing is a sign of that? Henry being in bed with Johnny is a little fruity. As much can be said for when he checks Johnny to make sure he looks good and even rubs his face. Johnny later licks his hand and runs it through Henry’s hair (for the purpose of smoothing it over).

SPOILERS

Shemp just forgot about his fish when the coffee came up. R.I.P. Minnie. It seems that Henry and/or Johnny is at least a little competent, as they were able to successfully clean the house before their wives got home. It’s a little too convenient that the superintendent would just rattle off his dirty secret to the leads. Despite how good Shemp is here, and how little Anita Garvin is used, she walks away with the greatest joke in the picture: “Henry!” “What?” “Is your life insurance all paid up?” “Certainly!” This is also a good character moment, as it tells us how this husband and wife feel about each other. Their delivery is also beautifully straight.

One fun difference from Unaccustomed is that there’s more suspense. The leads’ wives almost seem to know that something is going on and are more proactive in trying to figure it out. Thus, when the superintendent says he’ll help them out, that comes as somewhat of a relief, but also a stressor, as the leads know who is in it. Allyn is very reluctant to get in the trunk. The hurriedness causes the phone to get locked in the trunk, which ultimately plays into the story. This also means that when Allyn finds out about her husband cheating, it is both another added layer of worry, but at the same time she’s probably glad this happened, so she could learn of what her husband has been up to.

In Unaccustomed, there’s a reason for Stan Laurel to not ultimately get hit. This short’s shrimp doesn’t get a logical reason, with it seemingly being that he decided to become stronger. However, it’s a nice touch that the theme of the leads being under the thumb of their wives is reiterated with the ladies taking him out with a few quick slaps for an excellent final joke.

OVERVIEW

This short is like if the Three Stooges were family men and a little more intelligent. It’s pulled off well. If you happen to not like Shemp, there’s no reason to see it, but otherwise one should. Anita Garvin in her portrait and later work clothes looks very cool.

A Pain In The Pullman (1936) Review // The Three Stooges #20

Larry reaction.

A Pain In The Pullman starts on both a positive and negative. While the opening scene is funny, it shows one of the big issues with the series, Larry isn’t included. While some might think he’s superfluous, he does in many ways elevate the comedy, so it’s a shame when he’s not valued. Larry still gets his little scenes to steal throughout, but they can feel like an afterthought at times. The “Oh, Nellie” joke is so good it’d be great to see more of Moe and Larry working off only each other. Throughout the short, there are many great jokes, including a particularly notable one in the opening scene: “Joe’s right, we can’t eat the act.” Larry at one point hits Curly and this is not acknowledged. This works due to how surprising it is, but it almost makes you wonder if this was improvised, as why would Larry hit him? Admittedly, he’s wanted to act like Moe to Curly in the past. It’s also fun to think that he was filling in for Moe, who is slightly nicer here…

Throughout the short, Moe seems less violent and aggressive. It’s fun to think that he’s trying to look good for work and practice good behavior. When he’s yelling at Curly for being too loud, you’d expect him to hit him. That could be explained away as making it too likely the trunk would be dropped. There is the impression that no one thought to put them in there for certain scenes. Still, he at points is normal and does get one of his meanest moments with a lime. That lime gag could be seen as him having burnt out over things and doesn’t even want to bother trying to be nice anymore. Moe acts like a stubborn dad trying too hard to help his kids when he’s trying to cut the crab. Also, Moe was right that the guy shouldn’t have tried to hit the monkey.

Curly gets a chance to act unlike himself when pretending to be a policeman. This goes to demonstrate two points I’ve made in the past, Curly doesn’t need to do the same few bits. He could and should be trying new things, as otherwise things get stale. Also, it’s a shame that the Stooges formula wasn’t changed up more and when that has happened, that’s often led to criticism. Why not have a short where let’s say Curly is a cop and the other two are criminals and they have some comedic encounter? Especially because Punch Drunks depicts them all meeting each other for the first time and we get some great gags from that idea. Curly grabbing some random girl is obviously pretty creepy. It at least plays on being built up from something, instead of with someone like Harpo Marx where he essentially does it randomly.

Some favorite jokes include… the sight gag of the shoe, especially with the word “savory” below it. “Nightmares you had to have, huh?” “Yeah, but this was in technicolor!” There’s a fun surprise when a woman, played by Wilna Webster Hervey, is much larger than initially expected. You could imagine her in an alternate universe being something like a Margaret Dumont to the Stooges. She carries a sense of brashness that Dumont doesn’t have. That style would compliment the Columbia Kings well. Anne O’Neal also turns in a memorable bit role as a landlady. The Three Stooges are actually called “The Three Stooges” in the narrative. This isn’t exactly a joke, but it’s so amusing that it still got a laugh.

For a negative, while the boys eating the crab isn’t that bad, it is simply too slow and retreads ideas from Uncivil Warriors. These sorts of bits work best when we’re constantly getting little mini-jokes that are usually unexpected, like really witty zingers from whoever is involved. Admittedly, we aren’t completely devoid of that, like the following exchange: “Oh, I just love crab!” “She don’t know it’s a turtle!”

SPOILERS

Why would they have all put so much work into lugging the trunk if Moe was just going to let it be left behind? How did Larry get his legs in Moe and Curly’s vests? Curly being thrown in the berth is pretty hilarious, with the obvious dummy adding to the charm. One benefit to this moment over similar ones in the past is that it’s well paced. There’s no awkward beat of nothing here. The scene about happens faster than you can process that dummy, so it works as “surprise surrealism” instead of poor editing.

The final joke of the boys being thrown on cows is pretty good. There could be a fun sequel short about the leads trying to figure out what to do in their situation. They’re stranded. The setup is also telling for the nature of the trio. Their asocial nature and constant ability to disgust people results in them never being able to find stability. If we are to apply logic to their behavior, it makes sense that they’d rather be with each other, for all the issues that causes them, than to be completely alone. Even despite what happened to them here, at least they’re together. With shows like It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia or Beavis and Butt-Head, it’s at least theorized that certain main characters are not as bad as others. If anyone got the confidence or ability to leave the others, they’d be better off. Considering how the Three Stooges show this sort of behavior even when alone, it doesn’t seem like any would be sociable enough solo.

OVERVIEW

So much time being devoted to the boys trying to get in the berth is both a positive and negative. A classic comedy formula is to do the same thing, but keep changing it up in unexpected ways. That sequence provides many well earned laughs, but it also features some lesser jokes and poor pacing, while also dragging in ways. A tighter script could’ve made that scene a masterpiece. Something I always really enjoy about this series is when the Three Stooges are wearing nice clothing and being called things like “gentlemen”. These were common at the time, so it’s fun to see what looks like the veneer of trying to fit in and seem normal, but of course they’re really bad at such a thing.

Whispering Whoopee (1930) Review

Thelma Todd After Getting HOTTER THAN HOT!

Whispering Whoopee very much follows the situational comedy style that is common from this time and studio. That’s not a bad thing, other than that the reason there are so many of these elements is because it’s cheaper to simply film people in a room than to do something more elaborate. What often helps this sort of thing is to have good humor based on that situation and/or good performers that are making the most of what’s here. This Charley Chase vehicle manages to just be alright at both. Chase fills the most important role here by being the person that’s often on edge. This is more or less a necessity, considering the set is just an apartment room. You can tell this lead character would rather be somewhere else if he could. One of his funniest lines is, “I want you to whoop things up big!”

Another staple of Hal Roach-produced films is the presence of girls! Here you get four. Kay Deslys, Dolores Brinkman, and Anita Garvin all seem to be there essentially to make up numbers, as it makes more sense both story-wise and for eye candy to have eight pretty legs, instead of two. They also get the odd bit of humor, especially when angry. Thelma Todd gets the most material. She also seems the most comfortable, which may explain why. One of her best lines is in response to… “I’m trying to unload.” “Why, you just unloaded!” When she wants to play her game, she oozes this wonderful devious sexiness. While the other girls are fine enough, it may have made more sense to restructure things so that Todd is the only woman here and is allowed to have more of an impact by not having to share the spotlight with the other girls.

The short starts with a nice jazz song. While this would understandably be difficult, it’d be nice if more of these films started with unique songs, to give each episode its own flavor. It is a little jarring to hear the quiet and poorly-recorded dialogue after the music. There’s also a little too much exposition which barely matters in the end. Considering the amount of story buildup and the slowness of things, you could hope that this would turn into something really clever, then that just doesn’t happen and everything is mostly too predictable.

One of the better elements of the film is when you expect the straight-laced men to do one thing, but then they do another. More mileage comes from that as there’s less expectation of what they will do. They also get a highlight with this exchange: “I’m very suspicious!” “Ohhh.” Considering how different they are from the party girls, you’d think that would turn into some really interesting and hilarious conflict. Anita Garvin gets a fun bit where she argues over one of the men being too strict about following the rules. This could’ve been a great moment for her character to stick out and to take things in a crazier direction, but alas that didn’t happen. Also, I agree with the women that it doesn’t matter if they follow the rules perfectly or not.

SPOILERS

Imagine if throughout, some of the girls are convinced to be more straight-laced and some of the men become looser, but not all? The short would be about the battle of, “Who will convert who?” It’s at least a shame that all the women are pretty much treated as the same character, and the same with the three strict men. While Charley Chase, his butler Ricketts, and his landlord Mr. Richmond seem distinct, the others could’ve very easily just been one crazy woman and one stuck-up man.

The first time one of the men suggests they’re going to loosen up is great. We get to feel the tension with Charley, then we see one of them pop his head out the door and demonstrate he is enjoying playing the game. As the game progresses, you get the sense that this is a slow burn that will result in something big happening. Eventually, everyone starts arguing and that seems like it’s building to that. The argument itself is not that funny and thus would have to be a lead-in. Maybe it’s revealed how the game is played and it’s something more outrageous than the audience would’ve thought or that leads to the men hilariously showing that they’re loosening up? Eddie Dunn as the butler then walks in to announce dinner and the scene ends, as if this is a low-end improv show where someone realizes things aren’t going anywhere, so walks in to interrupt before the show gets worse.

It’s fun to think Charley is so anxious about things going well, especially after his original plan fell through, that he would trust Thelma with her “game”. His anxiousness to just go with the flow is later shown when after worrying about the landlord, he plays along with the Niagara Falls joke. While it’s easy to see how the champagne spraying was supposed to be really funny, that trope seems way too tired. Champagne isn’t funny!

OVERVIEW

The final joke is just odd, feeling forced in as a misguided attempt to have payoff. A better ending could involve for some reason everyone having to leave this cramped room. It’d give us some diversity. Whispering Whoopee isn’t anything special, but is regardless enjoyable enough.

The women getting soaked in champagne, especially with a particular shot of it happening to Thelma, seems like it was put in for the sake of those here for jollies.

Stepping Out (1929) Review

Stepping Out gets started on an interesting foot. It’s weird that Charley would talk so brazenly about preferring being single and Thelma, his wife, would seem so fine with it. With the latter, you can speculate that Thelma’s plan all along was for Charley to ultimately hate the party lifestyle. Thelma’s face in response to Charley first bringing up how he preferred single life is very funny. It’s like she can’t help but steal scenes. That being said, Charley Chase is not to go unappreciated, take his silly dance near the beginning for example. Throughout he gets some good lines like, “Well, baby don’t play with those crackers like that!” Then there’s, “You’ve got your hand in my soup.” “Oh, that’s all right. It’s ain’t hot.” He disposes of those crackers by dumping them on the crowded floor, with this never being acknowledged. Charley calls the ballroom a “palace of jazz” and Anita Garvin a “Big Bohunk”.

It’s a little weird to see Thelma Todd play a “nice girl”, but she is fine at it. She gets a chance to steal a scene with a little meanness at one point, and that is satisfying for a Toddy fan. Charley Chase, in what little I’ve seen of him, continues to be a satisfying goofball that can’t help but be frightened by trouble. He could certainly be doing more. Todd and Anita Garvin are better at being memorable, with Garvin being this overly cutesy and inconsiderate party girl. Anita has a gloriously devilish look on her face in her first scene, introducing her and her main trait well. Despite coming from silent films, Garvin doesn’t put too much in her physicality, unlike Chase, and thus probably can only be really appreciated here if the vocal disc turns up.

The concept of this short is pretty simple. That’s fine if it’s filled with great jokes, but they’re just “alright” here. To cover miscellaneous topics… between a cut, Charley went from having messy hair to perfectly smooth hair. Anita also goes from one outfit to another. You can imagine there was a passage of time, but that wasn’t stated or suggested. Also, it’s weird that a club wouldn’t let men go in alone. Wouldn’t they want single men to come in to meet women, and thus pay for things?

SPOILERS

It’s amusing how everyone in the ballroom threw their flasks brazenly on the floor. You’d think they’d be more subtle. As much can be said for how everyone was willing to just knock Charley over, playing into Hal Roach’s common theme of people not caring about people outside themselves. Mickey, Anita’s jealous boyfriend, never appears or has relevance. This makes for a nice anti-joke. At one point, a random person is believed to be Mickey for a second before things are cleared up and then that person never plays any role in the film. This element works, as it’s so underplayed. Most of Anita’s food never shows up. In fact, what is logically most likely is by the time Charley was arrested, the food wasn’t done, and thus he didn’t have to pay for it.

While of course a very common theme with old comedy shorts is social politeness being followed to an absurd degree, it’s hard to not let the realist wonder why Charley wouldn’t leave Anita, considering how rude she’s being. This can also be used to explain why Charley doesn’t leave Anita as soon as he finds out she has a boyfriend who is insanely jealous of other men being with his girl. That being said, this is sometimes broken. You’d think a polite person wouldn’t hit someone, especially in the scene where Charley’s date was bothering someone, so he hit Charley in response (I was wondering why he seemed weirdly forgiving), even though Charley didn’t do anything wrong. The rationale may be, “It’s okay to hit someone as retaliation, but if it’s a woman hurting you, hit her male associate, as hitting a woman is wrong.” That of course includes some pretty absurd logic.

Charley walking up to a random table is quite amusing and could be seen as a highlight, though the scene suffers as available, due to the sound being lost. Based on Charley Chase’s body language, he probably really earned a few laughs that are now harder to appreciate. The same can be said for when he sings. This was probably supposed to be a big moment. There’s also some more fun moments that would be better appreciated with sound, like the banjoist playing as Charley destroys instruments and makes a fool of himself or when everyone claps in response to him saying he’s going home. As soon as Charley destroyed his first instrument, why wouldn’t Edgar Kennedy immediately try to stop him?

OVERVIEW

While the plot is predictable, it is fun to see all that happens to poor Charley. This short would probably be better with sound, but it works well enough without. The final joke is hilarious. You can imagine a funny noise had accompanied the gag.

Many Scrappy Returns (1927) Review

“Warning! Don’t interfere when a man and his wife are fighting – Married people have their rights.”

Many Scrappy Returns seems trapped between being a “realistic” comedy and an absurdist one. It concerns the conflict of a few couples and how they interact. That can result in extremely clever writing and acting or extremely okay writing and acting. This short seems to hit the middle. Charley Chase is a likable enough protagonist, turning in a little charm and most importantly humor. One highlight is when he puts plates in his suit to protect them. Anita Garvin plays the wife of Charley’s brother. She brings a vibrant spunk to her role and really commits to her character. Her run is also way too cute to not be lovable and funny. One of the best moments, which is also amusing out of her character for her, is when she says, “-Did the mean nasty old pole run into mama’s darling little dickey bird–”. The other actors don’t make strong impressions, especially Eugenia Gilbert, who is too often just a distressed woman to be worried about.

Some of the funniest moments come from wordy and humorous intertitles. “The Suspicious Wife – She wouldn’t trust any man further than the Statue of Liberty can jump.” not only tells you what you need to know about Gilbert’s character, but carries its own laughs. The same can be said for, “Brother Wellington and his wife fought each other four years as amateurs – and then turned professionals.” “Porker” and “Applesauce” are two insults that need to be brought back to the modern day. There’s also a few sharp jokes, such as the one with a $50 vase. The story gains some momentum throughout, only to drop it by getting too convoluted and predictable. There’s notably less of the actors giving a performance in the second half as much as it’s this bland story playing out. There’s even a scene of Charley talking to his maid, without any comedy to liven it up.

SPOILERS

There’s a fun twist on social situation comedies where Charley won’t stop his brother from destroying his stuff, probably for the sake of politeness, but he will pretend to start his own fight and actually destroy his things, of course paying him. Why did Charley really chase his wife with a knife in the fake argument? The moments of the story that are best have a sense of unexpectedness and logic, a favorite moment being when Charley’s wife is situationally prompted to mention her accusations of cheating, to which the maid walks in and thinks she knows of her affair. All that was set up, given a chance for us to forget, then now paid off.

The story at points does not make sense. When this is excusable is when the nonsense element is made so funny that it works as a joke in its own right, but that is not the case here. A man threatens to kill Charley for hugging his wife, then says he’ll only kill him if he is with her again. Based on his nature, why wouldn’t he just kill him after the first offense? Later, he is pretty cordial with Charley, who he still thinks was trying something with his wife. Separately, the man’s wife goes in Charley’s house (without either man knowing). Despite the man being invited in to talk during the day, he’s now getting ready to sleep at Charley’s house. The two almost act as friends. Due to the low quality of the print, I thought this might’ve been a new character whose introduction wasn’t included, possibly due to missing scenes. Later, the man’s wife finds her in Charley’s bed. Even though it’s later proven that Charley didn’t initially make a pass at her, shouldn’t he still think that he was trying to do something with her in his bed?

The happy ending was so stupid that it was funny. It was satisfying as a little time and love was actually given to getting us into Charley and rooting for him. If it was meant to be taken seriously, oh boy!

OVERVIEW

Considering the incongruent story structure, it was a little hard to get into this one and follow it. Still, there are many good jokes, especially near the beginning and it’s worth it for a few laughs. See for Anita’s run.

Disorder In The Court (1936) Review // The Three Stooges #19

Disorder In The Court shows everyone and everything pretty much firing on all cylinders. It is the most glaring example of what these films could be if they were given a little more care. Not only is the premise established comedically, as it should always be, it also sets the offbeat tone, with some hammy performances that communicate the angst. As much can be said for Bud Jamison’s hilarious delivery of the “Intelligent, broad-minded, and intellectual” jury, followed by our shot of them. Sometimes the premise is simply established in a quick bit of dialogue as fast as possible. The Three Stooges get a great introduction, starting with an anti-introduction, where we don’t see them when we were expecting. The tic-tac-toe gag that they’re introduced with comes back into play at multiple points throughout.

The formula is changed a little, with the court being the main aggressive force, instead of Moe. Despite generally preferring shorts most focused on Moe, this is a great use of “Curly upfront”. That’s mainly because Moe and Larry aren’t starved for screen time and Curly isn’t retreading his old quips. In his weaker moments, he seems to be randomly picking one of his bits to say or do. It’s always nice to see moments of the Three Stooges playing off of each other’s energies. Curly well utilizes the “victim of circumstance” line, playing off of Moe, then Larry joins in, and the three are all on fire. They even make things not necessarily funny funny by having such good chemistry with not only the other Stooges, but the other players. “What comes after 75?”

Jokes are sometimes layered, when you are hit with another gag even before you’ve recovered from the last one. “Vernacular? That’s a derby!” After being asked again, Curly unexpectedly drops the hat. The individual laughs are also simply better than typically. “If you swear-?” “Nooo, but I know all the words.” Another is, “Your honor, not my honor!” “Why, don’t you like him?” There’s, “I’ll sue you for this!” “Oh, superstitious, eh?” The judge then adds, “Gentlemen, you must control your killing instincts.” The harmonica gag, and Moe’s face, are priceless. Bud Jamison’s disgusted face when talking to a juror is pretty good. Larry’s delivery of “A Tarantula!” also got me.

You have to admire the shamelessness of finding a way to, in a courtroom film of all things, include a woman in little clothes. Such contrast also gives it an honest laugh, especially considering this wasn’t apparently planned for the characters. It’s as if the woman always has revealing dance clothes on under her street clothes. Another cheap thrill thrown in the pot is the music scene, which similarly features very clever humor. There’s also more time focused on the Stooges than you’d expect, considering there’s a pre-code woman just off-screen. Also, it’s amusing that Curly isn’t trying to play the bass even close to correctly, especially in contrast to Larry, who is obviously proficient at the violin.

The scene of Larry pointlessly yelling colors his character. Something about participating in what happened perhaps made him feel a need to express what looks like joy. It’s like he knows he doesn’t get the most to do, so now he feels a need to take some spotlight, especially near the end, where it wouldn’t be expected. We also get one of the dumbest Larry moments when he accidentally breaks his violin. If it wasn’t always clear, Larry isn’t smarter than the other Stooges, even if his quietness reads as that.

While the bad editing does have its charm, the short would be fine without it. It’s certainly easy to just focus on the positives, but it’s a shame that wasn’t ironed out. The shot of Curly’s obviously fake head is pretty good. A gag related to the gum features some inventive camerawork that makes the gag funnier than it would’ve been with flatter cinematography. Moe’s face is also great. The pacing is hurt with moments like when Curly suddenly is chewing gum, killing the flow of jokes, admittedly to start a new flow. Still, such a problem is not very significant. Also, it’s a little irritating that Curly does not consistently raise his right hand after being asked to, as if he forgot.

SPOILERS

It was surprising that Moe wouldn’t hit Curly after the harmonica incident. Thus, my head-canon is that he put him under the letterpress as retaliation for that. After Curly is disoriented by that, Moe hits him and he’s better. It’s as if there’s some desirable element to his hits that appeals to Curly and Larry. Moe getting hit with the wheel of the letterpress is one of the most painful-looking moments of the series.

OVERVIEW

While the final joke could’ve been funnier, it is very clever, suggesting reasonably that with the Three Stooges, the day is never won and the chaos never stops, it’ll just keep going forever. Despite the earlier complaint about pacing, when the pacing works, as well as the humor, Disorder In The Court is a non-stop riot and well worth the title of “Best Three Stooges short so far.”

Unaccustomed As We Are (1929) Review // Laurel And Hardy #29

Thelma Todd is Hot!

I haven’t particularly “gotten” Laurel and Hardy, but Unaccustomed As We Are has proven itself an exception to the admittedly very few installments I’ve seen. While the pacing starts strange, it picks up and doesn’t relent. This seemingly inconspicuous short is a riot of strange humor and twists, with clever setups and tons of laughs. Its eccentric and witty nature bleeds out in numerous ways and really is a joy. As is probably most associated with the Marx Brothers, little moments are found to cram in as many jokes as possible. There’s a scene of Stan trying to help a problem, is rejected from doing so, and simply shrugs, which could just as easily have not been there, but it’s so great that it is. This film feels like a play. The sets are simplistic and constant enough that it could be used for that. The simple presence or absence of any given person creates discomfort, as you’re wondering what they’re up to. You’re left to always be soaking in the current environment, filmed so you can see a lot, and take in whatever is going on with the actors.

The dialogue and sound are wonderful, not just being afterthoughts. They play into this vibe of everyone trying to be so polite that that causes more and more significant discomfort. As things get out of hand, that sense of social order becomes increasingly absurd. Even outside of that slow burn effect, there’s lots of little verbal gags that would make the film great even without the greater purpose. It’s so funny to notice at the beginning when Stan Laurel is so quiet, only to break that with, “I was wondering who it was.” Oliver Hardy’s body language and vocal when saying “Yoo-hoo” are so silly. Mae Busch’s response perfectly compliments Hardy’s tone and is followed by Laurel’s signature look of confusion and Hardy’s looking at the camera, both being so good as they’re unexpected. There’s also the riot of a gag that is the vinyl record one, and even what happens to it after.

While Laurel and Hardy epitomize the uncomfortable friendship trapped in this uncomfortable situation, the other players pack just as much of a punch. Mae Busch and Thelma Todd both capture being housewives with different views on how to handle that. Busch as “Mrs. Hardy” is more explosive, while Todd as “Mrs. Kennedy” is accepting… at first. Thelma Todd is more known for playing hard-edged characters. This could be seen as what got her like that. A favorite moment by Busch is when she calls Stan a peanut. Edgar Kennedy brings an intimidating presence, which can be bent to fit different situations.

SPOILERS

Jokes are “layered” when after Mrs. Hardy leaves, she comes back to kick Stan. This also shows how the character feels about Stan and in general. Before the rule of three pays off of Mrs. Kennedy getting set on fire, we’re given some light humor to distract from that we know what’s going to happen to her. An example of the great pacing is when a moment of tension for everyone near the end is broken with Edgar Kennedy walking in, sporting a change in appearance and mood. When Oliver is hit by Edgar, he makes a funny noise, which goes to show thought was put into how to give a proper purpose to sound. He could’ve given a very expected yell or not made any noise.

This film can be called a parody of social values, especially when you essentially have to pick one of two to disrespect or avoiding such a breaking is extremely stressful or pointless. An example is that in order to not be seen with another man’s partially naked wife, Oliver is willing to claim to his own that he’s going to South America. As an aside, that great of an escalation from where he was at is hilarious. It’s also funny when Mae Busch tries to hide her laughter and Stan takes an expression he says literally. It seems that in order to be polite, possibly for the sake of a lady being present, the two leads are willing to be pointlessly assaulted by Edgar at the end.

While probably not intentional, there is a feminist quality to the two female characters. Especially from Thelma, who goes from docile to what could be called “liberated”. Mae also seemingly cracks at the beginning. It’d be funny to imagine that before the events of the short, Mae criticizes her husband to Thelma, who didn’t want to realize how bad hers was. Mae being very much calmed down after seeing her mother could be a sign of old values trying to force people into submission. Maybe not entirely, as she doesn’t cook a very complicated meal or something at all similar to what Oliver wanted. Thelma at least appears to be better off by the end. Considering how brazenly she hits Edgar, you can imagine she probably doesn’t have to worry about receiving a beating as retaliation.

One minor negative is that it’s a little strange when Oliver yells at Stan for having invited him. Sure, he has been prone to mistakes, but he didn’t do that much. His reaction is overblown. However, Oliver’s belittling of Stan does in a way have a payoff… even the appearance and comedic personalities come into play. A joke near the end is that Oliver thinks Stan, a quiet and shrimpish man, beat up the intimidating Edgar Kennedy. Laurel also contrasts with his normal persona by whistling and being more casual, not so nervous. He then cracks a great line before reminding us that he is still the same person and injures himself.

OVERVIEW

Even ignoring the great performances and any social perspective that can be applied here, Unaccustomed As We Are is so funny, even on a gag-by-gag basis, that it earns its marks as a great film and also a great introduction to sound Laurel and Hardy. It’s honestly impressive how right they got sound on their first try. Based on the last scene, I sometimes say, “Goodnight, Mr. Hardy” to my brother before going down the stairs, not that he knows what that means.