Loving You (1957) Review

Elvis at the end of the film

Loving You was one of the more intriguing Elvis movies, with many commenting on its similarities to Elvis’ life. While I looked at this as a unique opportunity to see a perspective of someone’s career in a way you normally don’t, this could also be looked at negatively. Perhaps there were so few ideas for Elvis that they’d just jump to covering his brief history in the spotlight? Theoretically this depiction of him just being a lighthearted performer would be for the best, as Presley’s acting is famously flat here, but that doesn’t fit with when the movie tries to be a real story. The beginning focuses too much on the “rise” and the fun times, with it feeling like nothing is happening. The constant music ruins any decent pacing. The songs are all okay-to-good, but we could’ve lost some for pace. Some of them, such as “Party” are particularly dull. “Loving You” and some others are really nice offerings. It’s also annoying when the same song is performed more than once when just as easily a different one could’ve been played.

The movie improves a smidge when we get some character development. More nuanced than you’d expect is Elvis Presley as Deke Rivers being often driven by a desire to not be abandoned or alone, though mildly afraid of fame. This does go to explain some things and lend us some novelty. In Deke’s first public performance in the film, he is awkward, but not so much that you couldn’t see talent or potential. Presley is generally out of the way and quiet. I would imagine that’s because the man himself is not so comfortable with acting in movies, but that also works for the character. In fact, despite receiving top billing, Deke isn’t even the protagonist…

Lizabeth Scott as Glenda Markle pushes the story and receives the most character growth. She is initially a bit seedy, though reveals a heart of gold. Scott’s portrayal is simplistic, as is the character’s writing, though we get some nice moments of not knowing whether she’s telling the truth or not. Deke seems to trust in her more than anyone else. While this could lead to a lot of interesting ideas, it is mostly typical. While she does take advantage of him, it’s not in a way that really affects Deke’s mind meaningfully. She does push and want him to perform, even when he doesn’t.

As a commentary on Elvis’ life, it is serviceable. There is the issue of how sanitized everything is, but there’s a few highlights. Deke, just like Elvis, seems gullible, but caring. Still, his image is so sexy and apparently foreign that concerned parents get up in arms. (His defense against the parents seems like it was intended to cool off real ones!) One of the best scenes, that mirrors Elvis’ movie career, is when he’s pressured in public by someone to sing for everyone. That lack of privacy and practically forced to always be presenting himself does weigh on Deke and did Elvis. After this scene we get a moment of Deke not being so innocent or quiet. That imperfection is appreciated, though it doesn’t matter when it really should’ve. This scene, and the movie as a whole, is at least daring enough to show the music industry as somewhat nefarious and mentioning that someone like Elvis is popular because sex sells. Yes, they use the word sex.

SPOILERS

Deke not wanting a fan to kiss him shows thoughtfulness. Perhaps he doesn’t want to get anyone, including himself, into unwanted attention? Both the romances, and learning of the origins of Deke’s name, seem forced in to give more development to everyone. Deke’s name actually changes the dynamics a little, with Glenda becoming closer to Deke, so that point is not so bad. The romance is just like any other from movies where that doesn’t belong.

Tension escalates when Deke runs off, amusingly not for the first time. The direction and color are nice, though Presley is quite wooden when acting as mad. This scene ties off the movie well with Glenda realizing and coming to terms with the ways she’s schemed and taken advantage of him. Elvis later looks so cool going out to perform in the raggedy clothing he left in. Despite this moment of intensity, things then get light hearted with everything working out too quickly and nicely. We should’ve been left with a bit of darkness. To read such darkness into the film, Deke having quit a few times suggests he will again, especially if he gets married.

OVERVIEW

This film reminds me of the famous A Hard Day’s Night. Both promise to give an insight into hot personalities and provide fun comedy scenes and more impressive music. Night really depicts a mindset and culture, while Loving You often feels like any other 50s movie, even down to a paper thin romance. If a girl flirts with Deke, it doesn’t strive to tell us anything about Elvis, Deke, their fans, or the culture. It seems to just exist to give Presley some romance before not mattering. The excessive talking and fluff leaves little to really appreciate about this 1957 outfit, but some powerful Elvis performances and an okay story make it passable.

Love Me Tender (1956) Movie Review

The three main players

The great surprise of Love Me Tender is how solid the story structure is. There’s a lot of small details that come into play in believable ways that in turn escalate the stakes. As such, it’s easy to get lost in the story, even when it’s a bit cheesy. The cast is at worst sufficient and at best compelling, though predictably they aren’t ever truly great. Richard Egan as Vance Reno is the protagonist. He keeps a strong jaw and demeanor. He is likable enough to be worth wanting to succeed. The more interesting elements of him are what he places his trust and affection in and how that affects him. Early on, he trusts the money he takes to be problem-free. That proves very important. He also trusts his brothers. If his brothers weren’t there to support him, but he still trusted them, that would make for a very different story.

Elvis Presley as Clint Reno is much more erratic and careless than the other characters, which goes along with the fact that he’s so young. While Clint’s material isn’t exactly Oscar-worthy, Presley handles it fine. He does manage some depth, like when he’s arguing with people. His character is possibly the most important of the story. His decisions make big strides in how the story goes, even when he is not being rational. This of course drives Vance heavily. While not everyone likes the musical numbers, and they are a bit out of place, they are fun and energetic enough to be worthy of inclusion. They are excellently performed and serve to give texture to this world and Clint’s character. Real people can go to places and have fun.

Apparently the character of Clint was less important before Elvis got on board, causing his relevance to be beefed up. Considering how necessary this character is, it is interesting to wonder how the original would’ve gone. One theory of mine is that one of the war buddies of Vance would’ve served this role. This would explain the plot hole of why Clint wouldn’t have been made to go to war if he’s a healthy man in his 20s.

The other characters don’t do too much, though some of the more villainous ones get a few fun moments. Most don’t need a lot, though exceptions are Clint and Vance’s brothers William Campbell as Brett Reno and James Drury as Ray Reno. Both have very few lines and just seem to be there to make up for the fact that Vance can’t be in three places at once. They don’t have girlfriends or feelings or individuality. At one point when things unexpectedly go wrong for them, they have amusing looks of bafflement. Also, I like to think that Campbell went on to replace that bass player in the Beatles.

SPOILERS

When Vance and his brothers come home from the war, they find out their father is dead and they seem unphased. Especially because of how important Clint is, it is a shame that it takes so long for him to show up in the story. That’s not so bad as once he does the bomb is dropped that he’s married to Vance’s love Cathy. It’s nice seeing that built up throughout before this revelation hits everyone. When Vance is told that if he agrees to give up the money, everyone will be left alone, he keeps quiet before eventually coming clean. Ideally, something he cares about would’ve been connected to this, like if he was told his mother would be bothered by authorities or his dad wouldn’t have wanted him to lie.

To Vance, lying about the money seems like a small thing. Clint doesn’t think it’s that big of a deal. However, this expertly plants doubt in Clint’s view that Vance is always truthful. Thus, when someone later says Vance is running away with Cathy, he can’t so easily discount that. Initially, all these characters like each other. Issues come from believable places and thus there’s drama when some turn on the other. People can separate and in turn that can cause someone to say something bad about the other, then someone else can go find someone that separated to tell them what happened. There’s a constant thought of who will go where and who will discover what.

Clint is physically violent to Cathy. The scene where he does this is pretty horrific. Fortunately, his brothers are against this. The points they bring up are that she isn’t lying to him, when ideally they would’ve pointed out that hitting her is wrong no matter what. Whether or not we’re supposed to be rooting for Clint isn’t made too clear. The music scenes, which show him as lovable and charismatic, suggest very loosely we should be. Ultimately Clint dies, which also points to us feeling for him. It is genuinely moving when we see him superimposed over his family walking away from his grave. Still, the spousal abuse, explosive temperament, and shooting his brother all make him too much of an antagonist.

Initially I wondered what the point of Clint’s death was. Seeing as things started as simply as “Let’s take this money” and that decision caused problems to escalate greater and greater, it makes sense that an especially extreme place you could take that is by having someone die. Still, odds are the reason for this was because we walked into the love triangle between Vance, Cathy, and Clint from Vance’s perspective. It’s also made clear that Cathy loves Vance more than Clint. This is basically the only way Vance and Cathy could’ve ended up together, especially after trying to prove to Clint that they weren’t going to run away. That’s too bad for Clint, though, dying for plot catharsis.

OVERVIEW

There are a handful of moments that feel random, typically to inject some drama, but none are too off-putting. The sense of fun and adventure, with plenty of fight scenes and action, make Love Me Tender hard to take seriously, but very enjoyable. It is very breezy and lovable, being far better than its reputation suggests.

Victor and Victoria (1933) Review

Victor and Victoria is certainly not light on style. That style is pretty easy to love. The songs, costumes, and aesthetic all have a slight surrealism that makes the film interesting. We’re briskly pulled along to little adventures like a woman getting her face shaved, singing songs about how to treat a lady, and watching men in dressing rooms. This eternal weirdness is charming, though sadly there’s not much substance below it.

There’s so much that can be done with the concept here. The idea of a woman not only pretending to be a man, but a female impersonating man is very funny. However, this story steers into a lot of conventional territory, despite the more “surreal” scenes that don’t really serve any greater point. An example of what could’ve been done is if Susanne had to pretend to be interested in a woman. That does happen a little, but nothing is done with it. The movie is quick to move on.

Susanne usually seems stereotypically feminine, very disinterested in male presentation, especially at the end. Thus, it’d be nice if discomfort was constantly looming, but she at points doesn’t have much of an issue with it. If this movie is read as pro-gender nonconforming, this could represent her discovering crossing over is nice. Midway through, Susanne is happily getting dressed in male attire, saying, “No. I’m not a young girl! I’m a grown-up, experienced man who is the equal of any situation. I hope I can prove it tonight. Don’t be afraid, I won’t abandon my role. But Viktor, today is a lucky day! The big success at the theater, all the new contracts, I am so content and happy! Happy as never before! What could be better than for once having no wishes?” If this movie was made today with a line like that, it might be assumed this is supposed to suggest Susanne is a trans man. As is, this movie feels like a pretty standard comedy about a young performer finding success and meeting strange people.

There’s some snappy music queues and directing that suggest importance when Susanne and Viktor meet. It’s a really dynamic look. We get a sharp physical comedy moment where Viktor and Susanne keep adjusting a wig and making funny faces. This sort of moment lives or dies off the strength of the performances. The leads seem very comfortable here and in tune with their roles.

Miscellaneous comments include: Susanne doesn’t pass as male. That’s all well and good, as this movie doesn’t really ask to be taken seriously, though that element can be slightly distracting. Everyone believes Viktor and Susanne are the opposite gender when they present as such, which goes to show how manufactured gender is, as it is so malleable. One highlight is a montage of the leads singing about succeeding as representative imagery appears. Both are very good singers. There’s a point where Susanne just says what she wants to do so the audience knows, when it would be more natural for her to just think it.

SPOILERS

Susanne being taken into the men’s dressing room and then being expected to change outfits shows a common struggle for people to be comfortable with gender ambiguity. This comes to further our understanding of the characters, while also supplying comedy. This could suggest how the concept of gender roles divide people and create stress. As is suggested by the final act, the message could also be that women and men are inherently different in such a way where they’re not supposed to mix. Susanne complains about not being able to have her womanhood erased near the end. While it’s true that womanhood can’t and shouldn’t be erased from someone, this movie might be saying every AFAB person really wants to follow stereotypes of how women should be.

At one of Susanne’s performances, Viktor keeps taking and playing the instruments. What was his plan here? Did he think the musicians would just let this random guy take over? Amusingly, there’s some shots of Susanne’s thighs. Viktor is scolded by a woman for not being enough of a gentleman. No one ever questions Susanne being “gentlemanly enough”. This is yet another suggestion of these concepts being a lot more fluid that it may have seemed. Later, the woman sings to Viktor about how much better of a man Susanne is than him, with her saying she’s in a class of his own and “He’s the type that pleases us women.”

Susanne is weirdly non-understanding when Viktor is worried about having to duel someone, where his life is on the line. When she finds out the duel won’t actually happen, she continues to say things that terrify Viktor, acting like he has to do it. She seems to be treating this like a joke. As an aside, this duel doesn’t really serve any purpose. Later, Viktor is relieved to not have a gun anymore. Seeing as he is shown as having some stereotypically feminine traits, this could have been intended to represent him feeling free without having to hold up a masculine trait he doesn’t like, especially because he’s befriended a man that acts similarly to him.

A lowlight is when Susanne complains about being ruined and that this whole adventure has destroyed her ability to get a man. She also says a woman’s desire for a man can’t be controlled, which Viktor apparently promised to do, though we didn’t see such a moment. This treats women as essentially monolithic. This problem is worsened when Susanne tells Viktor to help carry a suitcase. The subtext is probably that a woman would be too weak to do such a thing and they’re all really too delicate and dependent on men to fill a more socially-considered masculine role.

At one point, Susanne accepts to meet a woman as she intends to get her to leave her boyfriend, so she can get with him. Imagine if the woman thought Susanne wanted her and Susanne decided to play along? That would be funny and use the concept more. Speaking of which, Susanne and the male interest have such little chemistry or time between them. The romance is really forced in. That being said, Susanne being unexpectedly referred to as Susanne by her love interest, especially after feeling everything is hopeless, is a really sweet moment.

OVERVIEW

Victor and Victoria passes into being worth a watch for its historical significance as an early queer film. It certainly is never an unbearable time, but it can’t get past its issues.

Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road (2021) Documentary Review

Despite how many documentaries, biographies, and otherwise depictions of the story of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys there are, they generally falter on capturing the fact that we’re talking about real human beings and not mythical figures. The reasons for this problem are ripe for discussion, but one I will note is that there’s often very little time. The biopic The Beach Boys: An American Family is three hours long and only covers around 1961-1974, but still suffers from not showing enough from even that time frame. Imagine if it bothered going further? While brevity is never a guaranteed deathblow, Long Promised Road does not escape that, feeling a little bullet point. It covers the most surface level stories, but admittedly with a few nice insights from Brian and overall a few good surprises.

Brian gets buttered up a lot. This documentary feels extremely formulaic. Save for a few moments, this could be made by a computer. There’s far too much willingness to treat Brian like he can do no wrong, while a few lows are tossed in for the sake of not making that as obvious as it could be. Brian’s first wife Marilyn Rovell was not interviewed. That may have been done consciously so as to not have her say anything negative about him. Elton John says Brian should receive accolades for his personal life, as in being a family man. Not to say this story is true, but he must not have heard when Marilyn claimed Brian gave their young children cocaine (Brian has also corroborated that).

Brian seems uncomfortable. One moment that feels especially awkward is when he’s really praising interviewer Jason Fine. You either get the impression Brian feels forced to say it or he’s like a scared child clinging to a relative. At one point the two are even holding hands. In the studio with his backing band, there’s a sense of this feeling staged, like everyone and everything is about too perfect. You can imagine he probably did not want to do this documentary, so seeing him here feels wrong, especially when the camera watches Brian tearing up when he learns of Jack Rieley’s death, which feels exploitative.

A common problem with documentaries about musicians is unfortunately caught here… Elton John insinuates that Brian Wilson is better than the Beatles, because the Beatles were produced by George Martin, while Brian produced himself (during the most well-known era of his career). This constant comparing to the Beatles basically proves that the Beatles are better, at least in a cultural sense, because that’s what people go to. I say this as someone who likes many music bands and artists more than the Beatles.

There’s a few fun moments here and there. It’s amusing to see Dennis sweet talk a female interviewer talking about the music, unable to not sugar up ladies. Taylor Hawkins amusingly speaks about Dennis quite a bit before quickly saying something about Brian, as if forgetting this was a documentary about the latter. It’s pretty hilarious when Eugene Landy says only two quick sentences before there’s a sudden cut to his face as vocal harmonies start playing, but not for the right reason.

The best parts of the film are Brian talking about his brothers and the old footage. It’s also nice to see Brian listening to the music he or his brothers made, contemplating it. Brian discussing Dennis and them doing cocaine together makes for a nice break from how glossy this film is, especially in how Brian doesn’t seem to think much of Dennis’ self-destructive behavior, with him lightly calling him a “crazy” guy. That actually tells us a lot about Brian. He has criticized his own drug use, at least in the past, so imagine the mentality that would lead him to not fret much on his brother that died essentially from drug abuse? It’s also a lot of fun seeing footage of Brian’s 1976 birthday, which features celebrities and touching when we see Dennis and Carl showing their affection for Brian. The brothers also show they really care about him in some nice concert footage.

OVERVIEW

It’s odd that at the end of the film, when Brian and his band are performing “Long Promised Road”, most of the vocals and footage are of the band members and not Brian. Why not show a Brian-focused video and song, especially one he wrote? There’s been quite a few discredited attempts to detail the story of the Beach Boys and Brian WIlson. Long Promised Road seems destined to be the next in line. Especially when the Beach Boys’ music comes into the public domain, hopefully we’ll get a more accurate detailing of the lives of this band, probably from the fans. In terms of its own proper value, it dug up a few fun bits of footage, gave us some stories of Brian with his brothers, and is a document of the later years of Brian’s life.

I’m not sure if I ever heard Brian curse before, so that was novel. Also, hopefully Jason Fine didn’t look at his phone while driving, which he may have done at one point, when Brian asked him to put on a song.

Hellzapoppin’ (1941) Review

Hellzapoppin’ does in many ways earn its stripes as a classic old comedy. The humor is frequently very sharp, capturing an unhinged wit that in some ways breaks from how you’d expect a film of this era to be. It even outmatches the Marx Brothers, who save for an odd moment here or there for Groucho, didn’t break the fourth wall. Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson don’t even accept that a fourth wall is there, continually destroying it.

The setup of the film is frankly genius, binning the concept of sanity and promising a surrealist anti-film. It’s suggested by our leads that they know this story and that it doesn’t even have a story. Thus, when it proceeds to have a relatively conventional narrative, it feels like the audience has been lied to. This is especially irritating considering that the movie seems to understand that some of its tropes are tired, like a romance. Admittedly, that romance is extremely minimized, but that just proves how unwanted it is. It doesn’t serve a purpose, so it’s just tacked on. Could they not have done a parody or twist on the format? Maybe Shemp Howard’s character of Louie wants to be the romantic lead, and tries to involve himself?

The original concept for the movie by director H. C. Potter fit better with the surrealist theme, so it’s a shame it was changed, especially considering the original ending was much better, though the new one still isn’t bad. As has happened in multiple comedies, a group of black performers get one scene and really steal the show, dancing and cutting the best number here, very jazzy. It feels tonally consistent with the nutty comedy, as opposed to most of the music which is far too straight in execution. That being said, the music is still good in its own right. Unfortunately, there is some sexual assault humor that is about as uncomfortable as it always is.

A more extreme deconstructionist approach could and should’ve been taken. The finale in particular is too like how something like a Three Stooges or Marx Brothers film would end. Imagine things begin getting out of hand for our leads, so they tell Louie to modify the movie in such a way to their advantage, like by removing something someone else has or shaking the film so someone falls down? The opening does pretty much deliver on what you’d want from this concept, even if it essentially is a lot of dropped potential.

SPOILERS

A lot of Chekhov’s guns go unfired, namely Martha Raye as Betty Johnson. Her desires in the movie are basically forgotten about. It wasn’t too surprising to learn that Shemp Howard was added in very suddenly, considering how superfluous he feels. It would’ve made sense to end the movie with him tying off his story, like if he decided to burn the film negative, but instead he just soon stops appearing. At one point, a mess is made where a lot of film is knocked around. I was hoping this would lead to something like the scenes being played out of sequence, as if they got scrambled or damaged. The framing device also doesn’t get much closure, barely featuring the leads. It appears that the originally planned ending would’ve addressed this problem. The happy ending is particularly dull considering the movie had earlier made fun of this story type. You were basically daring us to not care about these characters!

OVERVIEW

While there are issues, Hellzapoppin’ makes itself worth a watch due to its consistently strong wit and its few moments of being truly subversive, mainly in the ending, but as a whole it doesn’t stand as well as it promised.

Woman Haters (1934) Review // The Three Stooges #5

Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Jerry Howard

Woman Haters is a hilarious satire of chauvinism. The clownishness of such an ideology is beautifully punctuated by the Stooges pretending they’re rational and composed, but under something like a misunderstanding they turn to childish violence as their solution. While it’s understandable that some might not like that their violence is used to punctuate a point, rather than just being for the sake of comedy, for others it’s a really cool idea. There’s other nice touches like the ridiculous looking Stooges being married to sweet romantic music during the opening title card.

There’s something so striking about the Three Stooges first time being seen in the flesh being with their backs to the camera and the other characters. This could be a sign of the world of the Three Stooges never quite making sense. There’s a fun rhythmic quality to their first scene of breaking out into violence. It pacing-wise matches the setup, while being unexpected. The trio get a lot of fine moments to interact with each other. One part is where “Tom”, played by Moe, says the three will stay together for life. This ultimately is true for the performers, the three only leaving the act when they were sick to the point of dying not long after. After the characters’ vow to never go after women, they immediately break that when one goes by, showing how unnatural and unhealthy this mentality is.

One of the men laments that men have to work while their wives stay home. This represents how people can blame those that seem to have it a little better when in fact they should be against institutional systems that allow for such a way to be. Other highlights include the group cheering their glasses; Larry as “Jim” accidentally hitting Tom with a pot; and later Curly as “Jack”’s hilarious noise when bitten, filled with personality. The “For You” song is good, especially when it comes out of nowhere. Jim to Marjorie White as Mary: “But, Darling!” Tom to Jim: “Darling?!” Jim to Tom: “Oh I forgot, I thought I was talking to you.”

Marjorie White is extremely fun, portraying this confident force who essentially just wants respect. She doesn’t ever seem too dumb to understand what the Three Stooges are up to. She could’ve been a great recurring actress in the series, being a funny woman for the guys to bounce off of, like Bonnie Bonnell. She’s this charming femme fatale who gives some quality singing, which works to heighten the story and comedy.

The rhyming is very unnecessary. Sometimes there will be a really bad line of dialogue for the sake of justifying a rhyme. There’s a few good moments where someone breaks out into a song, but that would still work without the rhyming gimmick. The script would be punchier if someone could just say a line without having to awkwardly phrase it so as to justify a rhyme.

SPOILERS

The establishment of the main plot is way too sudden. Jim just happens to be getting married for some reason. He’s also convinced to leave her extremely suddenly. What if he proposed to her, drank to the point of forgetting, joined the club, then realized his error? Mary trying to get Jack to play dead is a highlight, especially because the others believe her. When Jack lifts his head up, she smacks it back down, showing her Stooge credentials. Mary really takes control and looks like a badass when she basically says she knows what’s going on and won’t be taken advantage of. She then pushes Tom and Jack out the train, which seemed to be intentional.

Larry singing the love song “For You” to the Woman Hater’s Club at the end is not only hilarious but demonstrates that people that get into these clubs are more in it for the sense of belonging than out of their natural beliefs. Almost everyone that was there at the beginning now being absent demonstrates that these sorts of groups pretty much never last.

OVERVIEW

Despite some slightly poor production and a little drag, Woman Haters has plenty of highlights and probably something to say on misogyny. The ending is especially funny, though. Its faults are not so significant as to sink this excellent two-reeler.

The Big Idea (1934) Review // The Three Stooges

The Big Idea is the last “Three Stooges at MGM” film. The Stooges appear so little here I’m not counting this as a “starring film” of theirs, despite them being prominent enough in the other four shorts to earn such a distinction. That being said, they are pretty funny in their minimal role. The Three Stooges arguing about their age is very funny. They act just like how they famously do. Seeing as this was among the last they did before leaving Healy, it’s an appropriate sendoff. The little bit of sexual harassment humor is pretty unfortunate. There’s something unsettling about them walking in, playing their instruments, creating a little chaos, then leaving, like they’re animatronics from an amusement park. The more surreal this short is, the better, as it leaves you wondering what will happen next.

Ted Healy is mediocre, as usual. “Gimme that phone, GIMME THAT PHONE!” has no life in the performance. “I’m the one that does all the thinking” similarly has no punch. He even manages to get in a flubbed line. It doesn’t help Healy that Moe, Larry, and Curly appear so little they can’t be a comedic force for him to hide behind. You get a far too large dose of him. This problem is most notable when he’s describing his story over the phone. He’s basically trying to get the audience invested, but he sounds and acts like an idiot. Ted checking to see if anyone is behind him is a solid moment, same with the watch joke.

Near the beginning, a man with a ladder falling down could’ve been played by a Stooge. The opening scene of Ted at his typewriter as people make messes behind him is one of the best scenes here. It both invests you into the world of this short and tells us something about Ted Healy’s character. Bonnie Bonnell is amusing, showing up to dump trash in Ted’s room. She gets some of her best lines here, like the desk drawer one, but unfortunately gets very few. In terms of the actual plot, she doesn’t do much. That might be for the best as it makes her quirks all the funnier due to them being unexplained.

“And the mother was there the opening night and she sat in the front row, as she saw hundreds upon hundreds of beautiful dancing girls with very little clothes on.” That’s a pretty good line, though it cuts way too fast. There are some little errors like that, which MGM seemed to pride itself in avoiding. Did anyone else think that after Ted described three men in his story, this short would mostly be footage of that story, with the men played by the Three Stooges? The actual footage of those three guys isn’t bad, but it goes on forever and isn’t very funny. The initial singing one also was a pretty average singer. The impressionist was better. Ted Healy did some bonking in retaliation for the Stooges’ racism in Nertsery Rhymes. Here, he defends Bonnie from them when they try to mack on her.

The ending is pretty funny, paying off on some elements established, having a faster pace, and being more chaotic. It also utilizes Ted Healy as someone who loses, which he handles better than when he’s trying to be smart or witty.

OVERVIEW

The Big Idea does show some signs of improvement, mainly with Moe being the leader of the Stooges instead of Ted. It is significantly held back by the lack of the Three Stooges, so it’s really only worth it for completionists. The Stooges show up at the following timestamps in this 19:16 minute film, 6:24, 13:28, and 16:20. To rank these five shorts, the weakest is Hello Pop!, then The Big Idea, Nertsery Rhymes, Plane Nuts, and Beer and Pretzels.

Plane Nuts (1933) Review // The Three Stooges #4

A frame from the film

Plane Nuts is yet again a strangely distinct entry in “The Three Stooges at MGM” series. Possibly the reason for this is that the Stooges scenes have to fit with some musical numbers, while also being low budget. This short makes these two elements most noticeable. Despite the name of the film and the songs being plane themed, this short has nothing to do with planes. It’s just the gang doing some vaudeville bits, with plane songs out of nowhere. The fact this is just Moe, Larry, Curly, Ted, and Bonnie doing mostly verbal comedy on a stage seems like the equivalent of a “bottle episode”. Seeing as MGM loves its spectacle, you’d think they’d have more going on if that was an option. As has happened in the past Stooge films, there are sometimes, admittedly awkward, moments where the leads end up in a position where they can do a little bit of their routine. It’s interesting seeing that element so nakedly displayed here. Despite all this, this is arguably the finest outing for the group so far.

The storylines and non-Stooges of the past are often just a burden, included for the sake of necessity. This short is the most focused on what’s great about the act, the Three Stooges being allowed to interact and hit each other. This material has also probably been rehearsed by being done on stage numerous times. “Right here we’re compelled to cut the act and go into another snappy gag.” Both Moe and Curly get moments to lead the comedy, shooting off nonsensical remarks. Ted is relatively sidelined, with a running gag being that he is interrupted from singing. This is for the best, as the Stooges have much better energy and chemistry. Moe acting out a play is a lot of fun, it’s nice to see the Three Stooges’ dalliance with word play. The joke about “Moe’s wife” is good; as is Moe asking, “What’s the number?”, followed by Curly’s over enthused response.

Curly has a really interesting voice and witty way of speaking, putting personality into every moment. One highlight is when after getting sick of being hit, he yells, “Pay him the $50,000s!” There’s another moment where Curly shakes Ted’s hand, only to be unexpectedly hit for no reason. When Moe is acting out his play, Larry’s interjections are amusing. Ted is more natural and comfortable here, though he sometimes flubs a line. He overall suffers from the same issues as typically, but they just aren’t as prominent or significant. When Ted is introducing one of the plane songs, he starts mumbling and walks off stage before he’s done speaking, like he can’t be bothered to care.

Some of the jokes just end and someone starts another. It’d be better if there was one fluid scene of everything layering into the next. The quality of the gags on their own can be dated in some ways, but that’s more up to personal preference. When everybody starts singing, the scene devolves into a lot of noise, with the action indiscernible. It also runs a little long. Don’t play a drinking game for every time Larry says, “I’m from the South!”

OVERVIEW

While Beer and Pretzels is maybe a little better, due to more action and opportunities for unexpected jokes, Plane Nuts is a fine outing that documents some of these routines, not to be lost to time. Both of these shorts’ increased focus on the Stooges makes them more worthwhile than the others. In a better world, we got these “recorded vaudeville” films for a ton of other comedians, a personal choice being the Marx Brothers. If MGM or Paramount made a habit of these, they might look cheap, though they’re arguably more fascinating than in the movies where these acts usually make at least one film a year. This seems like something that theoretically could’ve been done by a company that pretty much only made these types of movies.

Hello Pop! (1933) Review // The Three Stooges #3

Hello Pop! is the third Three Stooges short, or should I say “Howard, Fine and Howard and Bonny and The Albertina Rasch Girls”, as they’re credited here? This outing suffers from a lot of the negatives of past installments, which boils down to Ted Healy, who makes for a weak protagonist. The billing paper that credits Ted Healy eight times is weirdly appropriate. Many of the bit players are similarly dull, filling very basic roles without much to distinguish them. Characters like the flutist can become very annoying the more they talk or try to be funny.

Healy does have a moment or two of hitting the Stooges not unlike how Moe later would. Speaking of which, Ted is supposed to be frantic over things going wrong, but his tone of voice is strangely lifeless. Jokes are sometimes crammed in from nowhere, with Healy delivering those moments the same as plot, like when he has to cheer up someone he was yelling at. Him and the flutist arguing at points feels like MGM just filmed a real argument, an uncomfortable and not comedic argument. This is especially noticeable when Healy yells that he’s the boss. Ted thinking his children will destroy the show has such little enthusiasm. We should feel terror from him, but you can tell Ted Healy the actor doesn’t care.

We get some quality Three Stooges bits. Moe says Curly’s not normal, then Larry confidently responds, “I am!” The stooges with the script is devoid of Healy and feels like it was pulled from a classic Stooges short. Moe has some bickering here and there that does remind of his over confident portrayal we’ll see down the line. It’s surprising how fleshed out those three are, understanding their material. Bonnie Bonnell has almost nothing to do, but she pulls off her one or two laughs. The surreal color palette and musical numbers are both strong in their own right.

Seeing as Nertsery Rhymes was also in color and also features Ted as the father of the Three Stooges, I’d like to think they are in the same universe. The kids hearing the songs on stage is how they know them and why they want to hear them in Rhymes.

SPOILERS

Apparently the script the stooges destroyed was essential for the show. Shouldn’t everyone be rehearsed? Also, how would there only be one script? It’s funny to think that offscreen the Three Stooges found and destroyed every other script. This problem is never brought up again, so maybe Ted incorrectly thought it was more important than it was? After a woman discovers that the stooges were hiding under her dress, she says “How dare you?” to Ted and acts offended. Why would she be mad at him? What did he do? Bonnie Bonnell gets her Oscar moment with “I’m in the wrong thee-ay-tah.”

OVERVIEW

Even if Ted Healy isn’t that funny, I’m very grateful that this era of the Three Stooges is documented with these films, so we can know what they were like. Regardless, Hello Pop! is the weakest installment so far, feeling the most like Ted Healy vanity and something intended for a light comedy musical. Imagine if The Broadway Melody was edited down to a short about the cast and crew arguing for the sake of getting a chuckle from the audience, paired with musical numbers. It’d be a mess. The Three Stooges manage to come off well in what little they get, with Larry and Moe noticeably being more active here than in the first MGM short. If Healy and the Stooges stuck around together, they might have continued to make these progressively worse films. It’d be hard to imagine Moe and Larry not being upset over their lack of anything to do. Maybe one would’ve been fired due to redundancy? Of course, we later got Moe in Ted’s role and Larry in his own and Moe’s role.

Beer and Pretzels (1933) Review // The Three Stooges #2

A frame from the film

Beer and Pretzels already begins to change the formula of this great act, and definitely for the best. From the first scene, Healy is established as Stooge-esque, being pathetic and getting kicked out somewhere with the others. His best moments are the ones where he’s failing at something, such as a promise to not fraternize with women. Lesser moments include his spotlight hogging. After a nice group moment will be him talking like he’s saying something hilarious, but his misplaced confidence hurts the material and his likability. There are plenty of moments where it’d be desirable for someone else to get a line or a scene, but it goes to Healy. You get more curious what that funny trio is doing in the background than enjoyment from watching Healy awkwardly try to force a smile. A scene of Healy trying to get the group hired falls flat due to him sounding uncomfortable and like he has no direction.

Highlights with Healy include him telling Curly to duck, “If I’m lying I hope you drop dead. Laughs You haven’t got long to live, son.” There’s his Marx-esque run to schmooze a woman he saw, the “the customer is always right” bit (which emphasizes Moe and Larry), and the final thirty seconds. I am confident in declaring that every Healy moment would’ve been better given to one of the other Stooges, namely Moe. He should be off singing on a stage, not being a stooge. You’ll note how many of those highlights more so star Moe, Larry, and/or Curly. Speaking of which…

Non-Healy highlights include the camera following the group run into a building, then it goes back to what they left behind. At some points, the Stooges go offscreen and you anticipate an extensive Healy scene, then the others come back, as if determined to make more of an impression than last short. “Here we are!” Larry says sopping wet. Bonnie Bonnell’s really weird dance, Curly playing spoons with a big cigar in his mouth, the Stooges interrupting Healy’s performance to get a coin, and Curly yelling, “HOLD THIS!” (which is married to Healy giving a particularly lifeless quip) are great. Curly later yells when a man has five dollars, in a manner not unlike Patsy Kelly’s yell. After Moe’s moment, “WHO DID IT?”, we get a glorious chaotic finale. Just like later episodes, a polite space is no match for the Three Stooges. As was the case last installment, Curly comes out doing the best job, mainly from having the most moments to be this weird looking person that knows how to gesticulate and fall and vocalize.

You’ll notice that there are quite a lot of mentioned positives. That’s because this short really is very funny. The high fructose Stooge antics are electrifying when you get it, even though you get it rarely. Far too much time is devoted to musical numbers. Amusingly, Ted’s is interrupted by the misfits. The group has increased fluidity from earlier appearances, making this film a step away from being a classic Columbia short. One advantage it has is MGM’s high production standard. The camerawork is great, with atmospheric lighting and imagery of the ballroom. Despite that, at one point the Three Stooges run away, only to appear where they started next shot. The music is predictably good, though suffers from not being Three Stooges in tone.

OVERVIEW

While the pacing is badly stifled in the middle due to the music, the comedic first eight minutes and last six minutes make this well worth the price of admission. Even with Healy trying to force himself into as many scenes as possible, the greatness is still present enough to make Beer and Pretzels a pleasure.