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.

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.”

Half Shot Shooters (1936) Review // The Three Stooges #18

After a series of some of the funniest Stooges shorts so far, Half Shot Shooters suggests a new normal. There’s fewer standout moments than the best of the series, but the short still does offer many laughs. The group dynamic is also noticeably improved over the first few shorts. Some say that the second Columbia adventure, Punch Drunks, sets the formula perfectly, but that does feature some early installment awkwardness. We’re at a much better point now, with Larry getting more lines and Moe treated as the focal point instead of Curly. The boys now seem like they know each other as well as their back hands, so it’s extremely enticing to just see them perform. This short does unfortunately fall a little flat due to the lack of good comic ideas that sometimes afflicts these films, especially coming off of one like Movie Maniacs and before Disorder in the Court.

Favorite moments of this installment are the gang’s funny introduction of them sleeping. It’d be nice if every short of theirs gave them a potent entrance to the action, especially because the first three Columbias, for all their problems, do give us a fantastic first impression. Larry gets a quality line with, “Pipe down, you guys, you’re spoiling the whole war for me.” Curly later has, “For two cents I’ll punch you right in the face!” “Well, here’s the two cents.” “Well, I raise my price.” The scene of the Stooges singing is another highlight, both comedically and in demonstrating an obvious real talent for music. It would’ve been nice to hear them record songs, even serious ones.

Sgt. MacGillicuddy, played by Stanley Blystone, is very effective as what could pass as a “straight man”. He is good at working off of the Stooges’ energy, with him going through a subtle, but powerful character arc. If this episode was longer or more focused, it would’ve been nice to have more of his “arc”, as this really interesting idea of the state of his character is seemingly an afterthought. A good way to change up the formula of the series is to have things like a short that is more about “how the Stooges affect someone’s life” or treating the leads more as individuals. Probably because they lacked knowledge of where things would go, the first two Columbias benefit from this. Especially Larry stands out, due to being emphasized as the straightest man of the three…

Curly thought it a good idea to hit a fly on Moe’s face with a frying pan. This, and other moments, implies that Curly likes being hit by Moe. Moe and Larry kiss, which proved to just be setup for another gay Curly joke. Despite that, Larry ultimately got that kiss. Thus, the body count for the boys this time around is zero for Curly, one for Moe, and two for Larry. Moe criticizes someone for slapping faces, seeming morally opposed to it. The obvious contradiction is never acknowledged and may have been the result of poor writing, but it still really works here. It’s funny and in-keeping with the character that he’d be so blind to this. Don’t ask me how, but it really tickles me that Moe is a democrat.

SPOILERS

Sadly, the rule of three isn’t used after Larry and Curly get black eyes. I was expecting Moe to get one, probably as the final joke. Headcanon could prevail and say he got one after he was killed, not that the state of his eyes is made explicit. It’s a little surreal to see the Stooges casually die, especially when tropes like that are more associated with the more explicitly anarchic comedy of something like The Young Ones. That being said, that sense of pure insanity is definitely present in The Three Stooges. There’s also the impression that no one is aware of just how different this is, as if they weren’t trying to be anarchic, that just happens to come off. In some ways, they even are crazier than the Marx Brothers, because they have that sense of innocence and also far more installments, so more chances to change things up. This is the eighteenth Stooge film and that’s more than there are Marx films.

There arguably is a message here, about power dynamics between desensitized authority figures and the people hurt by them. A common fantasy of the latter, which is shown here, is to get revenge and beat up that leader. Later on, the leads are prompted to steal food from someone, because they’re hungry. The person then retaliates by getting them signed up for the army. This represents the mentality of hot heads and lack of empathy causing these sorts of problems to escalate. When Curly discovers that they’re all signing up for the army, he tries to stop the others, but the brash temperment of Moe keeps him from doing it. If you say he was afraid of getting hit, he is constantly doing things that get him hit, so it might be more down to not wanting to break routine.

MacGillicuddy is able to do torturous things to the boys, because they have no power. He only gets in trouble when he accidentally hurts another official. Thus, the rules aren’t about protecting people as they are punishing those that hurt the wrong people. The Stooges being made hard of hearing shows how pointless and cruel this behavior often is, simply making life harder for everybody. We’re reminded at the two-thirds mark that what they’ve really wanted is food. It gets to the point where they seem willing to do anything for it, even be tormented. That being said, you could say that if they understand that they’ll be tormented no matter what, why not eat? Thus, MacGillicuddy’s punishment stops meaning as much. This dynamic also pushes him to psychopathy, where he is ultimately delighted to kill the group, as if they aren’t products of their circumstance and instead are inherent creatures of evil that deserve to suffer.

OVERVIEW

The more dramatic change in scenery, with it feeling like gags from multiple scripts were culled together here, makes for a film that feels strange pacing-wise, but this is in fact an advantage. It serves as a curve ball to make the Three Stooges and specifically Half Shot Shooters a little surreal. It’s only a shame that the material wasn’t better, though it’s perfectly fine for what it is and if you like the Stooges and want at least decent comedy, there’s no reason not to watch this one.

The two-Stooge kiss is obviously the superior one.

Movie Maniacs (1936) Review // The Three Stooges #17

A frame from the film

Movie Maniacs appropriately continues to prioritize the manic and absurd in a more direct and sharp fashion than the weaker installments of the series. As such, it delivers on being very classy and charming in its wit. One notable advantage of all the best shorts is when the gang really seems in tune with their and the others’ characters, flowing off each other effortlessly. When Curly is interrogated by the others, he gets off the hook by pretending to be asleep. After they acknowledge this, he replies to affirm that he is sleeping. Moe and Curly arguing about breakfast is a lot of fun. A non-Stooge joke is, “Go and prepare an office and see that they have everything they may possibly want.” “Yes, sir, I’ll order three blonde secretaries.” Curly’s oversized pencils. It’s always great to see jokes setup that take a few minutes to pay off.

While the earlier Columbia shorts benefitted from having a message to say, even if they weren’t as consistently funny, these past few installments are essentially the inverse. They have about nothing to say, but are extremely funny. What would be best is if they could do both, but simply getting more laughs is the preferable trade off, unless this is a very coded satire of the movie business, which I suppose isn’t impossible. The leads are understandably shown to have trouble being with women, seeming too awkward. If you consider these films to be in continuity with each other whenever possible, this shows a throughline with Woman Haters. The tall blonde’s gag and Curly’s response not only tell us about how this character thinks, but it’s perhaps the best joke in the film. Moe references a past adventure at the circus. It’s a shame they didn’t reference an actual previous episode.

SPOILERS

When Curly kisses Larry, Larry slaps him. You could imagine this having been written for Moe instead. Possibly Moe and Curly being brothers prevented that. It does serve well at emphasizing Larry. We get a more original but equally as great Larry moment when he is tasked with simply ironing Moe’s trousers. It’s curious to wonder how Moe thought getting into pictures would go considering he is surprised when he’s obviously kicked out. The way the gang gets in the film studio is great. A new level of thoughtlessness is shown in how tone deaf the Stooges are to their incompetence in trying to deal with actors. There’s a fun moment when Curly tries and fails to steal a dollar, not even being at all subtle.

A point of note for Hal Roach’s Laurel and Hardy and also Thelma and Patsy or ZaSu films is that it’s hard to understand why the couples would stay together when Thelma and Hardy are shown to constantly dislike the other. This can stretch the believability of it all by making you wonder, “Why don’t they just leave?” This criticism could theoretically be levied against the Three Stooges, but there’s a difference, one that’s more natural than with the Hal Roach media where you can only get where you’re going with good ol’ fashioned modern and young film critic-induced subtext. What keeps the Stooges functional, even when they hate each other is that they sacrifice believability consistently and strongly. There’s a recurring theme of things happening that logically make no sense, but seem to function how they do for the purpose of getting laughs. Thus, that can be why Moe would associate with Curly and Larry, and even trust them with things like his clothes. The Roach vehicles can often play a little too close to realism.

OVERVIEW

Movie Maniacs is one of the more anarchic and out-of-this-world adventures, which makes it one of the best. On top of how consistently humorous and creative the short can be, it also manages to bag two great lines for the viewer’s memory: Moe’s “I think our genius ain’t appreciated here,” and the even better one from Curly, “If at first you don’t succeed, keep on sucking ‘til you do succeed!”

Ants In The Pantry (1936) Review // The Three Stooges #16 – “You Funny Men”

Ants In The Pantry has probably the best premise for a Three Stooges short so far. It’s a lot of fun seeing the gang just be as horrible as possible here. This is even reflected in their illfitting clothing that looks like aliens trying to fit in. The humor is a little more surreal, like having a suitcase of vermin, all in clearly labeled containers. The gags are sometimes so simple, like Curly stealing a ladder… which has someone on it. Not only is this hilarious, but it is in character with how thoughtless and self-centered the leads are. The jokes are sometimes constant enough that you can almost miss them, but it’s all so well paced that it’s not suffocating. This is the best paced short of the series up to. When Larry puts ants on a cake, you might think that’s all he’ll do, but then he pockets some sandwiches and takes off his hat, with moths flying out. Those gags aren’t interrupting the previous one and they make sense.

At one point, Moe says a line to Larry. Larry responds by mumbling the first half of a response and not even finishing it. Maybe it was supposed to be said in full, but Larry flubbed and someone thought this was funnier? While that moment doesn’t shine too fondly on him, we’ll get some quality Larry later. A maid seems to take interest in Moe when he closes his eyes and asks to kiss her. She quietly leaves, so instead he is kissed by Curly. It doesn’t make sense why she would just go like that, but it makes sense with the rule of funny, that chaos will find a way simply for the purpose of inconveniencing the Stooges and all they come across as much as possible. Moe’s response to this is great, “I’m poisoned! I’m poisoned!”

Moe tells Curly to cut some cards, so he pulls out a knife and smashes them. Curly is once again getting a Harpo Marx joke, which doesn’t make sense considering how different their characters are. “Oh boy, we’re going on a job.” “What? Already? We had a job two months ago!” This either portrays Curly as more stupid than originally thought or he is playing dumb for the purpose of freeloading. It is implied the Stooges are being paid to be on call to exterminate pests, even if there isn’t any work to do.

Curly and Larry are briefly teamed up and compliment each other very well. A minor player gets a particularly strong line with, “Where are those three rovers [referring to the Three Stooges]?” “They’re in there talking politics.” “Politics?” “Yeah, I just heard one of them say, ‘Let’s have a new deal.’” A shot of Curly and Moe obviously being replaced with dummies is very amusing. The Three Stooges vs a piano is one of the best routines in the series so far. It utilizes the poor special effects excellently by making that part of the charm. Take Larry’s legs. However, it’s really sold by how invested the gang is, with Moe’s confident incompetence at its greatest. Larry’s screaming and Curly’s confusion, topped with meowers flying around really make it special.

SPOILERS

It’s so joyous watching the Stooges throw critters on everything, including bits like Moe telling some mice to scram. Curly leaves his hiding place to literally put ants on someone’s back. Larry deciding to dispose of a bag of cats by putting them in a piano is a glorious bit of absurdism. It’s obviously a terrible idea, which makes the moment a charming insight into Larry’s character. Also coloring his character is when in trying to dispose of a mouse on a woman’s back, he tries to hit it with a hammer, not understanding he’d make a scene. Another solid moment is the “I can’t see!” joke. Larry knew there were ants in the cake, but let Curly eat it anyway.

OVERVIEW

The short suddenly changing to another plot in the last minute works because it is the logical extension of the offbeat nature of this humor, being as bizarre as possible. It, as well as the rest of the runtime, embraces the insanity of the Three Stooges more truly and frankly than ever before. As such, it dethrones Pardon My Scotch as the best short. Ants In The Pantry really follows through with the potential of this series and is a “Success! Success!”

Three Little Beers (1935) Review // The Three Stooges #15

Unfortunately, Three Little Beers continues the trend of mixing some great gags with more mixed ones. The opening and ending, both concerning beer, are far better than the comparatively slow golf scenes. Still, the golf portion isn’t too bad and might’ve worked with more forward momentum. Seeing as this is essentially two shorts, a beer one and a golf one, put together; you’re less invested in the story as it lacks self-consistency. It is a shame this wasn’t about something like trying to transport those beer barrels and seeing how many ways things can go wrong.

There’s as usual many laughs to be had. “What do we have to do?” “Shoot golf.” “Ohhhh, hunting!” Moe goes to eye poke Curly, but a rope is in the way! It’s always great to see one of those barrels of beer hit someone. After seeing some press badges, Curly’s badge says “Pull”. The Three Stooges’ mindless counting, and Curly’s quip that follows are similarly sharp. Some of the issues of the series are more prominent than they have been. It’s sometimes extremely obvious that an image of a background is used instead of a real one. Something like the dummies in Hoi Polloi work better because of the unexpected humor of it, which isn’t present here. How did the Stooges get press badges? Curly’s cartoonish noises and body language have become very annoying. It’s a shame he doesn’t get new ones more than he does. They often feel forced in. They could’ve been replaced with something like a Larry scene.

SPOILERS

Curly once again channels Harpo Marx by pointlessly stealing. This would be more forgiving if he was doing a particularly original joke. It’d make more sense for Moe or Larry to be performing petty theft as Moe might want something he doesn’t have and think he could get away with taking it or the lack of Larry scenes could be used to suggest that he gets up to this sort of thing when offscreen, which would be pretty amusing. One joke that doesn’t make much sense, but is still funny is when Moe is hitting the golf balls and those being hit by them lie down. It seems what’s probably supposed to be happening is they’re either knocked unconscious or are trying to dodge them. The 180 degree rule breaking doesn’t help. Curly doing his laundry is also odd, but has that “delightfully offbeat” nature.

The short gets a lot better at the end when the gang are at war with the beer barrels. There’s lots of great little moments, like when the barrels roll up a hill, as if destined to be an inconvenience for the team. A barrel at one point hits a rock and flies in the air and hits Larry, who is in a tree. The best of these films is when these glorious bizarre and nonsensical bits occur. There was a point near the beginning where I thought Curly would have a barrel burst on his head, but it didn’t happen. Fortunately, that does at the end.

OVERVIEW

We apparently don’t actually see the contest the leads want to compete in, it’s as if there was a script about golfing which featured the contest, but that was removed for the sake of the beer scenes. That could’ve given more of a focus to these proceedings instead of suffering from the mindlessness of this installment. Still, that’s not such a big deal, especially considering the positives. If this whole short was as strong as the “beer scenes”, it’d be one of the best. As is, it’s solid enough, but wastes obvious potential. Still, it’s definitely a worthwhile installment for the fatal glasses of beer.