Month: October 2020

SUMMARY:         Running Time: 17:00 Min. (Black & White)

Directed by Edward Bernds, this Three Stooges sitcom is among the four of its 190 two-reel Columbia Pictures comedies in the public domain.  The others are: 1936’s Disorder in the Court; 1947’s Sing a Song of Six Pants; and 1949’s Malice in the Palace.  All four titles are also available elsewhere in a colorized format.    

Working as a vocal coach, music professor Shemp Howard has only a matter of hours to collect an unexpected half-million-dollar inheritance, provided that he abruptly gets married.  Despite Moe & Larry’s help, Shemp strikes out with his outdated little black book of ex-girlfriends. 

His only hope may be the doting Miss Dinklemeyer, who is also his talentless, eardrum-piercing client.  Once Shemp’s ex-flames hear of his inheritance (and his impending nuptials), a melee ensues at the local justice-of-the-peace’s office.

Moe: Moe Howard

Larry: Larry Fine

Shemp: Shemp Howard

Ms. Lulu Hopkins: Christine McIntyre

Miss Dinklemeyer: Dee Green

J.O.P. J.M. Benton: Emil Sitka

Bellboy: Johnny Kascier

Passerby Girl: Bertha Priestley

Shemps’s Ex-Girlfriends: Doris Houck; Virginia Hunter; Alyn Lockwood; Nancy Saunders; & Judy Malcolm   

Trivia Note: McIntyre doubles as the elegant operatic voice heard on the record player in Shemp’s office.

REVIEW:

Predictably, the script resorts to negative stereotyping of women (i.e. as conniving gold-diggers).  Among these gags are backfiring retaliatory strikes by the Stooges after they’re aggressively bullied.  Still, it’s a guilty pleasure to enjoy (i.e. Moe & Shemp’s phone booth skirmish; and the missing wedding ring sequence), as the Stooges get hilarious support from their guest stars. 

Among them, Christine McIntyre’s lovely ‘Ms. Hopkins,’ transforms Shemp’s infatuation with his new neighbor into a comedic masterpiece of mistaken identity.  Their sequence even includes a walloping haymaker that sends Shemp flying through a door and allegedly broke his nose for real – talk about realism for art’s sake.  

Emil Sitka’s increasingly befuddled Justice-of-the-Peace is perhaps his best-known performance.  Sitka gets his immortal line of “Hold hands, you lovebirds,” multiple times during the frenetic finale.  His mortified reaction witnessing the Stooges vandalize his beloved piano is a vintage moment.  Dee Green’s ditzy Miss Dinklemeyer is another delight.  Green makes the most of her cartoony role, as does Doris Houck portraying the most domineering of Shemp’s greedy would-be brides. 

Overcoming the story’s misogynistic elements, this ensemble cast ensures that Brideless Groom is among the best Stooge misadventures of the Shemp era (1946-1955).   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars

SUMMARY:        Running Time: 17:00 Min. (Black & White)

Directed by Jules White, this Three Stooges sitcom is among the four of its 190 two-reel Columbia Pictures comedies in the public domain.  The others are: 1936’s Disorder in the Court; 1947’s Brideless Groom; and 1949’s Malice in the Palace.  All four titles are also available elsewhere in a colorized format.  

As inept owners of the downtown Pip Boys tailor shop, the Stooges need a financial miracle to avoid imminent foreclosure.  Inadvertently, they deprive ace mobster Terry Hargan of a safe combination for his next heist.  The Stooges soon encounter an irritated cop pursuing Hargan and even the thief’s conniving girlfriend. 

Ironically deeming Moe, Shemp, and Larry as ‘no-good crooks,’ hard-nosed hypocrite Hargan and two cronies try shaking down the Stooges.  At stake is the reward money the Stooges desperately covet, assuming they can turn Hargen over to the police.     

Moe: Moe Howard

Larry: Larry Fine

Shemp: Shemp Howard

Terry Hargan: Harold Brauer

Plain Clothes Cop: Vernon Dent

Hargan’s Thug # 1: Cy Schindell

Hargan’s Thug # 2: Johnny Kascier

Customer: Phil Arnold

Flossie (Hargan’s Girlfriend): Virginia Hunter  

REVIEW:

This short’s best moment belongs to guest star Virginia Hunter.  Ever so subtly, her sheepish facial reaction to an incensed ‘Hargan’ blaming the Stooges for swiping his money roll is LOL funny.  The runner-up is Shemp’s inspired antics feuding with an uncooperative pair of slacks and an ironing board.  With regular Stooge foil Vernon Dent, Shemp also enjoys an amusing exchange re: the gruff cop’s tailored ‘mess’ of a suit.    

Yet, what hampers Sing a Song of Six Pants are some excessively cruel slapstick gags.  For instance, Moe abuses Shemp’s head with a broom handle and then later cracks his nose with a pair of fabric scissors.  In a violent finale, a double-teamed Hargan goon is tortured by a steam-press ironing board and a sizzling hand-held iron. 

Considering what naughty ideas that impressionable kids might get from these sadistic stunts, the director’s judgment is questionable.  Despite a reliance on mean-spiritedness, Sing a Song of Six Pants rates among the funnier Stooge tales of the Shemp era (1946-1955).   

BRIAN’S 10-STAR RATING: 6½ Stars

SUMMARY:        Running Time: 17:00 Min. (Black & White)

Directed by Jules White, this Three Stooges sitcom is among the handful of their 190 two-reel Columbia Pictures comedies available in a colorized format.  The others are: 1936’s Disorder in the Court; 1947’s Brideless Groom and Sing a Song of Six Pants; and 1949’s Malice in the Palace.    

In the afterlife, a ghostly Shemp is sent back to Earth to reform his obnoxious con artist buddies, Moe & Larry, in order to earn his ticket into Heaven.  Should he fail, Shemp is informed that he had better pack some flame-resistant undies and heavy-duty sunblock for his alternate destination (and, no, it isn’t Florida).  His best hope is to play pranks on his fellow Stooges to grab their undivided attention. 

Ultimately, Shemp must dissuade Moe & Larry from swindling a wealthy couple for a hefty investment in their new invention: a whip cream-resistant pen. Then again, all may not be what it seems.      

Moe: Moe Howard (who also has an unbilled dual role)

Larry: Larry Fine

Shemp: Shemp Howard

I. Fleceem: Vernon Dent

Mrs. DePuyster: Symona Boniface

Mr. DePuyster: Victor Travis

Spiffingham: Sam McDaniel

Miss Jones: Marti Shelton

Angelic Switchboard Operator: Judy Malcolm

REVIEW:

Describing Heavenly Daze as merely ‘gawd-awful’ is far too generous.  At best, the Stooges’ ridiculous invention of a whip cream-resistant pen might have sufficed as a Curly gag in their 1930’s prime.  In 1948, however, none of their dismal gags this round (especially Shemp’s pranks) are close to chuckle-worthy. 

The predictable blender joke, for instance, where everyone gets repeatedly splattered, is so slowly mistimed that a tortoise should have easily side-stepped that foamy goo.  Worse yet, solid character actor Sam McDaniel is reduced to a Hollywood racial caricature over-reacting in supposed ‘fear’ of Shemp’s ghostly hijinks.  Beyond an insipid cop-out finish, the supposed humor of Shemp accidently setting himself on fire after falling asleep smoking a cigarette spells out this episode’s poor taste.  

Considering the ‘Pearly Gates’ premise actually had potential, the Stooges would have been better off doing a lukewarm recycling job with Heavenly Daze.  In a TV ‘clip show’-style scenario, Shemp’s spirit could have grimaced through a greatest-hits reel of his prior antics with Moe & Larry, playing amateur detective, trying to deduce how he got killed and/or by whom.  Using reliably funny material for flashbacks, viewers might have at least enjoyed watchable Stooge mayhem. 

Unfortunately, there really isn’t any doubt that Heavenly Daze rates among the worst Stooge cliché-fests during the Shemp era (1946-1955).   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:         2 Stars

SUMMARY:        Running Time: 16:00 Min. (Black & White)

Directed by Jules White, this black-and-white Three Stooges sitcom is among the four of its 190 two-reel Columbia Pictures comedies in the public domain.  The others are: 1936’s Disorder in the Court; and 1947’s Brideless Groom and Sing a Song of Six Pants.  All four titles are also available elsewhere in a colorized format.    

As low-rent restauranteurs somewhere in the Middle East, Moe, Larry, & Shemp bumble-and-stumble into a hush-hush conspiracy between their two ruffian customers.  At stake is the fabled 100-carat ‘Rootin-Tootin’ Diamond.  Disposing of these ruthless hoods, the Stooges use a stolen map to plot their own heist to rob the vile ‘Emir of Schmow’ of the diamond. 

Assuming that they can infiltrate the gangster’s palace and elude the Schmow’s fearsome bodyguard, nabbing the gem for a big reward should be a cinch.  Or will it?      

Moe: Moe Howard

Larry: Larry Fine

Shemp: Shemp Howard

Schmow’s Bodyguard: Everett Brown

Emir of Schmow: Johnny Kascier

Palace Guard: Joe Palma

Hassan Ben Sober: Vernon Dent Haffadolla: Frank Lackteen

Ginnaromma: George J. Lewis  

Note: Meant as a cameo, a near-unrecognizable Curly Howard’s footage as the Stooges’ chef was deemed unusable by Columbia Pictures.  Re-working the kitchen sequence, Larry replaces Curly as the chef.  The only known evidence left of a mustachioed (and much thinner) Curly’s almost-presence in this episode is a production still. 

REVIEW:

In all fairness, Malice in the Palace rates as one of the Stooges’ best Shemp-era (1946-1955) shorts.  Its most inspired element is a crass extended gag where Moe & Shemp are forced at knife-point to taste-test their suspicious customers’ meals.  Larry’s distractions in the kitchen are perfectly synchronized to his buddies’ growing discomfort. 

This extended gag sequence is followed by more well-played chuckles, including an ingenious idea where the Stooges’ map offers a potpourri of campy wordplay re: various fictitious countries and geographical locales.  The joke, however, is near-sabotaged by the camera freeze-framing far too long on the map (so viewers can catch all the puns).  

Despite this glitch, Malice in the Palace (including an impromptu game of leap-frog with the Schmow’s bodyguard) literally hits its targets often enough to make this jewel heist worth catching. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars

SUMMARY:         Running Time: 16:00 Min. (Black & White)

Directed by Jules White, this Three Stooges sitcom spoofs Gary Cooper’s iconic 1952 Western film, High Noon.  Immediately after marrying their far-younger brides, cowardly saddle-sores Larry, Moe, & Shemp are jilted for not defending their wives against the scurrilous Noonan Boys. 

With the sheriff unavailable to intervene, the skedaddling Stooges can’t skip town fast enough before their nasty rivals (dressed in classic villain black) can perforate them as lead pin-cushions.  It’s up to Moe, Larry, & Shemp to muster the courage for a wild shoot-out to win their sweethearts back.   

Moe: Moe Howard

Larry: Larry Fine

Shemp: Shemp Howard

Ella: Vivian Mason

Stella: Ruth Godfrey White

Bella: Diana Darrin

Lem the Guitar-Playing Cowpoke: Emmett Lynn

Noonan # 1 (Bill): Kenneth McDonald

Mandy: Babe London

Noonan # 2 (Dick): Mort Mills

Sheriff / Justice of the Peace: Emil Sitka

Noonan # 3 (Jack): Joe Palma

REVIEW:

As Emmett Lynn’s off-key guitar player nearly steals the show, the cartoony “Shot in the Frontier” rates among the better capers from the Shemp era (1946-1955).  Instead of the Stooges bashing one other, this episode emphasizes their fun teamwork against desperate odds.  Including some nifty tombstone wordplay, a string of violent gags parodying Western shoot-em-up’s delivers the goods. 

Further, utilizing an outdoor Western frontier town set adds worthwhile scenery.  Curiously, what ought to be a predictable finish (an irritated Moe settling a score vs. the guitar player) shifts to a low-key Shemp moment.  To this episode’s credit, a sentimental touch proves a nice alternative to another crass gag.  

Earlier, an energetic music cue accompanying the Stooges’ attempted getaway is an unforced gaffe.  Its sound implies a track lifted wholesale from some silent-era slapstick chase scene.  The music’s sped-up beat is entertaining, but its pacing doesn’t mesh with the far slower Stooges. 

More problematic is the eyesore of the fifty-something Stooges implausibly hooking up with actresses a good thirty years younger.  Suffice to say, it’s cringe-worthy viewing.  The fact that both the runaway brides and the ever-dangerous Noonans are pure caricatures also adds next to nothing.    

Despite these weaknesses, the Stooges’ ode to High Noon is more satisfying than expected.  Even for casual fans, “Shot in the Frontier” proves the trio’s derided mid-fifties misadventures still had a few sparks left.      

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars