SUMMARY: Running Time: 17 Min. (Black & White)
Directed by Jack White (under the pseudonym of Preston Black), this Three Stooges sitcom stars Moe, Larry, & Curly as dim-witted exterminators drumming up some much-needed business by providing the pests! Ordered by their exasperated boss, A. Mouser, to infest potential clients’ homes, the Stooges raid debutante Beulah Berlap’s mansion during a glamorous party.
Gleefully letting loose moths, mice, and ants inside, the Stooges conveniently show up moments later to ‘save’ Mrs. Berlap from enormous social embarrassment. Yet, the Stooges are hard-pressed to undo the high society havoc they’ve wreaked among the stuck-up guests.
Moe: Moe Howard
Larry: Larry Fine
Curly: Curly Howard
Beulah Berlap: Clara Kimball Young
Clara: Isabelle LaMal
Maid: Helen Martinez
Eleanor: Anne O’Neil
A. Mouser: Harrison Greene
Mouser’s Secretary: Hilda Title
Professor Repulso: Bud Jamison
Gawkins: Vesey O’Davoren Lord Stoke Pogis: Douglas Gerrard
Party Guests: Bobby Burns; Althea Henley; James C. Morton; Phyllis Crane; Harry Semels; etc.
REVIEW:
Make no mistake: aside from the Stooges’ dubious on-screen ethics, Ants in the Pantry is practically a live-action Looney Tunes. Even better is that this premise ages remarkably well. Perhaps it isn’t a mere coincidence that at least two of this episode’s best jokes (i.e. Curly ‘cutting’ a deck of cards and the misidentification of a skunk) would be lifted years later by Bugs Bunny. Still, the Stooges’ high society hijinks (including a few gross-out gags – watch out for that ‘poppy seed’ cake!) offer hilarious slapstick at all the right moments.
In limited screen time, guest stars Clara Kimball Young and Isabelle LaMal are terrific as the snooty yet kind Beulah & Clara. As a sultry maid, Helen Martinez shares a fun gag with Moe & Curly while dodging Moe’s amorous advances. Reliable role players (i.e. Bud Jamison; James C. Morton; and Harry Semels) appear in non-speaking cameos, though Bobby Burns’ squirming impromptu dance (after a mouse scurries down his shirt collar) is a hoot to watch.
As a wacky misadventure featuring vintage Stooge mayhem, Ants in the Pantry deservedly rates among the trio’s all-time best.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 9 Stars
Note: For more Three Stooges high society havoc from 1935-36, try Hoi Polloi and Slippery Silks.
