Re: BIG IDEA, THE
Posted 2009-06-02 03:19:30 by archiezappa
This film is not bad. Ted Healy carries the first part of the short just talking to himself. He's funny like that. Then, Bonnie enters and acts like she's had about a case and a half of beer. In fact, it appears that she's been drinking more than Ted before the filming began. Weird, huh? Then, we get Howard, Fine and Howard. Their running gag is hilarious! The Three Stooges really work independently of Ted in this film. They're in the film with him, but they're now outsiders looking in. In fact, Larry actually names Moe as the leader of the trio. This is significant, since their next short subject ("Woman Haters") would be without Ted. It's almost as if they knew this.There is very little stock footage in this short, thankfully. We get a segment of The Radio Rogues. They're pretty good. Okay, they're not bad, but still. At least it's not like some of the garbage that permeated "Nertsery Rhymes." Also, The Radio Rogues went on to star in three short subjects at Columbia. The other segment of stock footage is, of course, The MGM Dancing Girls. This segment, though brief, is way better than most stock footage of this nature. Namely, the segments in the other MGM shorts starring our boys. It focuses on one girl, with the other girls in the background. All I can say is that it's too bad that this short wasn't in Technicolor. Overall, this is a pretty good film. It's surreal. And it also marks the end of an era.
Re: BIG IDEA, THE
Posted 2006-09-20 21:33:17 by benjilbum
Very dull film, until The Stooges bring it to life at the ending where they are allowed to be themselves. Its no wonder Healy's life took a nose-dive when he lost the boys. He didnt have a whole lot going for himself without them. Just consider the 3 schmucks he replaced them with when they got smart and left him for good.Still I love watching these early efforts for the historical value of them alone. Watching the boys evolving into The Stooges to me is facinating, and I collect these MGM films for mainly that reason.
RE: THE BIG IDEA (1934)
Posted 2004-01-03 22:03:00 by [Deleted Member]
Edited 2004-01-05 22:29:00 by [Deleted Member]
That first imitation by the Radio Rogues is of bandleader Ben Bernie, a big star in the early days of radio"" the tipoff is the "Yowsuh!," which was a signature word of his. The guy who does all the voices in the Amos & Andy sketch is pretty impressive; too bad the sketch itself isn't nearly as funny as anything by the real Amos & Andy.Which brings me to the problem I have with this short: [b]why[/b] doesn't it work? It has all the right ingredients to have been a great surreal-screwball comedy film like "Men In Black" or "The Fatal Glass of Beer," but it falls flat, for the most part. Maybe it's that the gags aren't developed too well. For example, the routine with the Stooges and the squirting musical instruments would have been funnier if there'd been some setup for it, like maybe Ted calling up a talent agency and asking them to "Send over three instruments." Then, when the Stooges show up, spray him, and leave, he calls again and asks for "Three different instruments." So the [i]same[/i] musicians come back, only with different instruments (like they do in the short), and spray him again. That would have made a better running gag, I think, than just having them keep walking into Ted's office with no explanation.The dance routine"" mercifully brief for one in an MGM short"" seems to have been visually influenced by the Moloch scenes in Fritz Lang's silent classic "Metropolis," which came out a few years earlier. By the way, I'll throw in a plug here for the recently released Kino Video version of "Metropolis," which restores as much missing footage as they could find, and also the original orchestral score. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00007L4MJ/qid=1073185495/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-8790697-0953542?v=glance&s=dvdWhatever you do, [b]don't[/b] buy that abominable [i]disco[/i] version that was made in the 70's or 80's! I didn't see it in Amazon's DVD listings, and it's out of stock in VHS, so maybe it's out of print (and good riddance)."The Big Idea" is definitely worth watching for historical reasons, but it comes off to me as a missed opportunity that could have been much funnier if the director and the writers had worked it out a little more carefully. [2.0pokes]
Re: THE BIG IDEA
Posted 2001-08-30 03:44:00 by [Deleted Member]
It's not all that bad. I enjoyed this film more than any Stooges/Healy film I've seen where Healy hogs the screen time. Healy was kind of funny, and the Stooges were great in their unique performances. I've been humming that fanfare music since the first time I saw this film. Magnifique, although the dance sequences are boring as always.ISLIPP- you SKIPP. ©2001
Re: THE BIG IDEA
Posted 2001-08-08 21:19:00 by Mike Holme
This short was bad because the stooges are in 20% of this, the scenes with them are good, but there are not enough scenes with them, and too many scenes with Healy and musical numbers. Grade: D