Topic: Stooges (and slapstick) on PBS Wed 8pm EST

[FineBari3]

The 3rd and 4th parts of "Make 'Em Laugh" is on PBS tonight at 8pm EST. The episode at 8 is all about slapstick, and appears to be the only section the Stooges will be featured in. See description below.

Also, please take the time to vote in the PBS poll for favorite classic comedian at http://www.pbs.org/wnet/makeemlaugh/. The Stooges are now in 6th place; somehow Rodney Dangerfield has moved into the top 5.

January 21, 8 p.m. (ET) Slip on a Banana Peel: The Knockabouts
Physical comedy and slapstick have always found rich soil in America. From the mastery of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton to the computer-generated antics that helped transform Jim Carrey into a human cartoon, slapstick has evolved into a sophisticated art, stretching the boundaries of time and space. This episode explores the comic genius of teams like Laurel and Hardy, the Three Stooges, Martin and Lewis, and the Marx Brothers, and the one and only Lucille Ball.

January 21, 9 p.m. (ET) When I’m Bad, I’m Better: The Groundbreakers
In the ongoing war against hypocrisy, conservatism, political correctness, prejudice, prudery, censorship, sentimentality, liberalism, extremism, and complacency, it was always the comedian who led the first wave of attack. Rather than using risqué jokes and four-letter words simply to get a rise out of an audience, the most audacious comedians – from pioneers like Mae West and Moms Mabley to 60s and 70s bad boys like Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor and George Carlin – invoked what the First Amendment of the American Constitution calls “freedom of speech” to bring the biggest and most dangerous laughs to the American public.

[metaldams]

Thanks for the reminder!

[chad2411]

I just watched it and was not pleased.  (In my opinion) They did not give them justice, but otherwise dogged them.  Knuckleheads!!!!!

[ThumpTheShoes]

According to what was presented in the special, the Stooges had..

[Drum roll, please!]

sound effects.

Well, folks, I just don't know what to say.

[busybuddy]

I was hoping that there would be one comedy special where no one said, "You may not like them, but . . . " There were some cool photos, Joe Henrie got his due, and it was cool to see Steve Cox interviewed, so it wasn't a total loss.

[curlysdame]

According to what was presented in the special, the Stooges had..

[Drum roll, please!]

sound effects.

Well, folks, I just don't know what to say.

Oh god, are you kidding me?  I'm on the West Coast, so I still have an hour to go before it comes on;  I'm still going to watch it, but after hearing some reviews from you guys, I guess I'm not anticipating it as much as I was before.


....Update:  i just took a look at the 'favorites' poll on the PBS website (also voted); The Stooges are back in fouth place!   

[metaldams]

I did like the Moe Howard quote about how he felt they worked at a different tempo than Laurel and Hardy.

I too didn't detect total respect, but I'm used to that.  I think the acting styles of The Three Stooges REALLY need to be focused on more by the academic types and not just the violence.

I did like the Chaplin, Keaton, Harpo, and Laurel and Hardy stuff, and feel I need to check out more Lucille Ball after watching this.  

Jerry Lewis should've stayed a mute comedian because he's far better physical than verbal.

MIA: Abbott and Costello, Harold Lloyd, and W.C. Fields.  

[FineBari3]

I did like the Moe Howard quote about how he felt they worked at a different tempo than Laurel and Hardy.

I too didn't detect total respect, but I'm used to that.  I think the acting styles of The Three Stooges REALLY need to be focused on more by the academic types and not just the violence.

I did like the Chaplin, Keaton, Harpo, and Laurel and Hardy stuff, and feel I need to check out more Lucille Ball after watching this.  

Jerry Lewis should've stayed a mute comedian because he's far better physical than verbal.

MIA: Abbott and Costello, Harold Lloyd, and W.C. Fields.  

The first two above were covered by the first two segments of this series. Fields will be in one segment next week (along with Groucho).

I liked how the Stooges were described as slapstick comedy to the extreme; the most brutal form of comedy, I got out of that. (Was that Steve Cox that said that bit?).

[stooged and confused]

I, too, was very disappointed. With the installment opening with the Stooges from "Sock A Bye Baby", I thought, excellent. Finally some decent coverage. With great segments on Chaplin, Keaton, Stan and Ollie, Lucy, Harpo-- with all of these credible names giving them accolades, all the Stooges got were Steve Cox and one bit with Richard Belzer. Not even Maltin (a big fan) was used. And, of course, the "you may not like them" line pissed me off. And harping on the violence--old hat! Nobody had anything insightful to say.

I was hoping that someone would have talked about their impeccable timing skills and how they lasted longer than any other act, but it was the same old snub, for the most part.

What a drag.

Suck it, monkeys!!

[busybuddy]

I just watched this a second time, and it's really the same old thing that's been going on for years: Chaplin and Keaton were geniuses, Laurel and Hardy were the greatest team of all time, and the Stooges hit each other.
Everyone else got time to tell a short history of their careers, they didn't even mention Shemp (although he appears in PD footage)!

But I think Lucy kind of came off looking bad too. They really emphasized how she couldn't write her own material and how Red Skelton had to take her step-by-step (inch-by-inch) through a pantomime sketch they were doing. They said it like she was a genius, but she came off looking slightly incompetent in the originality department.

The second hour was very good with Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, and George Carlin. Also, I like they way they are splitting up the Marx Brothers into different episodes, because they are a very hard team to classify. Groucho was rarely a physical comedian and Harpo was of course never one for verbal humor. Which episode will Chico fit into?

[curlysdame]

I, too, was very disappointed. With the installment opening with the Stooges from "Sock A Bye Baby", I thought, excellent. Finally some decent coverage. With great segments on Chaplin, Keaton, Stan and Ollie, Lucy, Harpo-- with all of these credible names giving them accolades, all the Stooges got were Steve Cox and one bit with Richard Belzer. Not even Maltin (a big fan) was used. And, of course, the "you may not like them" line pissed me off. And harping on the violence--old hat! Nobody had anything insightful to say.

I was hoping that someone would have talked about their impeccable timing skills and how they lasted longer than any other act, but it was the same old snub, for the most part.

Yeah, I thought that, too.  No mention of their 24 year contract, either.  I was very surprised that there was no comment from Maltin.  However, I thought it was cool that Joe Henrie was recognized (he seldom is).  Aside from the great clips, and some photos I hadn't seen before, the segment on The Boys, I felt, was lacking in depth, and time, too.

[metaldams]

The boys always get snubbed, but at least they got mentioned.  Bud and Lou and Harold Lloyd, assuming they don't show up elsewhere, don't even get a mention, and that's a crime.  Glad to hear Fields is getting recognized elsewhere, I think he's arguably the single funniest individual to ever live.

That said, I've mentioned in the past I had a college film professor who described The Three Stooges as "universally hated."  Amongst his small circle of film snobs, he's probably right, as this documentary showed.  To the general public, not so much.  Chaplin, Keaton, The Marx Brothers, and Laurel and Hardy get praised to high heavens, and rightfully so, but if a special like this has to praise Jerry "Fucking" Lewis, they can at least give The Three Stooges some respect.  Yes, others have explored slapstick film comedy before them, but their longevity and the fact that Curly's character is just as recognizable as Chaplin in modern culture (run to the hills, auterists!), alone should put them on a higher plane.  ....and don't get me started on Harold Lloyd!

Jerry "Fucking" Lewis.  Humbug!   

[stooged and confused]

The boys always get snubbed, but at least they got mentioned.  Bud and Lou and Harold Lloyd, assuming they don't show up elsewhere, don't even get a mention, and that's a crime.  Glad to hear Fields is getting recognized elsewhere, I think he's arguably the single funniest individual to ever live.

That said, I've mentioned in the past I had a college film professor who described The Three Stooges as "universally hated."  Amongst his small circle of film snobs, he's probably right, as this documentary showed.  To the general public, not so much.  Chaplin, Keaton, The Marx Brothers, and Laurel and Hardy get praised to high heavens, and rightfully so, but if a special like this has to praise Jerry "Fucking" Lewis, they can at least give The Three Stooges some respect.  Yes, others have explored slapstick film comedy before them, but their longevity and the fact that Curly's character is just as recognizable as Chaplin in modern culture (run to the hills, auterists!), alone should put them on a higher plane.  ....and don't get me started on Harold Lloyd!

Jerry "Fucking" Lewis.  Humbug!   

AMEN, BROTHER!!!

You take out The Nutty Professor, and Lewis' filmography is about as funny as a child molestor. All of this priase like he's such an amazing complete filmmaker. PLEASE!! When Lewis would stumble upon something funny, he rarely had the instinct to know when to stop with it. He'd go on with a gag far too long and make something that was funny, unfunny!

I wish they would have been able to use more clips of the Stooges highlighting their verbal bits and not just the slapping. There really was more to them than that.

Why not have Whoopie, Carol Burnett, Dick Van Dyke talk about the Stooges. They were all big fans and were used elsewhere. Once again, our beloved Boys get the short end of the stick.

By the way, Metaldams, Harold Lloyd WAS featured in the first segment that aired the previous week.

[busybuddy]

I can see why people don't like Jerry Lewis, the same way I can see why some people don't like the Stooges. Lewis has made some very good films (and some very bad ones). I recommend:

With Dean Martin:
Artists And Models
Scared Stiff
Hollywood or Bust
Living It Up
Pardners
My Friend Irma
You're Never Too Young
The Caddy

Solo:
The Bellboy
The Errand Boy(w/ Norm MacDonald, Benny Rubin, Phil Arnold, and Joe Besser)
The Nutty Professor
The Patsy

I don't recommend:
At War With The Army
The Stooge
That's My Boy
The Delicate Delinquent
The Sad Sack

[metaldams]

I can see why people don't like Jerry Lewis, the same way I can see why some people don't like the Stooges. Lewis has made some very good films (and some very bad ones). I recommend:

With Dean Martin:
Artists And Models
Scared Stiff
Hollywood or Bust
Living It Up
Pardners
My Friend Irma
You're Never Too Young
The Caddy

Solo:
The Bellboy
The Errand Boy(w/ Norm MacDonald, Benny Rubin, Phil Arnold, and Joe Besser)
The Nutty Professor
The Patsy

I don't recommend:
At War With The Army
The Stooge
That's My Boy
The Delicate Delinquent
The Sad Sack

I like THE BELLBOY because it's mostly physical skit comedy and Lewis is silent.  The NUTTY PROFESSOR is OK.

With Dean Martin, I thought they were best on television, because the movies were mostly awful.  AT WAR WITH THE ARMY is boring. LIVING IT UP is an awful remake of the far superior NOTHING SACRED. THE CADDY is great the first 15 minutes because there's good physical comedy, but the rest of the film is Chinese water torture.  Jerry Lewis and pathos?  No way.  SAILOR BEWARE is the best of what I've seen.

Lewis has a few OK moments and I know he's ranked higher than The Three Stooges because he was a filmmaker, but he wasn't funnier IMO. 

Basically, most film criticism is influenced by Europeans, especially the French (hence terms like "Auteur theory"), which is why The Three Stooges do not get their critical due.  As popular as they are in America, The Three Stooges are almost forgotten in Europe.

[shemps#1]

Jerry Lewis is an untalented hack piece of shit who wouldn't know funny if it bent him over and sodomized him thoroughly.

All he managed to do was bring Dean Martin down (I didn't like anything Martin did until I saw his roasts) like a retarded albatross. "Look at me I'm Jerry Lewis with wacky faces and zany voices!"...please die already you unfunny fuck. He is the precursor to those lame-assed "Morning Zoo" radio shows with the "yucked-up" voices and "wacky" sound effects. He appeals to the lowest common denominator more than the Jerry Springer types do, and not one of those movies listed is worth the celluloid it was printed on.

I wonder why his fabulous idea for a movie about a clown who entertains children at concentration camps never got made.

[busybuddy]

Jerry Lewis is an untalented hack piece of shit who wouldn't know funny if it bent him over and sodomized him thoroughly.

All he managed to do was bring Dean Martin down (I didn't like anything Martin did until I saw his roasts) like a retarded albatross. "Look at me I'm Jerry Lewis with wacky faces and zany voices!"...please die already you unfunny fuck. He is the precursor to those lame-assed "Morning Zoo" radio shows with the "yucked-up" voices and "wacky" sound effects. He appeals to the lowest common denominator more than the Jerry Springer types do, and not one of those movies listed is worth the celluloid it was printed on.

I wonder why his fabulous idea for a movie about a clown who entertains children at concentration camps never got made.

His "fabulous" idea about a clown who entertains kids in a concentraion camp was a novel first, an abandoned film project second. It was called "The Day The Clown Cried" and was never finished not because of the subject matter, but because of financial/producer problems.

Jerry is far more than an untalented hack. He was very innovative at the time when he and Dean began, because no one at that time was doing that kind of comedy that Jerry did, and it was at the time when the Marx Brothers were no longer in films, Abbott and Costello were starting to lose their appeal, Laurel and Hardy were about to put the final nail in their coffin with "Atoll K," and The Stooges, although popular, were still only making the two-reelers that audiences loved to see before the feature movie, 10 years before they would have their ressurgence on TV. It was literally like Beatlemania when Martin and Lewis arrived on the scene. Jerry Lewis did not bring Martin down, the media and newspaper brought him down by always saying "Jerry this," and "Jerry that," and never giving him his full do.

What makes Jerry Lewis different from the "morning zoo radio shows" was that there were thoughts behind his jokes and they were coming from a very smart and talented man. And apparently, you've never sat and watched an entire Jerry Lewis film from start to finish because if you did, you'd have a different opinion. I dare anyone on this planet to watch an entire film of his and not laugh til you cry at at least one scene.

If Jerry is such an untalented hack, then why on Earth was he the biggest draw at the box office for Paramount pictures for a good 15 years, wrote, directed, edited, starred in, sang in, and danced in at least half of his solo movies, taught film making classes at USC, became an institution in Europe (whose judgement of good film is much better than ours), has been on live television at least once a year since 1948, and still travels around the globe to this day performing for sold out crowds? I don't think Jerry Springer ever did that.

[metaldams]

Jerry Lewis is an untalented hack piece of shit who wouldn't know funny if it bent him over and sodomized him thoroughly.

All he managed to do was bring Dean Martin down (I didn't like anything Martin did until I saw his roasts) like a retarded albatross. "Look at me I'm Jerry Lewis with wacky faces and zany voices!"...please die already you unfunny fuck. He is the precursor to those lame-assed "Morning Zoo" radio shows with the "yucked-up" voices and "wacky" sound effects. He appeals to the lowest common denominator more than the Jerry Springer types do, and not one of those movies listed is worth the celluloid it was printed on.

I wonder why his fabulous idea for a movie about a clown who entertains children at concentration camps never got made.

Lewis could create a funny gag or two.  There's a submarine gag in SALIOR BEWARE that reminds me of something Buster Keaton would've done.  Very creative.  The reason why I like THE BELLBOY more than any of Lewis's other films is because there's more gag comedy and none of that voice.  

I just can't get past the guy's voice and delivery.  There was a scene in LIVING IT UP where he was on the ledge of a building, and I actually WANTED him to fall because I found the character so obnoxious.  Compare that to Harold Lloyd in SAFETY LAST, where I'm rooting for the guy to make it to the top, yet enjoying the journey at the same time.  

Jerry Lewis had SOME talent, the problem is I find what I perceive to be his shortcomings far outweigh any of his strong points.  He was also the last of his kind, being a filmmaker/slapstick comedian, so I think his generation viewed him highly because he was all they had.  The problem is Lewis is not even close to those who preceeded him in talent.  The fact they even put him on the same sentence as Chaplin in that special made me want to hurl.

[metaldams]

, became an institution in Europe (whose judgement of good film is much better than ours)

I agree with that statement to an extent, but you do realize part of what makes European tastes different than American is their opinion and knowledge on The Three Stooges?  This is why The Three stooges aren't studied in schools.  No European film festival has ever showcased their film and film theorist have never written about them.  Hence backhanded tributes on documentaries like ME 'EM LAUGH.

[Dunrobin]

And apparently, you've never sat and watched an entire Jerry Lewis film from start to finish because if you did, you'd have a different opinion. I dare anyone on this planet to watch an entire film of his and not laugh til you cry at at least one scene.

I'm one.  I've watched several of Lewis's films in the past, and while I won't try to claim that I never chuckled at something in a Jerry Lewis film I can honestly say that i have never - ever - "laughed until I cried" at anything in his movies.  Jerry Lewis is about as unfunny a "comedian" as anyone I can think of, and I find his performances about as entertaining as listening to fingernails being continuously dragged across a blackboard.  He completely ruined Labor Day weekends for me when I was a kid.  (Thank God for cable TV!)

If Jerry is such an untalented hack, then why on Earth was he the biggest draw at the box office for Paramount pictures for a good 15 years, wrote, directed, edited, starred in, sang in, and danced in at least half of his solo movies, taught film making classes at USC, became an institution in Europe (whose judgement of good film is much better than ours), has been on live television at least once a year since 1948, and still travels around the globe to this day performing for sold out crowds?

Woof!  That's a nice run-on sentence, complete with an elitist attitude!

I'd definitely like some actual proof that Europeans' film judgment is somehow "much better" than "ours."  Frankly, when it comes to generalizations I am suspicious about the value of almost anything that Europeans would think is "better."  My ancestors left there to get away from the rampant stupidity, and the history of the past 100+ years certainly hasn't demonstrated that they've gotten any smarter.  (This country, on the other hand, has gone faster down the drain the more people here try to emulate the Europeans.)

[metaldams]

I'd definitely like some actual proof that Europeans' film judgment is somehow "much better" than "ours."  Frankly, when it comes to generalizations I am suspicious about the value of almost anything that Europeans would think is "better."  My ancestors left there to get away from the rampant stupidity, and the history of the past 100+ years certainly hasn't demonstrated that they've gotten any smarter.  (This country, on the other hand, has gone faster down the drain the more people here try to emulate the Europeans.)

Personally, I enjoy silent and early talkie European films, especially the German stuff before 1933.  I can definitely appreciate European film contributions and think they had an influence on American film.

As far as their theories on film, they believe in the "auteur theory," which literally gives each film an author, usually the director.  This is my opinion is why Jerry Lewis is so praised over there, because like him or not, he was a complete filmmaker.  A good one?  That depends on personal opinion.  The auteur theory, like most things in life, is valid in some cases and completely ludicrous in others.  Usually, filmmaking isn't a one person ordeal, so it's hard at times to prescribe one author. 

The Three Stooges, on the other hand, weren't "filmmakers," per se, hence the lack of critcial acclaim.  also, notice how whenever a film snob always priases Laurel and Hardy, its always just Stan Laurel?

[JazzBill]

Jerry Lewis is an untalented hack piece of shit who wouldn't know funny if it bent him over and sodomized him thoroughly.

All he managed to do was bring Dean Martin down (I didn't like anything Martin did until I saw his roasts) like a retarded albatross. "Look at me I'm Jerry Lewis with wacky faces and zany voices!"...please die already you unfunny fuck. He is the precursor to those lame-assed "Morning Zoo" radio shows with the "yucked-up" voices and "wacky" sound effects. He appeals to the lowest common denominator more than the Jerry Springer types do, and not one of those movies listed is worth the celluloid it was printed on.

I wonder why his fabulous idea for a movie about a clown who entertains children at concentration camps never got made.

I couldn't agree with you more. Jerry Lewis is about as funny as a stomach pump. The only thing I enjoy about a one of his films when I see " The End ''.

[busybuddy]

I'd definitely like some actual proof that Europeans' film judgment is somehow "much better" than "ours."  Frankly, when it comes to generalizations I am suspicious about the value of almost anything that Europeans would think is "better."  My ancestors left there to get away from the rampant stupidity, and the history of the past 100+ years certainly hasn't demonstrated that they've gotten any smarter.  (This country, on the other hand, has gone faster down the drain the more people here try to emulate the Europeans.)

You want proof? Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Paul Blart:Mall Cop were both Number 1 movies in America. If that doesn't prove that Americans truly like flat out garbage, I don't know what does.

[OldFred]

You want proof? Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Paul Blart:Mall Cop were both Number 1 movies in America. If that doesn't prove that Americans truly like flat out garbage, I don't know what does.

I saw the Paul Blart movie today and I thought it was a fun comedy. It was full of the kind of slapstick that was mindful of the Stooges. There's no cursing in it and the violence is cartoony in a way similar to the Stooges, sort of like a kid friendly version of 'Die Hard'. It's fine for what it is and should be enjoyed as a Stooge-like comedy you can take the kids to.

[shemps#1]

Hmmm, so you are generalizing every American because Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Paul Blart:Mall Cop were #1 box office movies. After all, we dumb Americans can't get the subtle nuances of Jerry Lewis acting "wild and zany", and his canon is so far above that of those movies you mentioned that I should be arrested for mentioning them in the same paragraph.

Well since it just came out recently, let's look at the box office figures for Paul Blart: Mall Cop (a movie, by the way, that I have no intention whatsoever of ever viewing). Last weekend, which was the movie's first, it made a little less than $32 million ($31,832,636 to be exact). After doing a little bit of research on Beverly Hills Chihuahua (released 10/3/08) I see that it made a shade over $29 million ($29,300,465) it's opening weekend. In this day and age, when the average price of a movie ticket is $7.20 per person I think it's safe to say that while these movies were both "#1" movies, that $29 million and $32 million are not exactly mind-blowing numbers for opening weekends. In fact, Beverly Hills Chihuahua was helped by the fact that it is a children's movie made by Disney, and parents are always looking to take their children to movies that will keep their interest. Both movies are in fact rated PG, which again is going to help to their numbers because it is safe to bring your children to them (for all I know PB:MC can be a kids movie too, I've just seen a commercial or two and decided I would pass).

Let's also factor in the release dates for such movies. October and January are hardly big movie going periods. If either of these films went up against The Dark Knight during the summer months they would have been slaughtered. However, with the relatively small cost of making films like these and the decent box office numbers providing a big return you can at the very least expect straight to DVD sequels in the future. That's why all of those asinine "spoof" movies get churned out at clip of two or three a year: they are cheap to make and generate a good profit.

A quick peek on IMDB shows that Beverly Hills Chihuahua currently has a rating of 2.4/10 while Paul Blart: Mall Cop comes in at 5.5/10. I'd hardly call these glowing reviews from the American Public. So please, if you are going to make elitist blanket statements like "...Americans truly like flat out garbage..." get your facts straight and try to know what you are talking about.

What you don't understand is that I would rather take a hot lava enema than sit through a Jerry Lewis movie from start to finish. Once he comes on the screen and starts doing his lame, tired act I zone out immediately and if other people are watching the movie I leave the room (if I am alone I turn it off). I do not have low enough self-esteem to make myself sit through a Jerry Lewis marathon, so there is no way I would "laugh until I cried".

I don't like Jerry Lewis, I think he's unfunny and stated my opinion. If that opinion offended you, tough shit.