I just returned from tonight's wonderful screenings. The experience was everything I anticipated. The Stooges and Marx Brothers played to a packed theater. There were definitely some young people in attendance. For example, I sat next to a mother and her teenage daughter. As for the films, I know they chose
Punch Drunks primarily because it was from 1934, the same as
Duck Soup. While it's certainly enjoyable, it's not one of the funniest Stooges shorts. The boys had yet to perfect their pacing/timing and their on-screen personas were still developing. They really hit their stride during the 1939-42 period. At-any-rate, it was still a real thrill to see the Stooges on the big-screen, and larger-than-life. As for what made people laugh, here's what I can tell you.
The audience was amused by Curly, when he first entered the restaurant. They seemed to get a real kick from watching him toss his cane and jacket out the window. They also laughed when Larry took off part of his hat, as well as the image of Curly's boss hanging from the ceiling fan. The "tape worm" gag also received big laughs. It was obvious to me that some in the audience had never seen
Punch Drunks before. When the radio stopped playing "Pop Goes the Weasel," some people responded with gasps or by saying, "Oh no!" One who has seen the short before would not respond in surprise to this turn-of-events. Another of the shorts big laughs came from Curly's "Hello Ma" routine. The "I'm in a real dilemma" exchange also received descent laughter. Overall, the short was well-received, with applause following.
Duck Soup was. . . well,
Duck Soup. What did the audience find funny from this Marx Brothers masterpiece? The better question is, what
didn't they find funny? It was virtually non-stop laughter from start to finish. Before the picture began, I was in the lobby talking with some representatives from Texas Public Radio, the evening's sponsors. A younger 20-something was asking about possible Chaplin screenings in the future. The gentleman from TPR said there is talk about a winter version of the
Cinema Tuesdays series. He added that they may show some Chaplin at that time, including some shorts. He noted that in past summers they have screened such Chaplin titles as
City Lights,
Modern Times and
Limelight. I also put in a request for some W.C. Fields, which I was told they have never screened. Well, whatever they present, I hope they bring back the Stooges. There's something so special and magical about watching our boys in grand 35mm. With the exception of seeing Miramax's 1999 re-release of
A Hard Day's Night, I don't think I've ever had a more satisfying theater experience than tonight's.
BTW, the photo below, featuring an essay on
Duck Soup, was handed out at tonight's event.
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