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Stooge props

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Dr. Hugo Gansamacher:

--- Quote from: TXShemp on November 20, 2010, 12:12:50 AM ---I am thinking they were mostly made of some very soft material, mesh or some type of rubber. The sound effects brought the Stooges to life. If you have seen them on a live show, there are either no sounds or the sound effects were done by a tech or musician, and not exactly on cue. Its very different than watching a short. The sound of hitting someone on the head with a broom handle would not actually have the sound of two iron skillets clanging together, for example. When you punch someone in the stomach, you shouldn't hear a bass drum either  :D

--- End quote ---

I can imagine that the heads of the hammers that they hit each other with were of rubber, but the crowbars and broom handles were clearly of a more rigid material.

Certainly the sound effects are crucial to the comedy. One of my favorite Stooge gestures is the head-conk (especially, of course, when preceded by the ritual brandishing of a fist and utterance of, "See that?" :D), but it would not be funny without the sound that they used for the impact.

I started the thread in the hope that somebody knew of an interview or an article somewhere that gave the inside story on these props. If not, then we are just left to speculate. I'm surprised that nobody ever asked the Stooges about it while they were alive.

Boid Brain:
Like you said: a soft rubber for the shots, and a stiffer one for the prods. Things that shatter are made of crystallized sugar that simulates glass. If painted it can be used for a number of other things: beer bottles, steins, even globes filled with chalk dust for a dictator to smash over his Field Marshall's head.

TXShemp:
They called the breakaway bottles "candy glass."  You could eat it like candy, and I think its still used in some form. If you have ever seen Popeye with Robin Williams, Paul L Smith as Bluto is pissed and proceeds to eat his tea cup. I am sure that was some form of candy glass.

TXShemp:

--- Quote from: Boid Brain on November 20, 2010, 12:44:24 AM ---I saw them at the Arena in St. Louis as the closing act of the circus. When Moe slapped, a guy would hit a cymbal! It was horrific....plus, they were old as hell. We told our G Mother it was OK to go and get a jump on the exiting crowd.

--- End quote ---
Unfortunately, Moe passed away the year before I was born. I never got to see them in person. But I have seen recorded stuff like when they were on The Ed Wynn Show; some of the gags made no sense without the sound effects. Some of the timing was not coordinated just right either. Still, I have gave a standing ovation at the end if I had the chance to see them live.

rmbolin:
I recently purchased a derby said to be worn by Shemp in "His Goose is Cooked", in 1952. The seller said he bought it from a man named Saul in Conoga Park, CA in the 1970's who worked with props on Stooges shorts, that was all the info he could provide. Has anyone ever heard of this "Saul" person? I bought the hat because I did not want to pass it up if it is real, any suggestions on how to authenicate this hat?

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