Topic: Three Little Pigskins (1934)

[metaldams]

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000840/?ref_=tt_cl_t4

http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/4


WOMAN HATERS was a musical, MEN IN BLACK was basically a Marx Brothers film, and PUNCH DRUNKS felt like the first real Stooge short.  With the fourth short, THREE LITTLE PIGSKINS, the boys are batting .500 in what feels like a standard Stooge film.  Again, the characters are defined, with Moe's leader role being quite effective.  The scene where Moe slaps Larry and Curly around for not getting any change only to have Larry and Curly turn around and ask Moe is classic.  Moe's response of "Does it matter?" is both comical and a great way to show the team dynamic.  The boys starting out a homeless also shows a common theme over the years as the boys being on the lower end of society.

For years this has never been one of my favorites but on this recent viewing I can't figure out why, because I just had a really enjoyable viewing.  The story is consistent, the gags fast paced, and the characters are strong.  Walter Long is in this one, a Roach regular who should've appeared in more Stogge shorts (he also played the infamous blackface role of "Gus" in BIRTH OF A NATION).  Of course, Lucille Ball is in this one too.  She's not given much to do from a comic perspective but she does carry herself well and is quite attractive for guys like me who like the taller girls.

Overall, a very enjoyable short.

9/10

[Shemp_Diesel]

Three Little Pigskins is a winner. Can't find too many faults with this one. Looking back I would say most of the early shorts were awesome, with Restless Knights being the only hiccup, but we'll get to that at a later date.


Getting back to Pigskins, some of my favorite moments are when the boys are panhandling on the street, the scenes with the girls, especially when they start playing blind man's bluff & Curly is going "peep peep" while blindfolded, the dumbwaiter gag & of course the football game.

Add Walter Long to the list of stock players who should have been used in more stooge shorts. Love that closeup of him when he says "Why the dirty double-crossers, they throw this game on purpose." LOL!

Pigskins is a solid 8.5 out of 10 for me.

[locoboymakesgood]

Three Little Pigskins was never one of my favorite shorts, although I love the song played during the opening credits.

It was one that's really memorable for me as a kid since I Love Lucy was a regular staple in the house, and seeing her nearly 20 years before that was always interesting.

As I got older I started appreciating the supporting actors in the shorts, and Walter Long was always one of my favorite character players since he worked with Laurel & Hardy.

I'd give it 7.5/10.

[Rich Finegan]

Three Little Pigskins was never one of my favorite shorts, although I love the song played during the opening credits...

The titles music is called "Eastmoor College March" composed by Louis Silvers for the Columbia movie MOST PRECIOUS THING IN LIFE, filmed in March of 1934 and released June 5, 1934. It's a college story that takes place at Eastmoor College (although in some references to the movie the name of the college is spelled Eastmore).

In addition to MOST PRECIOUS THING IN LIFE and THREE LITTLE PIGSKINS, Columbia also used the "Eastmoor College March" music in the following films:
SCREEN SNAPSHOTS Series 13, No. 9 (6-8-34).
WHOM THE GODS DESTROY (7-14-34).
I'LL FIX IT (11-10-34).
SUPERSPEED (9-1-35).
TRAPPED BY TELEVISION (6-15-36).
THE GAME THAT KILLS (9-12-37).
START CHEERING (3-3-38).
THE LONE WOLF TAKES A CHANCE (3-6-41).
HARMON OF MICHIGAN (9-11-41) (And the music is also used in the movie's trailer).

[Larrys#1]

Three Little Pigskins was never one of my favorite shorts, although I love the song played during the opening credits.

Me too. Too bad the DVD snips a little bit of it.

[Larrys#1]

Of course, Lucille Ball is in this one too.  She's not given much to do from a comic perspective but she does carry herself well and is quite attractive for guys like me who like the taller girls.

According to her IMDB profile, she's only 5'7 1/2" tall. She definitely looks taller on-screen, especially in "I Love Lucy" where she looks like she's about the same height as Desi Arnaz, who is supposedly 5'11 1/2".

Also.... according to all the credits I see, Lucille Ball plays the character of Daisy Simms in this episode. When was her name ever mentioned in this episode?

[Rich Finegan]

According to all the credits I see, Lucille Ball plays the character of Daisy Simms in this episode. When was her name ever mentioned in this episode?

None of the girls are addressed by name in the film, although when Lucille Ball hands Phyllis Crane a drink, it sounds like she says "Here's one for you, Phyllis."

[Big Chief Apumtagribonitz]

I'm given to understand that this is generally considered to be the Stooges' answer, so to speak, to the Marx Brothers'  Horse Feathers.  I can certainly see some parallels.

[Liz]

This one comes up a lot when I decide to watch the Volume 1 Stooges DVD.  I've always enjoyed it, always found it funny. 

[metaldams]

I'm given to understand that this is generally considered to be the Stooges' answer, so to speak, to the Marx Brothers'  Horse Feathers.  I can certainly see some parallels.

While stylistically MEN IN BLACK is the obvious Marx Brothers film, it's true both THREE LITTLE PIGSKINS and HORSE FEATHERS share the football theme.  I have heard that parallel before.

[metaldams]

According to her IMDB profile, she's only 5'7 1/2" tall. She definitely looks taller on-screen, especially in "I Love Lucy" where she looks like she's about the same height as Desi Arnaz, who is supposedly 5'11 1/2".

Also.... according to all the credits I see, Lucille Ball plays the character of Daisy Simms in this episode. When was her name ever mentioned in this episode?

5'7 1/2" ain't exactly petite for a female, but no Elle Macphereson either.  Still, she does look taller in this short.  Perhaps she's wearing heels or maybe the other girls are just tiny.  Speaking of the Marx Brother, Lucy looked absolutely gorgeous in ROOM SERVICE, a very underrated film, if you ask me.

[Squirrelbait]

I really enjoy this one. There's great fun all the way through, especially during the actual football game. It's fun to see Lucille Ball as well. Too bad she wasn't in more with the Stooges.

Shot in an empty stadium to protect the Stooges' amateur status....Uh, no. It was actually because Columbia was too cheap to pay for extras.

Also, it sounds like quite a few injuries occured during filming. Larry got his tooth knocked out, Curly broke his leg on the dumb waiter and many of the doubles got hurt when they were tackled.


Favorite moments:
The aforementioned football game ('It's easy! When the pitcher pitches' [*EYE POKE*])
Seltzer bottle fight
Moe and Larry's exchange about the chalk mark ('Then I'll rub it out')
Snow, snow, beautiful snow ('I shoveled it!')
'That red light was a bus going to Boston!'
Curly fainting just as he's gonna get klobbered

Also, it would've been neat to see the deleted scenes with the Stooges and their identical sons.

This one's terrific!
My Rating: 9.0/10

[Larrys#1]

Larry got his tooth knocked out...

I always wondered about that.... How did he break his tooth? Wasn't that supposed to be a fake punch? Did the actor accidentally give him a real punch?

[Squirrelbait]

I always wondered about that.... How did he break his tooth? Wasn't that supposed to be a fake punch? Did the actor accidentally give him a real punch?

I HOPE it was supposed to be a fake punch! But yeah, it sounds like Joseph Young actually punched him for real.

[archiezappa]

Also, this is the first Columbia short that where the 3 Stooges meet 3 girls.  That became a staple of many of their shorts.  I mean, how often to 3 guys meet up with 3 girls in real life, anyway?

Great short, though.  I always found it funny.  They really did well with this.

My favorite line is when Curly asks if it's honest work, and the man replies:  "Does it make any difference?"

Hilarious!

[JazzBill]

I like this one but I wouldn't put it on my list of top favorites. I enjoy the football scenes the most. A couple of my favorite scenes are when they stop by the sideline to get their picture taken, then after all of them getting knocked over the cameraman tries to take their picture with the football. The scene where Moe waves his hands to the side and tells them to "go that way" when they get the ball. Then after getting the ball they drop it and start waving their hands to the side like Moe showed them. In regards to Rich Finegans post, I went back and listened to it a few times. I can clearly hear Lucy say "Heres one for you" but it's hard to make out the name she's saying. It very well could be Phyllis. I rate this one 8 out of 10.

[Big Chief Apumtagribonitz]

Walter Long is not the most versatile of actors, or maybe wasn't allowed to be, but he sure hit that one note like a virtuoso.  When I was a kid he was as scary a Neanderthal as I could imagine, both with the Stooges and Laurel and Hardy.  I understand that, true to Hollywood form, he was in real life a real softie, a lover of children and dogs.  I've seen, as I'm sure all of you have, some publicity pictures of him out of make-up and out of character where the sweetness comes through.  In these " nice " pictures, he's almost unrecognizable.

[Kopfy2013]

"Go that way, go that way" ....

"That's a kids game."  "Not  the way I play it"

This is a great sort. Not hilarious but cute. It keeps your interest.

It is in the top 10% of the shorts for me.

P.S. I would like to know about the kids. I do not see a transcript on the site. How were they put into the story and why was it cut? 

[Mr. Umpchay]

"Three Little Pigskins" is another classic short. It has a great plot and some great acting from Walter Long (Stacks) and Gertie Green (Lulu). It is certainly a shame they didn't appear in other shorts. Every line of Long's character is perfectly delivered in the gangster style, and I could really feel his dismay at losing his three backs. Gertie Green is wonderful as the dumb blonde. She excels in comedic cuteness during her exchange with Moe in drag. This short is also famous for the injuries incurred by our boys. Joseph Young (Pete) knocking out Larry's tooth with a real punch could explain why he never worked with them again.

The stooges' seltzer fight in drag is my favorite bit. The timing of Moe "intercepting" the seltzer squirt from Larry than was intended for Curly is impeccable. Curly's gun with no bullets, his bus ride ride to Boston, his shoveling of "Snow, Beautiful Snow", Larry's study of Pig Latin, his hot water butt bath, Moe and Larry discussion of chalk marks are all great examples of comedic genius. Of course, the classic dumbwaiter bit is always funny. I wonder when exactly Curly broke his leg during the bit.

The football game scene is a bit weak. Its my least favorite scene. Other than the football/camera exchange during the pile-up on the sidelines (How the cameraman ended up with the ball when it rolled 15 feet or so beyond the pile of bodies is beyond my comprehension), I don't find it that funny. Shoddy special effects ruins the ending, in my opinion.

Oh, and Lucille Ball plays a forgettable character for once.

Verdict: 8 pokes (-2 for the football scene and shoddy special effects)

[Paul Pain]

I have never been too high on this short.  The early scenes are hysterical with the boys toting signs and Curly ending up in Boston.  The scenes with the Stooges in Lucille Ball's apartment/house/whatever-it-is were pretty good.  I especially enjoyed Curly in this one.  Endings that involve someone getting shot or blown up just never float my boat, but here we see the dumbwaiter routine for the first time.  7/10

[GreenCanaries]

The third fella Moe bothers on the street (before he calls up the other two) looks to me like the unidentified "2nd mug in restaurant" in Punch Drunks.

Also: looks the rather distinctive mug of Bert Young doubling Curly during both of the tackles (after Curly hides the football and when they pose for the photo).

I know the site USED to list Charles Dorety as the other photographer, but now says Jimmie Phillips. That said, he still looks like Dorety to me?
Could Phillips be one of the two other fellows Moe panhandles? Anyone know what he looked like? (I know Phillips used to be listed as Dutch Hendrian's referee character.)

[Paul Pain]

I was just sitting here minding my own business thinking about the weather when I suddenly pictured the old guy here in this short and all of sudden thought "Why, that's the guy from Laurel and Hardy!"

Didn't take him long to go from Roach to Columbia, did it?  He filmed shorts for both companies within the same year or so!

[Big Chief Apumtagribonitz]

Yeah, if you're talking about Walter Long, he was everywhere.  He even had a big part in " Birth of a Nation ".  Really.

[metaldams]

Yeah, if you're talking about Walter Long, he was everywhere.  He even had a big part in " Birth of a Nation ".  Really.

Yes, he played Gus!

[Dr. Mabuse]

The first two-thirds of "Three Little Pigskins" represent vintage Stooges. However, the football climax never worked for me — it was more frenetic than funny.  "No Census, No Feeling" did a much better job in that department.  Though Lucille Ball, Gertie Green and Phyllis Crane were billed, it's hard to believe Columbia didn't give Walter Long screen credit in his only Stooge appearance.

7.5/10