Topic: Pop Goes the Easel (1935)

[metaldams]

http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/7

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026878/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1



The absolute greatest Stooge short up until this point.  Even the better shorts before this had a somewhat slower pace except MEN IN BLACK, which was fast to the extreme.  Here, the pacing for the first time feels 100 percent like a prime Stooge short, no doubt thanks to Del Lord who makes his Stooge directorial debut.

Del Lord previously worked with Mack Sennett and was probably the best Sennett director in the twenties.  The man had experience with outdoor chase scenes and pie/projectile fights, and both are put to great use in this Stooge short.  The clay fight at the end is classic Stooges and is the first example of true Stooge mayhem.  The entire room and every person in it is destroyed at the end.

Even though fast paced, each individual scene links together perfectly and tells a story, unlike MEN IN BLACK, which had fun scenes that at times felt thrown together.

The boys themselves are all in fine form and I really enjoy the fact that each Stooge gets his own little introductory scene, a very nice touch.  This short easily gets a perfect score from me, the first Stooge short to get such an honor....though a few previous ones came close.

10/10

[Shemp_Diesel]

Ah yes, the first short directed by the great Del Lord. Imo, it was under Del's charge that the stooges really began to shape their characters & become the greatest comedy team of all-time. Plus, the shorts he directed during this period were just plain hilarious; Pardon My Scotch, Hoi Polloi, Three Little Beers, but I'm sure we'll get to those shorts at a later date.

Getting back to "Pop", this is definitely a step up from "Restless", you got the stooges panhandling on the streets (Mister, I haven't tasted food for three days), a cameo from Moe & Larry's daughters, Phyliss Crane as a very cute art model w/ great legs (yowsers!), and the first glimpse of a wild stooge pie fight.

Ok, so it's clay, but that's only a piddling technicality. Unless, I missed something, this short also features the first "stooges in drag" moments as well. A definite winner & I almost forgot to mention the artist the stooges run into & whose painting they ruin. :-)

8.5 out of 10 for me.

[metaldams]

Phyliss Crane as a very cute art model w/ great legs (yowsers!)

Yes, Phyllis Crane has worn the greatest outfit in a Stooge short to this point.  One has to wonder, in the name of Stooge trivia, if she continued standing on her head between takes?  We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.

[metaldams]

Classic Ed Wood moment I noticed for the first time - when Curly in drag pushes the cop against the door, you can see the entire set shake.

[archiezappa]

I love this short!  One of my favorites.  I, especially, love the scenes with the cardboard signs.  Hilarious!

[JazzBill]

Great short beginning to end. There's some nice location scenes of Larchmont Blvd. The broom scene, the hopscotch scene, the boys in drag, and the clay fight are some of the bits I liked. And who hasn't heard the expression "Look at the Grouse"? I believe this is the first short where Moe holds his fist out and does the around the world head bop. I also think this is the first short where Moe tells someone to pick out two fingers and then pokes them in the eyes with the two fingers they picked. As mentioned before this is the first short directed by the great Del Lord. One of the best moves Jules White ever made was to get this guy out of the used car lot and behind a camera. This short is way up on my favorites list and I give it a 10.

[Big Chief Apumtagribonitz]

They got better than this.  The street scenes are vintage, but once they get into the studio, it gets sloppy.  I think the writing is mostly to blame, both because the jokes are kind of dumb ( Zee Mama was French and the old man was Irish ) and because there aren't really ENOUGH jokes, leaving the stooges to ad lib a lot, noticeably in the clay fight.  Compare this to Slippery Silks of the next year, where the cream-puff fight is precise to a razor's edge.  The detective is only so-so ( give yourself a treat and imagine Fred Kelsey here ) and Bob Burns doesn't read a single line correctly ( okay, maybe the second "come in" ).  And yes, Phyllis Crane is adorable and funny in ALL her stooge appearances.

[Kopfy2013]

Gimme that!!!!

I love that with the jig.

To me this is an Above-average short. Nothing more nothing less.

I agree with Big Chief on a couple of things.

• street scenes on Larchmont are vintage - you can see HollywoodLand sign on Moe's beginning shot
• once in studio things get sloppy - too much ad lib

I will have to do research on Phyllis Crane for sure.

P.S. I am unsure on a few of the "Stooge Goofs"

• I do not see the boom mic when Moe is whistling. I think the shadow is his hat
• I do not see the boom mic when they're beginning to sweep
• I do not see the crew members reflection in any of the 2 shots referenced.

[falsealarms]

Del Lord is arguably the best director the Stooges ever had.

His Stooges directorial debut has so much going for it -

* Location shooting, offering priceless shots of mid-1930s Los Angeles
* Interesting cameos by Moe's daughter Joan and Larry's daughter Phyllis.
* Phyllis Crane/the "look at the grouse" scene.
* The scene with the "sunlight at the brook" painting.
* The mayhem at the end.

Louis Mason, the detective, made a great villain for the Stooges. It's too bad we didn't see more of him... his only other Stooges short was So Long, Mr. Chumps, where he was the 2nd policeman.

As good as Pop was, within a few months time there would be even better offerings.

[Liz]

I absolutely LOVE this short!!  The paint/clay fight at the end was hilarious!!  10/10 for me!

[Squirrelbait]

The Stooges really 'paint themselves into a corner' in this one, after they steal some brooms from a store front and are on the run from a cop. This is also the first short to be directed by Del Lord.
Watch for Moe and Larry's daughters playing hop-scotch.

Favorite Moments:
How do you spell 'Chrysenthemum'?
Sunlight on the Brook become Midnight on the Ocean
Larry falling out the window
The Stooges trying to elude a very persistent cop (especially the foreign artists bit)
Painting the floor
Stooges in drag

And of course.......
The EPIC clay fight!

It may be just me, but it seems that the 'Pick Two' gag is used a ton.

My rating: 8/10

"Look at the Grouse!"

[Dr. Hugo Gansamacher]

"I'll show you guys a picture what is a picture!"  I've always found that line notable, if only for its odd grammar.

Shortly after Larry first says that, around 14:26 in the Crackle video on YouTube, Curly pulls Moe's cap off his head and hits him in the face with a slab of clay. I think this is the earliest instance of a subordinate Stooge taking physical revenge on Moe (the topic of thread I started a while back: "Revenge on Moe!")--or at least the earliest prominent instance. (As someone brought to my attention in that thread, there is a moment in Men in Black when Larry raps Moe, behind him, with his mallet in retaliation for a joke made by Curly, standing behind Moe, but it passes without consequence.)

[Dr. Hugo Gansamacher]

A favorite moment: when the model in the long gown, who has already taken a lump of dark clay in the face and is looking around to throw it at somebody, gets hit squarely in the chest by a big lump of white clay, with a different sound effect from the one used for the lumps of clay hitting people in the face: "Thoomp!" instead of "Whack!"

[Mr. Umpchay]

"Pop Goes the Easel" is a classic short. I have watched this a few times within the last few days and contemplating what to post here. I like it, but its not a favorite of mine. The opening vignettes are great comedy bits. Unable to find a job, they try to force their way into the normal American workforce (a place they don't belong) by snapping up brooms to sweep a storefront. The store owner accuses them of broom theft (how would you like that on your record?). A detective (Louis Mason) gives chase, but the boys get away at the art school.

This kind of chase will happen many times withing the course of the 190 shorts. Louis Mason is not your prototypical Three Stooges cop. He seems like a nice guy cop, if there is such a thing. His facial expressions and attitude in response to the dynamic comedy of our boys doesn't quite fit with what we are accustomed to seeing. Indeed, he is miscast. We want to see a cop that is completely flabbergasted, because it makes the comedy better.

In the art school, we meet "Rembrandt" (Leo White) in a great spot removal bit and the 'Hunt model' (Phyllis Crane). These are my favorite scenes. The hats the boys are wearing are hilarious, especially Curly's. Curly's puns get me every time. The boy's interaction with the 'Hunt model' is even better. Does Moe's order, "Give her the bird.", imply what it means to us today? Regardless, Curly's response and the subsequent "flight of the bird" to and from the models lovely hand is very funny. Curly's "Look at the Grouse" after being bonked on the head is the one line from this short that has stuck in my head for years. Another funny moment I love is when Curly draws the boat based on the "model on her head". Moe's christening of Curly's head elicits another "Look at the Grouse".

The Three Stooges in drag is always funny, and Curly's introduction of Moe as his mother is priceless. Moe's drag character is played perfectly as he alternates between the charming lady and the irascible stooge. The climactic clay fight is great. Everyone gets in on the act. There seems to be some discrepancy among the participants concerning who started the riot. I say Larry did. He hasn't done anything really funny since the beginning of the short, other than speak in a foreign language that only he can translate.

Verdict: Good, but not great. 7 pokes.

[Dr. Hugo Gansamacher]

Welcome to the discussion, Mr. Umpchay. I like your moniker.

This kind of chase will happen many times withing the course of the 190 shorts. Louis Mason is not your prototypical Three Stooges cop. He seems like a nice guy cop, if there is such a thing. His facial expressions and attitude in response to the dynamic comedy of our boys doesn't quite fit with what we are accustomed to seeing. Indeed, he is miscast. We want to see a cop that is completely flabbergasted, because it makes the comedy better.

Well, every Three-Stooges cop can't be Bud Jamison or Vernon Dent, I guess. . . .

Does Moe's order, "Give her the bird.", imply what it means to us today?

No; I'm pretty sure that at that time it meant the same as to give someone the raspberry. Maestro Shemp plays with the same phrase in his instructions to his singing pupil in Brideless Groom. "Yes, that's right: give me the bird!"

Regardless, Curly's response and the subsequent "flight of the bird" to and from the models lovely hand is very funny. Curly's "Look at the Grouse" after being bonked on the head is the one line from this short that has stuck in my head for years. Another funny moment I love is when Curly draws the boat based on the "model on her head". Moe's christening of Curly's head elicits another "Look at the Grouse".

Used again a few months later in Three Little Beers as "Look at the golfs!"

[Mr. Umpchay]

Thanks for the welcome, Doc.

[grousehunter]

I agree this is one of the best up to that point in time.  The beginning, with the bum ending up getting a job as a "social secretary", and the spelling of cris, chrys, uh, that flower is great.  The painting scene with "give her the bird" always cracks me up.  Larry's "Oh mother, I'm going to tell father on you" is good for a laugh too.

 But the clay fight is pure gold.  The clay hitting the door sounding like a knock.. the bit where the lady is oblivious to 3 near misses before getting it square on the rear.. The look Larry gives the camera after "here's a flower for you hat madam" cracks me up every time.  And of course, "Gimme that.  Gimme that!"  This clay fight is the granddaddy to the great pie and pastry fights to come.

-Grousehunter

I'll show you a picture, what is a picture...

[Paul Pain]

This short is difficult.  It's THAT good!  It's a solid 9/10, but this is just one short that one must watch to understand.  Simply put though is that this short is the first one to really put the Stooges in an absurd situation that ends in some foil getting abused.

^bump

[VaudevilleFan]

"Pop Goes the Easel" is a classic short. I have watched this a few times within the last few days and contemplating what to post here. I like it, but its not a favorite of mine. The opening vignettes are great comedy bits. Unable to find a job, they try to force their way into the normal American workforce (a place they don't belong) by snapping up brooms to sweep a storefront. The store owner accuses them of broom theft (how would you like that on your record?). A detective (Louis Mason) gives chase, but the boys get away at the art school.

This kind of chase will happen many times withing the course of the 190 shorts. Louis Mason is not your prototypical Three Stooges cop. He seems like a nice guy cop, if there is such a thing. His facial expressions and attitude in response to the dynamic comedy of our boys doesn't quite fit with what we are accustomed to seeing. Indeed, he is miscast. We want to see a cop that is completely flabbergasted, because it makes the comedy better.

In the art school, we meet "Rembrandt" (Leo White) in a great spot removal bit and the 'Hunt model' (Phyllis Crane). These are my favorite scenes. The hats the boys are wearing are hilarious, especially Curly's. Curly's puns get me every time. The boy's interaction with the 'Hunt model' is even better. Does Moe's order, "Give her the bird.", imply what it means to us today? Regardless, Curly's response and the subsequent "flight of the bird" to and from the models lovely hand is very funny. Curly's "Look at the Grouse" after being bonked on the head is the one line from this short that has stuck in my head for years. Another funny moment I love is when Curly draws the boat based on the "model on her head". Moe's christening of Curly's head elicits another "Look at the Grouse".

The Three Stooges in drag is always funny, and Curly's introduction of Moe as his mother is priceless. Moe's drag character is played perfectly as he alternates between the charming lady and the irascible stooge. The climactic clay fight is great. Everyone gets in on the act. There seems to be some discrepancy among the participants concerning who started the riot. I say Larry did. He hasn't done anything really funny since the beginning of the short, other than speak in a foreign language that only he can translate.

Verdict: Good, but not great. 7 pokes.

I don't know. His line "Oh Mother I'm going to tell Father on you" was hilarious!

[GreenCanaries]

Thought I'd leave this here, since the other threads won't let me attach pictures for some reason.

Does anyone else think this is Geneva Mitchell as "model in evening gown" as it currently says on the filmography page? I am of the opposing opinion that 'tain't.

[Shemp_Diesel]

Thought I'd leave this here, since the other threads won't let me attach pictures for some reason.

Does anyone else think this is Geneva Mitchell as "model in evening gown" as it currently says on the filmography page? I am of the opposing opinion that 'tain't.

Certainly doesn't look like Geneva to me? Hmmm....

[Signor Spumoni]

I like this short, although I don't love it.  Larry has some great lines, as have been quoted already.  I also like the way he calls Leo White "Remnant" instead of Rembrandt - - never fails to crack me up.  I didn't hear Remnant clearly for awhile, but I always pick it our now.
A friend and I always use, "Look at the grouse!" when we have trouble seeing or understanding something.  I enjoy the clay fight but I think it's distracting that the "clay" is really rags.   I even enjoy the transition from the outdoor scenes to the indoor scenes.  I think all the things I like about this one have already been mentioned, so I'll just say that I like this short well enough to watch it whenever I get the chance.  Oh, and where on earth would you find ballerinas who wore the same clothing and shoe sizes as the Stooges?  That certainly was convenient if unlikely. 

[Lefty]

Certainly doesn't look like Geneva to me? Hmmm....

It doesn't look like her to me either, and imdb.com lists Geneva as the "Model in Black Gown (uncredited), so who knows who she was?

[Shemp_is_Awesome78]

  I believe it's Geneva, because it looks like the queen from Restless Knights.
 
  Anyhow, I love Pop Goes the Easel for tons of ways! One of the ways is that you get a brief cameo of Larry Fine's daughter and Moe's daughter. They're the ones playing hopscotch as Larry, Moe, and Curly go by, pushing them aside, then start playing hopscotch to get away from the cop. I think I remember Moe's daughter saying that Larry's daughter was incredibly shy, but that she loved to do this short little scene. Moe's daughter, on the other hand, did not.
  " Look at the grouse!" has become a household quote. The whole scene is beautifully created, and does anybody else feel like this scene was completely ad-libbed? It looks like it a lot.
  I haven't seen this in about 2 and a half years, so I may need a correction. Isn't there some sort of scene where Moe encounters an artist who can't get his painting to show up in the light? I remember watching this short a while back, and seeing this scene.
  Of course, the clay fight is a must-see. It helped shape their many, many, many pie fights that The Three Stooges later had. This short is a 9.5 out of 10, because of all the nice little things you can find in this.

[MrsMorganMorgan]

I give this one a 20 out of 10. Seriously; I could watch this one over and over again for years and not get tired of it. I won't dissect at length, but I adore the clay fight scene more than almost anything on this earth. Here I think the supporting players are really featured specially; the guy that goes, "Nyah" and then gets popped and does the head bobbling; what was with deal with the guy in the three piece suit and top hat? He definitely got what he deserved. The cop; jesus, he really took a beating with the plaster bust but he deserved it for chasing our Stooges so hard for two freaking brooms (they dropped the third one!).  "Is this the clay department?" The two guys standing together; one laughs really snidely and the other just wails on him with two pieces of clay; and of course, the butt-slapper and even more unusual boob slapper clay smacks for the women in the scene (how did Phyllis Crane get away with not getting whacked? I'd whack her just for bringing up September Morn). And anyone who thinks the Stooges in ballerina dresses aren't sexy, then we have nothing else to discuss.

Still pissed off about the old man store keeper; I am every time I watch this. It was a thrift store selling brooms and it was the Depression; how much could those brooms possibly have cost? And they dropped one so it was only two. Is it worth our tax dollars for this detective to chase them for 20 minutes? I know I overanalyze this, but think about it and you'll agree that the cop deserves the smackdown he got.