How High is Up? (1940)

metaldams · **on:** March 21, 2014, 06:43:37 PM

http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/48
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032611/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

These reviews have definitely become a part of my weekend routine, to the point where I'm at work thinking about the weekend and thinking about the next short. Well, the mid week blues were cured momentarily when I realized HOW HIGH IS UP is the next short, because this has always been a favorite of mine.

It's funny, because when I think of this short, I usually think of all the hi jinks that goes on up at the 97th floor. Hey, there's a lot of great stuff that goes on up there. Curly doing his moonwalk on the grease drew some huge belly laughs (I guarantee that's where Michael got it from). Vernon's little dance when the hot rivet went down his shirt is also a highlight, but upon this most recent viewing, it was the stuff at the beginning that seemed the best.

You can make an argument this short has the greatest intro to any Stooge film. The boys start out sleeping in what appears to be normal sleeping quarters. Then the camera cuts away and we find they are actually under a car, so first time viewers get a little surprise. Then eventually a fire hydrant goes off and water streams under the car, dragging them out in the middle of the street. The boys are of course snoozing while this is all going on. Just a great little intro there.

Then of course there's the sweater scene. Check out Larry just before one of the edits. You can tell they had to cut because he was about to laugh. Who can blame the guy? It's such a funny scene. The idea of squeezing so many gags out of such a simple premise as Curly getting out of a sweater is genius. So many funny visuals, but the cream of the crop is the sweater turned upward in the air over Curly's head just before Moe starts cutting. I can't describe it properly, I can't do it justice, the visual just exists and the visual is funny. I'm sure most of you agree. Then the whole "mittens" punch line is the icing on the cake.

I wonder what my work weeks will be like when I'm thinking, "Oh joy, I get to discuss the back of Palma's head this weekend." That's in the distant future though, because right now, these shorts rule. By the way, next week will also mark the exact halfway point of the Curly era, so we're doing just fine. Thanks again to all you knuckleheads who are contributing.

10/10

Allen Champion · **Reply #1 on:** March 21, 2014, 08:13:26 PM

Just a standard Curly, not the best nor the worst. Of course its a high standard (pardon the pun), being a Curly, but definitely not as good as the short that came before it. Best parts are the Stooges' antics up in the high blue yonder. Wish I was fonder of this one.

Kopfy2013 · **Reply #2 on:** March 21, 2014, 11:10:00 PM

Good short.... Interesting, basically a 3 scene short .. sleeping,sweater,riveter up high ... OK lunchboxes also.... Metal is right, look at Larry during sweater scene he is about to crackup.

Great timing by the boys ... and I agree that Michael Jackson's moon walk looks alot like Curly's ...

Again, this is a Del Lord short not a Jules White

I give it a 8 ....

Shemp_Diesel · **Reply #3 on:** March 22, 2014, 12:45:25 AM

"Do I look like a rivet?"

"What do you feel like?"

"A rivet."

Also enjoyed Vernon's "what do you mean by hiring men like them." Just another great 1940s stooge short.

8 out of 10...

Paul Pain · **Reply #4 on:** March 22, 2014, 06:01:25 AM

This short has it all. The thought of the boys as riveters on a skyscraper unravels my faith in the Empire State Building's construction.

It all begins with the boys sleeping... under their car. They only awake when a policeman shakes them awake, AFTER a fire hydrant has burst, run water under their mattress, wash them down the street, and nearly get run over and killed by a dump truck. From here they resume their normal career as inferior tradesmen.

"Excuse me, did you have a pink bow tie?"
"No!"
"You cut his ear off."

Only Curly can make a painstaking ordeal out of taking off a sweater. The scissors inflict incredible punishment, and crowbars bend on Curly's thickheadedness. Then Curly tries to fix a tire... with a piece of salami.

The sight gags of the Three Stooges take away from the more sophisticated verbal humor of this one.

Need money? Smash some lunch boxes while the people are watching and offer to repair them. Such levity, they act like the Three Stooges.

"Do you guys know how to rivet?"
"Three of the best riveters that ever riveted!"

Overall, a well-pieced short. It has the bare essentials: sight gags, jokes, and Curly falling off the 97th story.

"I wonder what my work weeks will be like when I'm thinking, "Oh joy, I get to discuss the back of Palma's head this weekend." That's in the distant future though, because right now, these shorts rule. By the way, next week will also mark the exact halfway point of the Curly era, so we're doing just fine. Thanks again to all you knuckleheads who are contributing."

I know! I wish we could do Shemp shorts at the same time and just save the Besser shorts for a good bashing.

My local network airs Stooge shorts every weekend alternating Curly and Shemp shorts. They ran out of Curly shorts, so they are doing Besser shorts now.

Lefty · **Reply #5 on:** March 22, 2014, 10:40:30 AM

@PaulPayne: "My local network airs Stooge shorts every weekend alternating Curly and Shemp shorts. They ran out of Curly shorts, so they are doing Besser shorts now." Considering there were 97 Curly, 77 Shemp, and 16 Joe shorts, your channel should be showing Curly and Joe (as opposed to Curly Joe) in tandem until Shemp comes back. Or maybe it's their way to make people hunger for the return of the Curly shows.

As for "How High Is Up?" It was a "riveting" show. I like the various scenes in it -- the snoozing while the water pushes them down the street, Curly's sweater, and the 97th-floor "high"-jinks. Of course, if I ever go high up in an old building, I may want to push against the wall to make sure it holds up.

Big Chief Apumtagribonitz · **Reply #6 on:** March 22, 2014, 07:21:13 PM

Incomparable. I've said it before about a different episode, but if you don't like this one, you don't like the Three Stooges. At the point in the sweater scene where Curly yells "Don't mind me" and Larry's about to lose it do I hear background laughter, like from the crew, as well?
Incidentally, the process that they go through is correct: that's exactly how a team (which consists of three guys) drives rivets. Except for the weenies, of course.

Larrys#1 · **Reply #7 on:** March 24, 2014, 12:08:39 PM

Another great episode. Like I said in A Plumbing We Will Go, I always enjoy watching episodes where you see the stooges trying to do a job that requires special skills. In this episode, we see the stooges do construction work.

This episode is near perfect..... and I say "near" perfect because I thought the sweater gag went on a little longer than it should have. It's a funny scene, but I thought it would've been better if it were kept shorter. Other than that little complaint, this episode is a fantastic one. The whole construction scene is a lot of fun to watch. Watching Curly faint after realizing they have to work on the 97th floor is priceless. Watching the stooges get raised up to the 97th floor was also funny. And the whole rivet thing was great! Curly eating it thinking it's a sausage was funny. And while Vernon Dent's role is very small, it was a good one. It was hilarious how he almost fell after thinking the stooges did some "good solid construction" and the hot rivet falling in his pants. And the ending was great too.

9.5/10

stoogerascalfan62 · **Reply #8 on:** March 25, 2014, 09:28:16 AM

My favorite part was when the boys were being lifted and Moe made fun of Curly's boast of being the best riveters, and then asking "Why didn't you tell them you were a ground hog?".

GreenCanaries · **Reply #9 on:** January 05, 2015, 02:30:47 PM

Is it just me, or when the cop wakes up the Stooges at the beginning ("What do you think this is, a camping ground?!"), before they pull the bed, does he say "Get the h*ll outta here?"

TiskaTaskaBaska · **Reply #10 on:** January 08, 2015, 11:28:10 AM

Frankly, the sweater scene is just about the most perfect two to three minutes in Stooges filmdom. Even Larry isn't immune to the awesomeness; discovering him cracking up is as priceless as finding an unreleased Beatles song. I LOVE this short!! Ten out of ten.

metaldams · **Reply #11 on:** January 08, 2015, 08:55:16 PM

Quote from: TiskaTaskaBaska on January 08, 2015, 11:28:10 AM

Frankly, the sweater scene is just about the most perfect two to three minutes in Stooges filmdom. Even Larry isn't immune to the awesomeness; discovering him cracking up is as priceless as finding an unreleased Beatles song. I LOVE this short!! Ten out of ten.

Great to see you back, Tiska, and that paragraph sums up the sweater better than any essay I could've written. Perfect.

TiskaTaskaBaska · **Reply #12 on:** January 09, 2015, 07:34:52 AM

Quote from: metaldams on January 08, 2015, 08:55:16 PM

Great to see you back, Tiska, and that paragraph sums up the sweater better than any essay I could've written. Perfect.

"Now just one more and it will be all over, I think." GOLD!!

GreenCanaries · **Reply #13 on:** January 17, 2015, 06:59:33 PM

When the Stooges hop on the girder, I spotted Chet Brandenburg at the right of the screen (he isn't listed at the database).

Also: Moe's "What now, little man?" at the beginning of the sweater scene makes me laugh for some reason I cannot identify.

BeAStooge · **Reply #14 on:** January 18, 2015, 09:18:27 AM

Quote from: GreenCanaries on January 17, 2015, 06:59:33 PM

When the Stooges hop on the girder, I spotted Chet Brandenburg at the right of the screen (he isn't listed at the database).

Thanks.

Chet Brandenburg, PUNCH DRUNKS

Big Chief Apumtagribonitz · **Reply #15 on:** January 18, 2015, 09:34:04 PM

O K, I'll grant you that's Chet Brandenburg. Pardon my ignorance, but is Chet Brandenburg someone I should know?

metaldams · **Reply #16 on:** January 18, 2015, 10:52:53 PM

Quote from: Big Chief Apumtagribonitz on January 18, 2015, 09:34:04 PM

O K, I'll grant you that's Chet Brandenburg. Pardon my ignorance, but is Chet Brandenburg someone I should know?

The guy actually has an impressive filmography, including some Hal Roach stuff. Now as far as having a big role in any of these films, that's another story! Still, take a look at this list of films.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chet_Brandenburg

GreenCanaries · **Reply #17 on:** January 19, 2015, 05:37:49 AM

http://www.lordheath.com/index.php?p=1_832

I mainly just pointed it out because it wasn't on the database.

TiskaTaskaBaska · **Reply #18 on:** January 19, 2015, 07:51:28 AM

Quote from: GreenCanaries on January 17, 2015, 06:59:33 PM

Also: Moe's "What now, little man?" at the beginning of the sweater scene makes me laugh for some reason I cannot identify.

Me and the Old Man call, "What now, little man?" the "And so it begins...." line; to the absolute best clothing removal scene in the history of mankind!

GreenCanaries · **Reply #19 on:** March 25, 2015, 10:31:30 AM

I think Chet should be added to the archive footage of Stop, Look and Laugh!; he appears again (right next to Charlie Phillips) when Edmund Cobb asks "How many of you guys are riveters?"

Also: to Chet's right, and popping up behind Moe's left shoulder when Moe says "Well, you just hired yourself three good men!" -- is that Chet's brother Ed (apparently Larry's double in Horses' Collars)?

BeAStooge · **Reply #20 on:** March 25, 2015, 11:42:48 AM

Quote from: GreenCanaries on March 25, 2015, 10:31:30 AM

popping up behind Moe's left shoulder when Moe says "Well, you just hired yourself three good men!" -- is that Chet's brother Ed

I don't know. Email forwarded this question to some L&H/Roach players experts.

Ed Brandenburg in DOUBLE WHOOPEE (1929) from LordHeath.com...

Is this Ed Brandenburg, over Moe's left shoulder?...

GreenCanaries · **Reply #21 on:** March 25, 2015, 11:49:45 AM

I sorta used this photo from his FindAGrave page as a sort-of base point.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=85354243&PIpi=73845131

BeAStooge · **Reply #22 on:** March 25, 2015, 05:42:56 PM

Quote from: BeAStooge on March 25, 2015, 11:42:48 AM

Email forwarded this question to some L&H/Roach players experts.

That email created a flurry of activity, with valuable information from Dick Bann, David Lord Heath and Randy Skretvedt.

The LordHeath.com image posted above IS NOT Ed Brandenburg, and David Heath is making the appropriate updates.
The photo from FindaGrave IS Ed Brandenburg, originated from a Brandenburg family member, and has been further confirmed as him.
Based on the FindaGrave image, we believe it is indeed Ed Brandenburg, standing behind Moe in HOW HIGH IS UP? Adding the new information to Ed's page at TS.net.

Thank you for the information.

Woe-ee-Woe-Woe80 · **Reply #23 on:** December 09, 2017, 10:31:17 PM

One of my favorite stooge shorts, the boys (especially Moe & Curly) give out great performances and it has one great scene after another, I loved Moe's "Groundhog" line, Curly being startled by them working on the 97th floor and Curly eating the rivet! I also loved the hot rivet going down Vernon Dent's shirt!

One of the stooges best shorts that I give a 10/10, the stooges were definitely in their prime with this short!

Dr. Mabuse · **Reply #24 on:** April 13, 2020, 08:15:31 PM

The boys are on a roll here. Another solid Del Lord outing in which Moe, Larry and Curly surpass Harold Lloyd in terms of skyscraper heights. Riveting stuff.

Classic Vernon Dent dialogue: "Well, it looks like good solid construction."

8/10