Thanks for the input. That's pretty much what I was going to say, though I wasn't referring particularly to the other stooge shorts, since they are all basically highlight reels of this one. I was thinking particularly of The Great Race, which had a majorly hyped all-star pie fight, which was as funny as watching paint dry, then The Battle of the Century, then every other pie fight that any of us have ever seen, movies or TV. Here are my ideas, again not terribly brilliant:
1.) Each pie has a little story to it. The senator, the sleeping guy, Larry in the armor ( the faceplate slamming shut is so perfect it's almost as funny as the pie ) and, of course, Eddie Laughton. If there was an Oscar for a less-than-thirty-second appearance, he'd own it.
2.) Sound. This is obviously an advantage that this one has over Battle, but in addition, these pies seem to hit with an explosion which, combined with the squareness of the hits, is funny in itself. A real pie-in-the-face is silent. ( Trust me on this.) You'd never know it from this bit. These pies are LOUD.
3.) Symona.