In the Sweet Pie and Pie (1941)

metaldams · **on:** May 30, 2014, 10:05:52 PM

http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/58
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033755/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

I could write a real simple review by stating the greatness in this short lies in the pie fight. Period. However, I'll explain further.

The opening scene itself is not bad, but a little far fetched. OK, I'm not supposed to mistake The Three Stooges as rocket scientists, but they had no question in their minds as to why three attractive strangers would want to marry them less than twenty four hours before they were to be hanged. OK. Hey, at least we get a mini saw battle between Moe and Curly, and Larry is always fun to watch as the spectator.

The gallows humor (cough) scene would have been great if it weren't for that blasted cut away when the boys fall as they are about to be hanged. I realize the Stooges are not stunt comedians like St. Buster or St. Harold, but if you're going to write in a gag, at least do something that can be shown. Well, I suppose they do I the bunk bed scene, but we have an obvious stunt double for Curly and another awkward edit that ruins the fun of the gag for me. The boys have always done close up slap and gouge comedy as well as fun bits like shaving the ice and the sweater gag better than these stunts.

Also, we have dance routine from HOI POLLOI, the most extensive use of stock footage yet. Foreshadowing, no doubt.

But everything I said above, discard it, because we have a pie fight for the ages. Symona Boniface relishes her role with glee. Moe is hysterical trying to be the dignified one at first. Curly is his normal hyperactive self and perfectly tailored for such mayhem. I laugh every time I hear his, "Hey, what's the idea?" in the background when Eddie Laughton is telling his stories. Speaking of Eddie Laughton, he's never been better. Larry in the knight's armor laughing before taking the pie is awesome.

It's all about the pie fight for me.

8/10

Shemp_Diesel · **Reply #1 on:** May 30, 2014, 11:36:18 PM

The pie fight is awesome--technically, the first real stooges pie fight and the best one no doubt. How in the hell did Larry get in that suit of armor and back into his tux only seconds later (lol)? So many great moments from the pie fight, like Vernon's "as a rule parties generally bore me, but I know I'll get a bang out of this." *SPLAT*

Or how about Moe's "Stop, stop--love thy neighbor."

Of course, I love the whole short, not just the pies. The opening section with the boys in jail is a winner, especially the saw battle and honeymoon kiss. Or how about when the boys get out of jail and find their new brides (That's just to show you who's going to be boss).

I like this short so much, that even the pirated footage from Hoi Polloi doesn't bother me. If you're going to reuse some footage, that is some funny stuff to recycle.

Overall, this is another 10/10 and in my Top 5 for Curly episodes....

Big Chief Apumtagribonitz · **Reply #2 on:** May 31, 2014, 02:01:37 PM

I'm a big fan of pie fights. I'm a HUGE fan of pie fights. I'm the best friend The Soupy Sales Show ever had. I got pied once at work and no one laughed harder than me, and they were roaring. ( Ever been pied? It's a disorienting experience. ) That said, I'd like to throw open the question: why is this pie fight so much funnier than any other pie fight ever? I have a few thoughts of my own, none particularly brilliant, but I'd welcome a bit of input first.

Shemp_Diesel · **Reply #3 on:** May 31, 2014, 02:16:53 PM

Why is this the best stooges pie fight, hmmm.... Well, if I had to conjecture, I would say it's because we have the benefits of three hale & hearty stooges present. I don't think I need to go into too much detail about why the pie fight from Half-Wits Holiday falls short of the mark.

And Pest Man Wins could have been a contender for greatest pie fight had Jules White not reused so many stock footage clips from "Sweet Pie and Pie" and "Holiday". I find myself wanting a little more Shemp and less stock footage from that particular pie throwing battle.

And do I really have to mention Pies and Guys....

Paul Pain · **Reply #4 on:** May 31, 2014, 02:33:26 PM

We approach the end of the Stooges great run of 34-41 with this short. After LOCO BOY MAKES GOOD, we get a bunch of duds before another brief run that ends with Curly's illness.

The jail scene is a comedic classic, complete with a saw battle between Moe and Curly. We also see the debut of the jailbreak routine, bashing one's head for an idea, and pie fights in this short.

Overall the plot of the short is farfetched, but isn't that what makes the Stooges great?

10/10 I will wait to see what others say and just enjoy the discussion of this one. Unlike most of the previous shorts, this one is better conversed than soloed.

metaldams · **Reply #5 on:** May 31, 2014, 03:44:53 PM

Why is this one of the better pie fights? Well, other than the editing and array of pies, it's really the array of characters. Obviously there are the Stooges themselves, but Moe acting so dignified at first before the butler trips and lands the cake on him is so unusual and hysterical in itself. Vernon Dent as the senator gets a great shot, and Etherelda Leopold's endearingly badly acted, "Oh Senator" line before she takes a pie in the face and lets out a scream is quite awesome. There's Symona acting with almost sadistic joy as she's flinging pies, Eddie Laughton keeping up his tall tales in a straight manner as pie mayhem is all around, and of course Larry in the suit. Throw Curly in the mix, and you have a ton of great personalities in this pie fight instead of a bunch of random faces.

Definitely one of the great pie fights ever, certainly the best Stooge one, and only Laurel and Hardy's THE BATTLE OF THE CENTURY being in the same league overall in my view (Stooges win on character, Laurel and Hardy on mayhem, which is ironic when you consider how critics generally view the two teams).

Start around 6:50.

metaldams · **Reply #6 on:** May 31, 2014, 04:33:13 PM

Quote from: PaulPayne on May 31, 2014, 02:33:26 PM

We approach the end of the Stooges great run of 34-41 with this short. After LOCO BOY MAKES GOOD, we get a bunch of duds before another brief run that ends with Curly's illness.

I tend to start the ultimate classic run at OILY TO BED, OILY TO RISE; but even though I can't pinpoint the exact short where it ends, I agree, the end is coming soon. From 1942 on, it's a combination of WWII, the first slow signs of Curly's illness, and just not as consistent in the inspiration department. There are some great Curly shorts to follow, they just don't pile on top of each other like they do from 1939 - 1941.

Really, the combination of Shemp and Edward Bernds is the next combo of consistent Stooge greatness.

Big Chief Apumtagribonitz · **Reply #7 on:** May 31, 2014, 05:49:31 PM

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.

metaldams · **Reply #8 on:** May 31, 2014, 08:29:33 PM

If anyone's interested in seeing where the gallows scene originated from, complete with crowd, skip to about 9:45 or so. Buster Keaton's CONVICT 13, and in this case, I like the original better.

Big Chief Apumtagribonitz · **Reply #9 on:** May 31, 2014, 09:24:41 PM

Never seen that before, thanks. To me, the best part of the stooges' gallows scene was, after the collapse, Moe's disgusted throw-away line "what kind of a hangin' is this?"

Shemp_Diesel · **Reply #10 on:** June 01, 2014, 08:58:48 AM

Unless I'm mistaken, this was Richard Fiske's last stooge short before he was killed during the 2nd World War. Always enjoyed his line "happy honeymoon, gentlemen" after Moe and Curly kiss.

Lefty · **Reply #11 on:** June 01, 2014, 10:20:05 AM

I'm in the majority here, as I consider this a top short and the best pie fight of all time in Stooges' history. Considering how much enjoyment Symona Boniface got out of it, I wonder if she was doing any ad-libbing. Eddie Laughton (no relation to Scott of the Flyers) did a great job in his part. It would have been interesting had he been hit in the mouth with a pie if he would have continued his story.

And let's not forget the three convenient locations for Edam Neckties -- Scagway Alaska; Little America, Antarctica; and Pago Pago, American Samoa.

This was Richard Fiske's last appearance in a Stooges short before his tragic death; he was in 4 other things in between.

Kopfy2013 · **Reply #12 on:** June 01, 2014, 01:18:01 PM

Metal: Thanks for the clips ...

I do not know how I cannot give this short a 10. To me there was nothing hilarious that created belly laughs but a lot of smiles were created.

I thought the story line was good - It's 3 Stooges not a drama piece. Everything was perfect - the filming where you get a shot of the 3 Stooges from a newspaper and it flows into them in jail.... Seeing them in tuxes and the camera pulls away to show them in underwear etc., the hanging scene - selling programs...

One liners were great ... Fantastic pie fight .... Timing good on slapstick.

Other highlights - women slap the stooges but the stooges stand up to them and flip them ... Moe being the dignified one in the pie fight ...

The whole short was great... the dancing scene is fantastic too, however I do not like stock footage being used ... that drags it down ==== but if you are going to use stock footage that is a scene you can re-use.

It is a 10.

JazzBill · **Reply #13 on:** June 01, 2014, 06:39:37 PM

Nice tie in with the clips Metal. I never saw them before either. This is another home run in my opinion. Once again a good script, excellent co stars and the boy's in top form. I like it when high society drops down to stooge level. I rate this short a 9 1/2.

Allen Champion · **Reply #14 on:** June 02, 2014, 10:42:47 PM

I can't decide if this or MICRO-PHONIES is the greatest Stooges short. I guess I'll pick PIE AND PIE, because it features Curly in top form. Too bad they couldn't have inserted his pie footage into HALF WIT'S HOLIDAY, but I guess he couldn't match the old footage any more. So yes, I've decided, IMHO the greatest Stooges short is BRIDELESS GROOM. So I guess this is the greatest Curly short. Unless its MICRO-PHONIES.

JWF · **Reply #15 on:** June 03, 2014, 08:24:42 PM

My favorite thing is this short in 3 words: "Senator Vernon Dent"

Also, this contains some great dialogue:

Symonia Boniface: "I hear you've traveled a lot. Are you familiar with the Great Wall of China?"
Curly: "No, but I but I know a big fence in Chicago!"

Kopfy2013 · **Reply #16 on:** June 04, 2014, 01:11:26 AM

Great one JWF. I try to use that line when people talk about their travels

metaldams · **Reply #17 on:** June 21, 2014, 11:09:52 AM

The whole idea of a woman needing to be married within twenty four hours (in this case, to be Queen of her country), so she chooses someone about to be hanged in less than twenty four hours only for the hanged man to be pardoned was previously in Charley Chases's LONG FLIV THE KING. I am watching it now, though I'm having trouble locating a YouTube clip for you guys.

Dr. Hugo Gansamacher · **Reply #18 on:** December 25, 2014, 09:03:05 PM

I have nothing to add to the praises of the pie fight and of Eddie Laughton's tale of his African adventures, but I do wish to draw attention to a moment of uncharacteristically understated comedy in this short. After the Stooges have destroyed the beds in their new home in their attempt to make it more like the prison existence to which they are accustomed, Moe is awakened by a telephone call and then tries to rouse the other two. Curly opens his eyes and instantly starts jabbering: "I didn't do it, warden, honestly I didn't . . . !" Usually even the throw-away gags in the Stooge shorts are clearly marked as gags, but this one is so subtle that one can easily miss it. Apparently Curly got so habituated to protesting his innocence while in prison that the habit kicks into action the moment he is woken up by someone!

TiskaTaskaBaska · **Reply #19 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:53:26 AM

Absolutely without a doubt no holds barred the BEST pastry fight in history. Every time I throw something, I aspire to this level of mayhem. That first pie in Eddie Laughton's safari story is epic; it hits so hard you can hear the pastry bits hitting the wall after the initial smack. The old bag getting hit with the pie is just bombastic; I wonder if they felt bad doing this? Also, I must point out that the dress the older woman is wearing is the same dress that Symona Boniface is wearing in Loco Boy Makes Good, when she does her wild dance. Being a girl, I clue in on this kind of stuff.

I do have issues with this one; Dorothy Appleby's stupid accent: "baaaaaahths". Yick. And seriously; the inmates watching a hanging? What a great incentive against crime. But there is so much awesomeness. The whole saw fight is probably a one-take thing but its pace, movements, dialog are just perfect. I love the guy with the hair net clearly stunt-doubling for Curly climbing his pile of furniture. I love the "can I reach him?" from Moe wanting to beat Curly's face after the bed cave-in. "Smell good on the inside too; ain't you the one?" is just legendary; even time I rinse with mouthwash I say this. Even the cut-in dancing lesson I can forgive because it's pure gold. How the hell did Larry get into the armor? Curly's cuff falling into the punchbowl. "Fahncy that!" "No, YOU fahncy that!"

Also, this was Richard Fiske's last short before he was killed in WWII, right? He was always awesome, but for this his last hurrah he looked just gorgeous and tall and all legs in his double-breasted suit. My hero; our hero.

I do wonder if the marriages lasted.

GreenCanaries · **Reply #20 on:** April 29, 2015, 04:29:46 PM

I think Neal Burns appears as a convict in the bleachers: he is giving the coin to the vendor (Lynton Brent) in the first shot, and he is in the front row in preceding shots, next to Lew Davis.

Also, Charlie Phillips and I think Sam Lufkin are the guards behind the boys at the hanging.

Paul Pain · **Reply #21 on:** November 03, 2015, 02:59:57 PM

I can now share that Moe's line: "I am... the SHADOW" during the hanging scene is a reference to a Columbia pictures movie released in 1940 about the titular character "The Shadow."

Big Chief Apumtagribonitz · **Reply #22 on:** November 03, 2015, 04:07:03 PM

Also a popular radio mystery serial of that day.

Dr. Mabuse · **Reply #23 on:** January 19, 2020, 07:21:32 PM

I wish I could give "In the Sweet Pie and Pie" a solid 10, but I agree with metaldams. The clumsy stunt doubling for Curly does bother me and there was no need for the "Hoi Polloi" stock footage (the short was long enough already).

This brings up an issue regarding Jules White's early penchant for stock footage. It's one thing for Jules to recycle footage from a short he directed (such as in "Dizzy Pilots"), but to lift a scene from a Del Lord effort (and not give him credit) is really tacky. Famous Studios pulled this crap all the time in the late 1940s and early '50s by cannibalizing the Max Fleischer Technicolor two-reelers for their Popeye "cheaters."

Another problem lies in the time span. When Jules utilized a "Dizzy Doctors" excerpt in "From Nurse to Worse," the footage was only three years old and it matched well. However, "Hoi Polloi" was filmed in 1935 and the six-year difference was painfully obvious. The same goes for the "Pardon My Scotch" scene Jules added to "Dizzy Detectives."

There were no budget cuts in the early 1940s, which makes it regrettable that Jules recycled footage when it wasn't necessary. It's interesting to note that, with the exception of the closing scene in "A Ducking They Did Go," Del never used stock footage in his Stooge two-reelers.

Happily, the prison scenes and iconic pie fight easily redeem these few missteps.

8.5/10

metaldams · **Reply #24 on:** January 19, 2020, 07:52:10 PM

Quote from: Dr. Mabuse on January 19, 2020, 07:21:32 PM

I wish I could give "In the Sweet Pie and Pie" a solid 10, but I agree with metaldams. The clumsy stunt doubling for Curly does bother me and there was no need for the "Hoi Polloi" stock footage (the short was long enough already).

This brings up an issue regarding Jules White's penchant for stock footage. It's one thing for Jules to recycle footage from a short he directed (such as in "Dizzy Pilots"), but to lift a scene from a Del Lord effort (and not give him proper credit) is really tacky. Famous Studios pulled this crap all the time in the late 1940s and early '50s by cannibalizing the Max Fleischer Technicolor two-reelers for their Popeye "cheaters."

Another problem lies in the time span. When Jules utilized a brief "Dizzy Doctors" excerpt in "From Nurse to Worse," the footage was only three years old and it matched well. However, "Hoi Polloi" was filmed in 1935 and the six-year difference was painfully obvious. The same goes for the "Pardon My Scotch" scene Jules added to "Dizzy Detectives."

There were no budget cuts in the early 1940s, which makes it regrettable that Jules recycled footage when it really wasn't necessary. It's interesting to note that, with the possible exception of Buster Keaton's "So You Won't Squawk" and the closing scene in "A Ducking They Did Go," Del never used stock footage in his two-reelers.

Happily, the prison scenes and iconic pie fight easily redeem these few missteps.

8/10

I believe Edward Bernds did comment at one point about not being credited for his work in the stock footage Shemp shorts. You do make a very valid point.

While I stand by every point I make in my original review, I was too rough in stating it’s all about the pie fight. The bathroom stuff, in addition to the prison slapstick is quite funny and in spite of script absurdity, that’s quite an entertaining female trio there. The stuff at the party just before the first pie is thrown is good too. I think the standard from 1941 is so high that any thing that’s not perfect is going to get magnified more than other eras.

But yeah, the dummies didn’t work here, the Hoi Polloi footage, while funny, is unnecessary. You’re right about the age difference with footage too, which only got worse over the years.

In the Sweet Pie and Pie (1941)

TiskaTaskaBaska