Topic: Booby Dupes (1945)

[metaldams]

http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/84
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037550/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

      I'm going to get an early start this week, as I have Black Friday off from work.  .

     BOOBY DUPES will go down as the last Del Lord directed Curly short and he only has one more short left with Shemp, but that's not for another few years.  From this point forward, the Hugh McCollum unit of the shorts department will belong to some young guy named Edward Bernds.  I have to say, even though the later Del Lord shorts are not up to his own incredibly high standards, he ends his Curly run here on a pretty good note, as I do enjoy this short.

      Like a few other Stooge films, including the short we'll be discussing in two weeks, BOOBY DUPES takes some ideas from a Laurel and Hardy film, in this case the classic TOWED IN A HOLE.  The ideas are the fresh fish sales pitch and the idea of purchasing a boat and fixing it up.  Naturally, Stan and Ollie get a chance to milk the fixing the boat gag at a much slower pace than The Three Stooges, while Moe, Larry, and Curly go for the quick, fast paced knocks.  I appreciate both styles, though I have to admit Stan and Ollie's interpretation stands out much more in their filmography as special than the Stooge interpretation, which feels like standard Stooge fare, but hey, I like standard Stooge fare.

      My favorite part of this film, however, is when they are actually in the water.  This part has a beautifully bizzare, low budget feel to it.  I love that fake looking fish that shoots water into Curly's face, and at one point, Curly does this gurgling noise that never fails to crack me up.  Also, dig Curly's energy in this scene, two shorts later and this kind of performance would be unthinkable out of him.  There's also Larry's out the blue "shut up" to Moe, one of those wonderful Larry moments that seem so random yet is perfect.

      What else works?  Well, I love Moe's mock nyuking towards Curly at the beginning before he demolishes Curly with the records (folks, you can't do slapstick with digital streaming and MP3's, another argument for physical product), and then there's that funny little rhythmic sequence they do at the beginning.  Funny how bass and head don't rhyme.  God bless the Production Code.  Oh yeah, Rebel Randall is in this short too, and even though she appears in a couple of  Shemp solo shorts as well this short, this is her only appearance with The Three Stooges and ummmmm....ye-ah, that about covers it. I need a cigarette, and I don't even smoke.

9/10

[Shemp_Diesel]

Yeah, Rebel Randall--I think we have a new champion as far as "greatest outfit" worn in a stooge short. That blonde that was with her wasn't bad either (yowsers).

All that aside, I agree--Del Lord went out on a high note. Curly sounds a bit rough at the beginning when he's yelling fish, but that's only a minor quibble. He has all his energy & I liked "keep those records quiet" as well as the little fish song they break out.

The middle part is great too, with Larry and Moe ending up in garbage cans and Curly's trip to the beach. The only place where this short starts to fall off for me is when they are on the boat--in spite of Larry's awesome "Shut up."

Overall, I rate it an 8 out of 10.... (Farewell Del)...

[JazzBill]

I like this short a lot, Moe cracking records over Curlys head. Vernon Dent with Curlys pants up to his knees. Curly holding the skeleton fish, Curly letting the water out of the boat with the hand drill all made me laugh. Curly seems to be his old self in this short. I wonder where the boat scene was filmed? I rate this short a strong 8.

[metaldams]

I like this short a lot, Moe cracking records over Curlys head. Vernon Dent with Curlys pants up to his knees. Curly holding the skeleton fish, Curly letting the water out of the boat with the hand drill all made me laugh. Curly seems to be his old self in this short. I wonder where the boat scene was filmed? I rate this short a strong 8.

Oh yeah, Vernon Dent in those short pants absolutely rules!

[metaldams]

Doing some Rebel Randall research, she also appears in some Vera Vague, Harry Langdon, Hugh Herbert, and Schilling and Lane shorts, and she's also a basketball player in Abbott and Costello's HERE COME THE CO-EDS, so be on the lookout in the latter if you have a copy.  I agree with Shemp_Diesel with the greatest outfit award going to Rebel Randall and her blonde friend.  Del Lord probably wanted to go out in style before his Stooge sabbatical.

[Lefty]

This is a very good short.  One of my favorite parts is with the Stooges as fish salesman.  Listing the fish, as they did in "Cookoo Cavaliers" (paging LeBron James), and "If we had a boat, and the middle man, and the fish on the left side, ..." were classic, along with "Hey, Harry James."  And I enjoyed the scenes in the boat.  Making another hole to let the water out reminds me of the dredging that's been going on in the Delaware River by Trenton -- which if it leads to less flooding in the area is okay by me.  As for Rebel Randall's look, as Howard Cosell would have said, "Not too shabby."

[Paul Pain]

There is something particularly pleasant about this short, between Moe and the records, Curly and the boat, and the immortal record player.  It's the full package WWII short that reflects on the then-current American culture in a realistic way.

[metaldams]

There is something particularly pleasant about this short, between Moe and the records, Curly and the boat, and the immortal record player.  It's the full package WWII short that reflects on the then-current American culture in a realistic way.

Record players, jazz music, live action pin up girls, pilots thinking they're bombing the Japanese, selling food on the streets, yeah, you're right, this is a great capsule of WWII American culture.  By the way, I believe this is the last short to blatantly reference the war as it's happening, though you can find another reference in a short, filmed during the war and released after, if you read between the lines.  We'll get to that later, but this is the last blatant reference I can think of.

[Big Chief Apumtagribonitz]

Obviously I don't know where, as far as geography is concerned, but the fishing scene was for sure filmed in a studio tank.  The acoustics alone give that away.

[Big Chief Apumtagribonitz]

Incidentally, I miss Dr. Gansamacher, and I feel bad because he evidently got unofficially banished for defending one of my posts.  He's long winded, but as far as I can tell, that's his only flaw.  He made many good and amusing points, and I hope he comes back.  My time is not so valuable that I don't want to spend some of it reading his polysyllabic postulations.

[Big Chief Apumtagribonitz]

And, to risk being accused of being long-winded myself, I mentioned a couple of weeks ago in Idle Roomers that the foot-twist lasted way too long to be funny.  The umbrella-stab in this one is in the same category: both bits go on so long that they border on torture.  This becomes more of a problem as time goes on, sometimes becoming nightmarish.

[Paul Pain]

Incidentally, I miss Dr. Gansamacher, and I feel bad because he evidently got unofficially banished for defending one of my posts.  He's long winded, but as far as I can tell, that's his only flaw.  He made many good and amusing points, and I hope he comes back.  My time is not so valuable that I don't want to spend some of it reading his polysyllabic postulations.

I second this great motion!  Bring back Dr. Hugo!

[metaldams]

Incidentally, I miss Dr. Gansamacher, and I feel bad because he evidently got unofficially banished for defending one of my posts.  He's long winded, but as far as I can tell, that's his only flaw.  He made many good and amusing points, and I hope he comes back.  My time is not so valuable that I don't want to spend some of it reading his polysyllabic postulations.

I'll private message him, though it's his decision ultimately to come back.  For the record, I never had a problem with the guy and feel the same way.  He did add value to these reviews.  Just to add irony, I was literally thinking how his posts are missed last night, so interesting timing with your post, and also, don't feel bad, none of that was your fault.

[ThumpTheShoes]

And, to risk being accused of being long-winded myself, I mentioned a couple of weeks ago in Idle Roomers that the foot-twist lasted way too long to be funny.  The umbrella-stab in this one is in the same category: both bits go on so long that they border on torture.  This becomes more of a problem as time goes on, sometimes becoming nightmarish.

Hmm.. Mike Myers refers to extended jokes like that one as "comedy torture". Perfectly accurate, but keep in mind that tastes may vary with different sized viewing groups.

As an example, I always thought that the pie fight scenes went on a bit too long, no matter what short they appeared in. Funny? Sure, but in pictures like Half-Wits' Holiday where we've seen it before, we've really seen it all before! Those of us who pay attention, certainly. Or, maybe we're just not in the right frame of mind?  I've seen Pop Goes the Easel, Slippery Silks, and the aforementioned Holiday with an audience and the pie fights are real crowd pleasers! You'd think folks would get tired of the same "smack!" but it just goes on and the folks just love it! Watching on tv at home I find I rarely laugh out loud or give any kind of meaningful, physical response to films like these. I enjoy them immensely, but I find that it takes at least one other person in the room to get the responses happening. Watching comedy like this with others, I find I tend to pay attention to how the other viewers are responding (even if it is a new, unfamiliar film) and it makes for a different experience. Even if I've seen Larry get stuck with the pen in Heavenly Daze 500 times (and I, likely, have!) I react differently and find myself more engaged, paying more attention and responding to watching it happen with someone else.

Group mentality? Shared psychosis? Maybe there's more to the notion that humans are pack animals than we really know or understand?

To go further off the mark (while jumping way ahead), similarly, in a later short (Fuelin' Around) we see Shemp getting stretched like one of those Mr. Muscle putty dolls. That's the same deal, where the something that would, in real life, be so painful to watch, but it just keeps happening.. Watch it with a large group, or even a smallish group of kids, and they love it.

Remember, too, that we take some of the reaction shots a little for granted. Why? We only see Curly react to something like having his foot twisted an a relatively small screen. Imagine those closeups and his facial contortions more than 12 feet high and wide! I guess any formula to prove this would have to account for how much bombardment the average person's senses can handle in relation to the duration of audio-visual stimulus, correlated with the size and magnitude of the screen and sound reproduction system. In short, how much is too much Curly?

Keeping stuff like this in mind, It is all quite fascinating to think how filmmakers can manipulate audiences with something as basic as pictures and sound.

[metaldams]

Hmm.. Mike Myers refers to extended jokes like that one as "comedy torture". Perfectly accurate, but keep in mind that tastes may vary with different sized viewing groups.

As an example, I always thought that the pie fight scenes went on a bit too long, no matter what short they appeared in. Funny? Sure, but in pictures like Half-Wits' Holiday where we've seen it before, we've really seen it all before! Those of us who pay attention, certainly. Or, maybe we're just not in the right frame of mind?  I've seen Pop Goes the Easel, Slippery Silks, and the aforementioned Holiday with an audience and the pie fights are real crowd pleasers! You'd think folks would get tired of the same "smack!" but it just goes on and the folks just love it! Watching on tv at home I find I rarely laugh out loud or give any kind of meaningful, physical response to films like these. I enjoy them immensely, but I find that it takes at least one other person in the room to get the responses happening. Watching comedy like this with others, I find I tend to pay attention to how the other viewers are responding (even if it is a new, unfamiliar film) and it makes for a different experience. Even if I've seen Larry get stuck with the pen in Heavenly Daze 500 times (and I, likely, have!) I react differently and find myself more engaged, paying more attention and responding to watching it happen with someone else.

Group mentality? Shared psychosis? Maybe there's more to the notion that humans are pack animals than we really know or understand?

To go further off the mark (while jumping way ahead), similarly, in a later short (Fuelin' Around) we see Shemp getting stretched like one of those Mr. Muscle putty dolls. That's the same deal, where the something that would, in real life, be so painful to watch, but it just keeps happening.. Watch it with a large group, or even a smallish group of kids, and they love it.

Remember, too, that we take some of the reaction shots a little for granted. Why? We only see Curly react to something like having his foot twisted an a relatively small screen. Imagine those closeups and his facial contortions more than 12 feet high and wide! I guess any formula to prove this would have to account for how much bombardment the average person's senses can handle in relation to the duration of audio-visual stimulus, correlated with the size and magnitude of the screen and sound reproduction system. In short, how much is too much Curly?

Keeping stuff like this in mind, It is all quite fascinating to think how filmmakers can manipulate audiences with something as basic as pictures and sound.

      I will also add to this that I have watched films that I truly enjoy with people who do not end up appreciating it, and it sucks the enjoyment out of me!  It really works both ways, and it is a strange phenomena.  Great post.

     

[ThumpTheShoes]

      I will also add to this that I have watched films that I truly enjoy with people who do not end up appreciating it, and it sucks the enjoyment out of me!  It really works both ways, and it is a strange phenomena.  Great post.

I, too, have encountered such negativity while attempting to introduce various people to shows like Fawlty Towers, The Bill Cosby Show^†, Are You Being Served?, Get a Life! and even M*A*S*H (without the laugh track, anyway). Always a nice feeling when you think folks are gonna react a certain way but the material just falls flat for them. Even better is the solemn silence during a comedy, when even the crickets stop chirping. Just leaves me shaking my head in disbelief, like when so many people walked out on Spaceballs on opening night years ago. Only 3 of us were left in the theatre and, frankly, I enjoyed the hell out of the picture!

I know people, as well, who don't like Gilligan! Philistines!



^†I know, but I still like the show and I think it was extremely intelligent and well-intentioned, despite the nastiness that is buzzing about.

[Larrys#1]

I'm glad to see the positive reviews here because to my surprise, there are quite a bit of people that consider this as one of the weaker episodes. I actually like this one. I know Curly's health was beginning to decline here and it's evident in his voice as it seems to be lower pitched than normal. But he still manages to deliver a very energetic performance and his speech hasn't been affected yet. I know the jealous boyfriend scene is sort of like a filler and not essential to the plot, but it's still a very funny scene to watch. The whole scene with the stooges repairing the boat is hilarious especially when Curly and Larry nail the wood on the bottom of the boat while Moe is sitting. This is one of Moe's hilarious moments when he reacts to the nails being nailed in him. And the part where Curly and Larry slice up Moe's pants when they check the motor was another funny part. Though I think they overdid it a bit as there was a whole mess of clothing material flying around. That's really a lot of clothing especially since it only chopped off the rear end part of his pants, but I think this was done on purpose to add to the humor and in my opinion, it works.

And my favorite part was the fishing scene. Curly delivers one of his finest performance here and since his health was starting to be on the decline, I give him a lot of credit here.

9.5/10

[Dr. Hugo Gansamacher]

I don't think anyone has mentioned the moment in this short that unfailingly makes me laugh out loud. It happens after Curly has made use of naval captain Vernon Dent's uniform to accost a couple of beauties. Moe and Larry, also in stolen naval uniforms (is it unlawful to impersonate an officer if you are not in the armed services at all?), happen by and, after initially mistaking Curly for a real officer, start giving him some Stooge discipline. The two girls immediately come to Curly's defense: "Why, you bullies!" says one of them, as she and her companion give the two aggressors an underhand fist-swing to the belly. The impact produces the usual drum noise, but this time, Moe and Larry instantly shoot backwards out of the frame as if jerked on cords (which is presumably what was actually done). The effect is so sudden, so exaggerated, and so ridiculous, that I have to watch it repeatedly any time I am watching this short. I think it is also unique in the shorts, as I don't know of another case in which a fist to the belly causes the victim to shoot backwards. Anyway, it always makes me laugh.

Just to add irony, I was literally thinking how his posts are missed last night

That's a coincidence!  Thanks for the recognition, all. (Metaldams wrote to me last week and a few days later I jumped into the thread on Idiots Deluxe.)

[Kopfy2013]

Interesting points of note for me:

Moe making fun of Curly's nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.

I thought that Moe yelling to the plane saying they were the stooges was interesting so they would not get shot.

"What beautiful head of bone you have"

4 bathing beauties.  Incidentally Rebel Randall is hot. But check out this interview they had with her. She must have been losing it.

http://www.westernclippings.com/interview/rebelrandall_interview.shtml

I give this short a seven

[Shemp_Diesel]

One thing about this short that's always puzzled me--maybe someone here can clue me in: Why does Moe get mad at Curly when he goes "bass" at the end of their little fish song?

Just one of many things that have puzzled me over the years.   

[TiskaTaskaBaska]

How does Vernon keep getting such hot women?

I do like when Curly says, "Bass"; Moe's next line intimates that we was going to say "ass" but doesn't.

I love that this is one of the few times that Moe actually identifies them as the Stooges.

Otherwise, I haven't watched this one a billion times like the earlier ones. I don't jump this one, but it's not the best. I give it a 6.5, because Curly is still mostly full-strength.

[Curly Van Dyke]

I watched this short followed by Idiots DeLuxe. Curly is his Old Self in Booby,but seems a tad off in Idiots.
He's still very funny but his face looks a bit haggard and his voice is starting to get deeper.
He also seems a bit sluggish compared to his energy level in Booby.
I also like Larry's attempt to Boss Curly at the cabin and getting a Shovel off the head for his efforts.

[Woe-ee-Woe-Woe80]

Great later Curly short and the final short Del Lord directed with Curly, I've thought this was Del Lord's best short he directed since "Higher Than A Kite", Curly seems to be a tad off in the scene where the stooges were in a car but he seems to show more energy in the rest of the short, I absolutely love it when Larry tells Moe to shut up followed by Moe asking Larry if he was talking to him, Larry claims he was talking to the fish and Moe slaps Larry before telling him does he look like a sucker! The scenes where the stooges were on the boat were hilarious along with the scenes where they were buying a boat from a dishonest salesman, Curly's beach scene was still good although it did seem like a filler scene to me.

I give this short a 9/10 and there won't be too many classic/near classic Curly shorts left after this one.

[Dr. Mabuse]

The last short with Curly at full strength and Del Lord's penultimate Stooge outing. Apart from the shoehorned beach scene, "Booby Dupes" is great fun and criminally underrated. In retrospect, it feels like the end of an era.

8/10

[Woe-ee-Woe-Woe80]

The last short with Curly at full strength and Del Lord's penultimate Stooge outing. Apart from the shoehorned beach scene, "Booby Dupes" is great fun and criminally underrated. In retrospect, it feels like the end of an era. Anyone notice the glaring production flaw at the 7-minute mark?

8/10

I thought Curly struggled a bit in the beach scenes but was in top form in the rest of the film, agreed it is a criminally underrated stooge short and it was the last short prior to the Greco-Roman comic mask of the Muse Thalia intros which made this short feel like it was the end of the era, I do find it interesting that "Idiots Deluxe" was filmed a little over a week later after this short and Curly looked sicker in that short than he did here.