Topic: Larry's Assertion

[Giff me dat fill-em!]

During the interview of Larry Fine, Larry asserts that "We never had an original set ... "if Columbia was shooting a western picture, we did western scenes, if they were  shooting a war picture, we did war scenes." Based upon this thought, can a correlation of Stooge shorts be drawn to mirror the production schedule and releases of Columbia pictures? Or was Larry exaggerating (or maybe just bragging)?

[Squirrelbait]

From what it sounds like, they would use the scenes from the bigger Columbia productions so they didn't go to waste.

One example that comes to me off the top of my head is the castle scene from their "Bandit Of Sherwood Forest" movie from 1946. It was used generously in Squareheads Of The Round Table, Fiddlers Three and The Hot Scots.

[metaldams]

It has nothing to do with set pieces, but if you check out my IDLE ROOMERS review, http://moronika.com/forums/index.php/topic,5366.0.html I draw some parallels to RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE, another Columbia film from the same time period.

Also, check out the poster of the now obscure THE MAN WHO RETURNED TO LIFE from THREE LITTLE TWIRPS. http://moronika.com/forums/index.php/topic,5324.0.html

...and Squirelbait is absolutely correct about THE BANDITS FROM SHEERWOOD FOREST.  Another example would be the train set in WOMAN HATERS is the same of an all-time favorite of mine, TWENTIETH CENTURY.

I have a feeling a lot of these sets are from obscure movies we'll never know about.

[Signor Spumoni]

Giff Me - - Was Larry correct or was he exaggerating?  I noticed in the book, Stooges Among Us, that Larry said they did ad-lib and said that they did not.  I think some of Larry's answers depend on when he was asked and his health at that time, and also the effects of aging.  Memories are not static for anyone.  That's one reason eyewitness accounts of crimes are suspect.  Memories are also able to be influenced by suggestion and life experiences, among other things.  So maybe in both cases, whether talking about sets or about ad-libbing, Larry gave his best recollection at that moment.  Also, consider that the Stooges didn't try to memorize every iota of information about each short anymore than anyone does that when working. 

Metaldams - - I just saw some movie where I heard commentary saying that the train set in the movie was the same one used in that Stooges short (I wasn't watching "Twentieth Century").  I wish I could remember what it was! 
Movie studios also rearranged and redecorated sets according to need, as you know.  That's how the "Petticoat Junction" train interior could also serve as the "Wild Wild West" train interior.  So maybe there are lots of movies where we've seen Stooges' sets but we just don't know it.  Sometimes I recognize costumes from one movie to another if the costumes are distinctive.