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Hokus Pokus (1949)

metaldams · 27 · 14265

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Offline metaldams

http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/115
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041471/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=q_HGwfi-sAo

Watch HOKUS POKUS in the link above



      For the 115th week in a row, I say hello, and welcome to Messterpiece Theater.  I am your host, Metaldams, who is now in the Guiness Book of World Records for most reviewed Stooge films from an Iron Maiden fan.  Quite an honorable distinction, so I say Up the Irons, thank you all for showing up again, and let's get on with the subject of this week's review - HOKUS POKUS.

       In short, I like this short (I accidentally used the word "short" in the same sentence with two different meanings, that rules).  Not really much to complain about.  The short starts off with a woman committing insurance fraud, and it's established she suckers The Three Stooges in to both be her witness and to do household chores for her that she's more than capable of doing.  Bad for the Stooges, but good for us, because it gives the boys an excuse to do these chores for several minutes!  This is what I like about the lower budget  Shemp stuff, just the boys in a room being themselves.  I say, without any irony, that these moments are one of the simple joys in my life.  Highlights from this barrage of Shemp era goodness?  Hmm, well, my favorite bit would have to be Shemp squirming on the ground as a fish, only to have Moe use a hook to pick him up by the mouth.  The shaving scene is also gold.  All three comics naturally work very well together shaving each other.  Normal people shave themselves, but not the Stooges.  Some excellent, avatar worthy close ups of Larry with shaving cream on his face worth mentioning.  Watching Moe throw tons of lard into a frying pan and using fried eggs as a weapon is always fun, and there's even a bit where Larry talks back to Moe, and Moe fails to get revenge.  A somewhat rare occurance.  Oh, and the table gag where the four legs don't cooperate?  Let's say that's a standard I enjoy more than the bird in the skull.
 
      But back to the shaving scene.  The boys work exceptionally well together, and there's a part of me that thinks years of working together (gotta throw Jules White as the George Martin into this equation as well, who directed the boys several time and is known for a hands on directing approach), really makes scenes like this come natural to those involved. 

       The rest of the short is not bad, even though the ending, while nicely bringing the plot to a close, is a tad anti climatic comically.  The whole "sing-sing" bit is wonderful, as is the bizarre visual of Larry as a cat and Shemp as a monkey fighting each other.  HOKUS POKUS also marks the interesting return of Mary Ainslee, who previously graced us in some early 40's shorts in tennis and roller skating nursing outfits and showed hints of talent, even if she didn't have much of a career.  Based on what research I've done, this was her first film in several years, and she'd only make one more film after this, which is HE COOKED HIS GOOSE, three years later.  When I say her only films, I'm not talking just Stooge related, I mean overall, at least based on info I can find.  Very unusual career path, but it's good to see her here.

9/10




- Doug Sarnecky


Offline metaldams

...forgot to mention the classic bit of Larry dumping the bowl of water onto his head from the kitchen shelf, wondering what imbecile left the water in there, only to realize he's the imbecile!  Going forward, Larry is really given more to do, always a good thing.
- Doug Sarnecky


Offline Shemp_Diesel

I've always thought of this as one of the more overlooked shorts--especially being in the shadow of Who Done It?; but I've always liked this one. A great episode and there are some little things that put me in stitches and there's the big moment where Shemp has his little smackdown with Vernon Dent.

I've said before, I have a hard time deciding between Shemp's shadowboxing dance from this short or the much later Corny Casanovas--in any event, both instances have to be considered some of Shemp's shining moments as a stooge.

Getting back to the little things--the whole scene with the stooges waking up and getting shaved and dressed. Moe gets a shaving brush in his mouth--always good for a laugh--and Shemp gets a bit ornery with Moe (take a powder, gowan) and doesn't get smacked for it. I also enjoyed Moe's line "Listen halibut, I'll filet you."

I'll just wrap this up by saying, this short is cool man, real george....

9 out of 10....

Talbot's body is the perfect home for the Monster's brain, which I will add to and subtract from in my experiments.


Offline metaldams

I've always thought of this as one of the more overlooked shorts--especially being in the shadow of Who Done It?; but I've always liked this one. A great episode and there are some little things that put me in stitches and there's the big moment where Shemp has his little smackdown with Vernon Dent.

I've said before, I have a hard time deciding between Shemp's shadowboxing dance from this short or the much later Corny Casanovas--in any event, both instances have to be considered some of Shemp's shining moments as a stooge.

Getting back to the little things--the whole scene with the stooges waking up and getting shaved and dressed. Moe gets a shaving brush in his mouth--always good for a laugh--and Shemp gets a bit ornery with Moe (take a powder, gowan) and doesn't get smacked for it. I also enjoyed Moe's line "Listen halibut, I'll filet you.

I'll just wrap this up by saying, this short is cool man, real george....

9 out of 10....

The boxing scene with Shemp and Vernon Dent is wonderful and I can't believe I failed to mention it, so thanks for doing so.  I was certainly laughing enough while watching it.
- Doug Sarnecky


Offline Paul Pain

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The first half of this short is straight-up typical Stooge stuff... not quite the bottle show stuff we'd get used to later, which is a shame when compared to the use of outdoor scenes in Curly shorts, but nevertheless we have some variety to this.  The opening scenes are quite humorous, particularly the above-praised shaving scene.  Particularly nice is Shemp getting to deliberately slam the hot towels into Larry and Moe's faces without them even realizing they got slapped with a towel.

Shemp's shadow boxing routines are always great, but I am surprised neither of you mentioned the scene from HOLD THAT LION!  We have classic Shemp here as well with the table and the resulting manchild temper tantrum he throws.  And of course cooking the breakfast.

Then comes the second half.  All goes well with the "Sing-Sing" bit until Svengarlic shows up.  From there it just gets worse and worse, particularly with the flagpole and the resulting ending.  It seems crummy for the Stooges to [unintentionally] expose Mary's fraud and end up being the ones knocked out.  In fact, the ending of FLAGPOLE JITTERS might be better...

Also, I would like to give a shoutout to Johnny Kascier (who shall be praised soon on this forum), because I never realized just how much he shows up in Stooges shorts, about 50 in fact!

8/10
#1 fire kibitzer


Offline Paul Pain

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And I throw out the name of Ned Glass, a name familiar to fans of GUNSMOKE.  While a small role here, I always like to give mention to those who have less fame, even when their role in the short is pathetic and sucky.
#1 fire kibitzer


Offline metaldams



Also, I would like to give a shoutout to Johnny Kascier (who shall be praised soon on this forum), because I never realized just how much he shows up in Stooges shorts, about 50 in fact!



You may or may not know this, but a lot of those appearances you're not supposed to know he was there.  Johnny Kascier was a Stooge stunt double, and the freeze frame/pause function on our controllers is the greatest gift his legacy will ever receive.
- Doug Sarnecky


Offline Paul Pain

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You may or may not know this, but a lot of those appearances you're not supposed to know he was there.  Johnny Kascier was a Stooge stunt double, and the freeze frame/pause function on our controllers is the greatest gift his legacy will ever receive.

Nevertheless, fact of the matter is that he did a lot for the Stooges.  But his greatest legacy is yet to come!
#1 fire kibitzer


Offline Shemp_Diesel

"Hey Moe, where did you get the sunglasses?"

"I bought 'em."


Btw, I've always wondered if Moe put enough lard on those eggs...   :P
Talbot's body is the perfect home for the Monster's brain, which I will add to and subtract from in my experiments.


Offline metaldams

Nevertheless, fact of the matter is that he did a lot for the Stooges.  But his greatest legacy is yet to come!

Oh, yes he did do a lot.  I actually praise him as a stunt double.  He did take several bumps for many, many years.
- Doug Sarnecky


Offline Lefty

My favorite parts of this short are the shaving scene, Shemp struggling with the table, Shemp's boxing scene with Vernon Dent, and the Sing-Sing bit.  I agree with others that the ending was not really anything to brag about, as the remake had a much better finish.  Mary needed a whack upside the head, even if unintentional.

Ned Glass played the role of Max the grocer (a member of the underground) in the Hogan's Heroes episode "Guess Who Came to Dinner?"  When Sgt. Schultz questioned why Max would charge him for an apple, Max replied, "I would make Hermann Goering pay for a piece of fruit!" 


Offline Shemp_Diesel

I'm a bit surprised by the opinions that Flagpole Jitters had a better ending--I've always thought of Flagpole as one of the worst as far as the "Shemp recycles" go, but as always "to each their own"...   ;)
Talbot's body is the perfect home for the Monster's brain, which I will add to and subtract from in my experiments.


Offline Dr. Hugo Gansamacher

  • Birdbrain
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  • "Pleese! You zit!"
This is what I like about the lower budget  Shemp stuff, just the boys in a room being themselves.

Stooges gonna stooge.

There are two main genres of opening in the Stooge shorts: one starts out with the boys a-stooging; the other starts out with some non-Stooges talking about something or other, in the course of doing which one of them mentions "three new men" or "three saps downstairs" or something of the sort. This short, of course, takes the second route. I have to say that I prefer it, as it elevates expectations by delaying the gratification seeing the Stooges at work and sets them into relief against the background of normal human life.

And off they go, applying hammers to each other's or their own heads (it has always been disappointing to me that Shemp demonstrates how Moe hit him by hitting himself rather than Moe), doing the old magic hand-wave (Larry on Moe) and "See dat?" ritual (Moe on Larry), and, mysteriously, when mimicking a fish, expelling huge quantities of water from their mouths (Shemp). Does anyone notice that when Moe returns from the kitchen to pick Shemp up off the floor, he has a fishing rod, in addition to the boat hook? He throws the rod down immediately, so it doesn't get used for anything. You have to wonder why it is there at all. It is possible that the original plan was that Moe would use the rod and line to "catch" Shemp, and then pull him up with the hook, but if this was abandoned as impracticable, it is strange that the rod was not simply left out of the action altogether.

Watching the boys shave each other more or less blindly with straight razors causes me a lot of uneasiness. Of course the actors can't be using real razors, but isn't that blood that is showing on Shemp's upper left cheek by the time they're done? The big puzzler for me, though, is how Shemp gets steaming hot towels out of the refrigerator.  :o

After a bungled do-si-do that is resolved by Moe giving Shemp and Larry a two-in-one slap, it's time to make breakfast. The boys now have an apartment with a kitchen, but they cook breakfast on top of a dresser, in which they keep the lard and the "cackle food" (Shemp) or "hen fruit" (Moe), which Moe prepares in the coffee grinder (ugh!).

I believe that some footage was edited out of the beginning of the next scene. The film dissolves from Moe cooking eggs on the dresser to the three boys standing before Mary in her apartment, but if you look at Larry at that point, you can see him grimace and touch his brow as if he has just received a slap or a conk from Moe. Alas, a bit of Stooge violence is lost to us forever!

The encounter with Vernon Dent (looking more cubical than ever in a double-breasted suit) may be Shemp's finest moment in this short, his stumbling on his first line notwithstanding. Dent seems to know exactly how to deal with Stooges almost from the get-go: though impassive in the face of Shemp's first attack, he responds to Larry's by driving him off with a poke in the eyes. Of course, Moe is the prudent one here, drawing the impetuous attackers off the man who is in a position to give Mary her money, but he must initially be mesmerized (heh heh) by Shemp's foot- and hand-work in his second assault ("I'll just—shoot one that way!"), as he lets it continue until Dent brings the business to an end by crushing Shemp's foot under his.

(More later.)


Offline Paul Pain

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That's definitely blood on Shemp's cheek.  Though the scariest thing is when Shemp tests a blade by running it straight down the middle of his tongue (different short)!

And thank you for mentioning the "hot" towels in the fridge.  Maybe it's really dry ice.  Nyaah!

The problem with runs like this is that there is little to debate when people are in unison.
#1 fire kibitzer


Offline metaldams

Stooges gonna stooge.


Fo shizzle.

I like your little write up about the way the boys are routinely introduced, and yes, I always get a smile when some square normal person mentions "three new men," or some variation thereof.

I also noticed the fridge sporting the hot towels!  Must be some strange 40's device or a bizzare mistake.  Today, they have microwaves.  Can you imagine what Moe could have done with a microwave?
- Doug Sarnecky


Offline Big Chief Apumtagribonitz

Yes, there is some kind of smear or blemish on Shemp's face in that one shot, but if anyone thinks it's because they were shaving each other with real razors, thou art a dumb cluck.  That would have been a blood bath.  I enjoy this one, though, many good, well-executed small gags.  Try not to see, though now that I've mentioned it, try not to see for the rest of your life, the blatant doubles hanging off the flagpole.


Offline Shemp_Diesel

Towards the end, I always chuckle at Moe's threat to Shemp--if you don't let go I'll hit you on top of the head with this flagpole...   :D
Talbot's body is the perfect home for the Monster's brain, which I will add to and subtract from in my experiments.


Offline Paul Pain

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Yes, there is some kind of smear or blemish on Shemp's face in that one shot, but if anyone thinks it's because they were shaving each other with real razors, thou art a dumb cluck.  That would have been a blood bath.  I enjoy this one, though, many good, well-executed small gags.  Try not to see, though now that I've mentioned it, try not to see for the rest of your life, the blatant doubles hanging off the flagpole.

He could have been nicked by a fake though.
#1 fire kibitzer


Offline Dr. Hugo Gansamacher

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  • "Pleese! You zit!"
...forgot to mention the classic bit of Larry dumping the bowl of water onto his head from the kitchen shelf, wondering what imbecile left the water in there, only to realize he's the imbecile!

It's a decent gag, but Larry's acting in that bit has always seemed to me to be of children's theater quality.

Then comes the second half.  All goes well with the "Sing-Sing" bit until Svengarlic shows up.  From there it just gets worse and worse, particularly with the flagpole and the resulting ending.  It seems crummy for the Stooges to [unintentionally] expose Mary's fraud and end up being the ones knocked out.  In fact, the ending of FLAGPOLE JITTERS might be better...

I agree that the comedy declines after Svengarlic shows up. But I don't find the very ending—the accidental exposure of Mary's fraud and her revenge on the boys—unsatisfactory at all. In fact, it makes me laugh every time. "Oh, you blithering idiots! You imbeciles!" she exclaims—a very satisfying moment, it seems to me, as that is exactly what they are—before she grabs the globe from the end of the flagpole and throws it at them. We then get a wonderful bit of Stooge physics as the globe bounces off their heads in perfect succession from Shemp to Larry to Moe—who is wagging his finger at her until he gets knocked out—producing the sound of the NBC chimes.

In the part before that, when the boys are putting up the poster, my favorite bit comes when, after Moe has suffered a series of indignities from the long-handled brush being mishandled by Shemp, he grabs the implement to show Shemp how to use it and immediately plasters Larry's face with paste. Moe uncharacteristically apologizes; Larry responds in a less than gracious manner; and Moe does him one better:

Quote

Moe: I'm sorry, kid.

Larry: (Irate) Why don't you watch what you're doing!

Moe: (Equally irate) I said I'm sorry, so shut up! (Hits him in the face again with the brush)


Offline metaldams


I agree that the comedy declines after Svengarlic shows up. But I don't find the very ending—the accidental exposure of Mary's fraud and her revenge on the boys—unsatisfactory at all. In fact, it makes me laugh every time. "Oh, you blithering idiots! You imbeciles!" she exclaims—a very satisfying moment, it seems to me, as that is exactly what they are—before she grabs the globe from the end of the flagpole and throws it at them. We then get a wonderful bit of Stooge physics as the globe bounces off their heads in perfect succession from Shemp to Larry to Moe—who is wagging his finger at her until he gets knocked out—producing the sound of the NBC chimes.



It's all a matter of taste, I suppose.  Like I said, plot wise the ending is satisfying, and I suppose there is something to be said for Ms. Ainslee's reaction, but the NBC chimes gag, while OK, is also a bit overused and not short ending gag worthy to me.
- Doug Sarnecky


Offline GreenCanaries

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You may or may not know this, but a lot of those appearances you're not supposed to know he was there.  Johnny Kascier was a Stooge stunt double, and the freeze frame/pause function on our controllers is the greatest gift his legacy will ever receive.
I know a lot of Johnny Kascier's credits on his page are for doubling Moe, but as I've been "inspecting" the Stooge shorts lately, I've noticed he doubled Curly quite a bit during the Curly era (complete with crappy bald cap).

I think I've also spotted a couple instances of Curly-era frequent Bert Young doubling Curly outside of the mention on his page for HORSES' COLLARS (though I don't think there is anywhere in that short that would've required a stunt double, not even the hanging - though Bert does appear to double Curly during the tackles in THREE LITTLE PIGSKINS and the flagpole [speakin' of flagpoles!] scene and the literal jailbreak in 3 DUMB CLUCKS).

Getting back on topic, though, I've grown an affinity for Johnny. He almost always seemed to be used as the orderly, waiter, etc. carrying something - a tray, pails of beer, etc. - only to get plowed over by those fleeing. My favorite example of this is in FROM NURSE TO WORSE (getting back off-topic - me thinks Bert doubles Curly when they break out of the truck?) - I've said this on THAT discussion, but Johnny's flopping around on the ground and his pratfalls and the brief headstands and slippery flopping flips (he and his slightly stocky build looks just perfect for those) are just simply great, as is his look of bewilderment when the boys miss the tray. He takes his hits from our boys and Cy Schindell like a man.
"With oranges, it's much harder..."


Offline metaldams


Getting back on topic, though, I've grown an affinity for Johnny. He almost always seemed to be used as the orderly, waiter, etc. carrying something - a tray, pails of beer, etc. - only to get plowed over by those fleeing. My favorite example of this is in FROM NURSE TO WORSE (getting back off-topic - me thinks Bert doubles Curly when they break out of the truck?) - I've said this on THAT discussion, but Johnny's flopping around on the ground and his pratfalls and the brief headstands and slippery flopping flips (he and his slightly stocky build looks just perfect for those) are just simply great, as is his look of bewilderment when the boys miss the tray. He takes his hits from our boys and Cy Schindell like a man.

Very beautifully stated, and yes, FROM NURSE TO WORSE is a great example.  Like I said above, the pause/break button is the greatest thing ever to happen to him.  You can not only study the face of the man to see who is taking the fall, but the physicality behind it.
- Doug Sarnecky


Offline Kopfy2013

I liked the Vernon Dent scene.  I thought Larry as a cat was creepy.  I give this a 6
Niagara Falls


Offline Paul Pain

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Very beautifully stated, and yes, FROM NURSE TO WORSE is a great example.  Like I said above, the pause/break button is the greatest thing ever to happen to him.  You can not only study the face of the man to see who is taking the fall, but the physicality behind it.

It was a different kind of talent, but it was talent nevertheless.

I liked the Vernon Dent scene.  I thought Larry as a cat was creepy.  I give this a 6

I wonder how they made that "back arch" effect.
#1 fire kibitzer


Offline Mark The Shark

One thing that's always kind of jumped out at me in this short is during the "shaving scene." At one point Moe just all of a sudden starts singing -- he wasn't singing before, and the only reason he's singing now is for his mouth to be open so a dauber can be shoved into it.

It seems very arbitrary and forced, yet maybe that's what makes it semi-funny.