http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/129http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043308/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H2lQ7lMCSxIWatch BABY SITTERS JITTERS in the link above
One of those frustrating films because there's a lot of really funny stuff, yet the overall short gets bogged down by a few elements, mainly the weak tea ending and the running gag of "Shemp" standing on his head getting old after a while. I'll get to the good stuff first then get to the bad.
I have a feeling a lot of people are going to knock the toddler with a gun in his mouth gag. You're entitled to your sensibilities, but it's cartoonish to me more than offensive and the more fascinating cultural artifact of days gone by is the idea of a mother openly concealing a gun to protect her child. No way in Hell you'd ever see that in a sitcom today and this peek into different attitudes is one of the reasons why watching old movies is great.
This is one of those Three Stooges in a room early fifties thing a ma bobs where they get to let loose for a while, and I really enjoy this stuff. Not as violent as say, A SNITCH IN TIME, but their art at their most basic, anyway. Lots of great slapstick exchanges with Moe being extra cantankerous, grabbing the gaping jaws of Larry and Shemp like fish gaining bait, and my favorite being Moe baptizing Shemp like a ship by breaking a bottle of wine over him. Shemp's exchange about 1,000 reasons not to drink is very funny, and one that needs to be added to the Metaldams vocabulary. The absolute highlight of the short, however, is Shemp in the kitchen displaying a Kindergarten reading level. Just real simple, basic humor performed by a funny man that doesn't lend well to analyzing, it's just funny because it is. I love the way Shemp says, "mustard." Basically, rule number one about these early fifties domestic shorts - Stooges in kitchen equals funny.
The head standing gag does get old after a while, especially lame when it cheers up the mother while her kid is gone. Also lame when the kid does it at the end. The fight for the most part between the boys and the father has no flow but is saved by Shemp's shadow boxing routine, always trusty, always reliable. The reconciliation between the mother and father has to be one of the most sudden what the farfanugen moments in all of Stoogedom. It just comes out of nowhere and the resolution makes no sense. Father kidnaps baby and mother forgives on sight. Eh, maybe there's stuff going on behind closed doors we don't know about, but very strange.
Good short which could be great with a better ending comic and dramatic wise as well as a better running gag.
8/10