Topic: Don't Throw That Knife (1951)

[metaldams]

http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/130
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043472/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZZOxeGgGr4

Watch DON'T THROW THAT KNIFE in the link above



      I know you all come to me week after week for your dose of intellectual stimulation, hearing me wax poetic about ancient comedians making ancient films.  This week, I'm afraid I'm going to fail you all in appeasing your intellect.  Have any of you ever worked in a supermarket?  Back in high school, I did.  I sometimes had to go into the room where all the rotting produce was before it was discarded.  It was the worst smell you can possibly imagine.  If you know this smell, imagine throwing a few decomposing bodies into this room of old produce along with discarded diapers from the local daycare center, and that sums up what must have been going on in the writer's brain as this was written.  Bleh!

      OK, OK, there are worse shorts than this, but not many.  The highlight of the short is Shemp taking out the music box and the joy in his voice doing so.  A pleasant moment, but as THE highlight?  No good, my friends.  Jean Willes is easy on the eyes too, a shame she had to be wasted in a bad vehicle.  The problem is this is a combination lame remake of WHAT'S THE MATADOR and NO CENSUS, NO FEELING; yet every joke falls flat and feels stock.  Heck, the former part, with the tired jealous husband bit, has never been a favorite of mine in the first place.  The whole "Why cough?" joke might be OK as a quick groaner, but not worth the milking it receives.  The gags revolving trick mirrors and trick chairs and skeletons seemed forced, and the ending?  A lame gag of eggs being shot out of a bazooka on Stooge faces with the boys randomly running away.

      I'm afraid I'm not much help in stating why people should appreciate this one.  Perhaps one of you will see something I don't and explain it better?  This would be even worse with lesser people, I like all five players involved, just in better films.  My faith in humanity will be restored next week.

4/10

[Paul Pain]

Just wanted to get in before Shemp_Diesel

[metaldams]

Just wanted to get in before Shemp_Diesel

Aw fuck man, breaking up unspoken traditions!  I can always count on Diesel for that first review.

[Shemp_Diesel]

Heh, indeed you did Paul... 


This might be the first Shemper we've had in awhile that may draw mixed opinions. I've always been on the side of fans who like it--good, but not great. Admittedly, there is a lot of "silliness" in this one--but is "silly" and the Stooges necessarily a bad thing? Not in this case.

Now, the idea of a jealous husband who resorts to an egg shooting cannon may be stretching the bounds of silly, I still enjoyed it--particularly Shemp's "make mine fried", and of course, Dick Curtis serves 'em up fried. 

Other standout bits--for me at least--the whole "Why Cough" routine, and Larry's later "tell him I'm your Aunt." Again, good but not great...

7 out of 10....

[metaldams]

Heh, indeed you did Paul... 


This might be the first Shemper we've had in awhile that may draw mixed opinions. I've always been on the side of fans who like it--good, but not great. Admittedly, there is a lot of "silliness" in this one--but is "silly" and the Stooges necessarily a bad thing? Not in this case.

Now, the idea of a jealous husband who resorts to an egg shooting cannon may be stretching the bounds of silly, I still enjoyed it--particularly Shemp's "make mine fried", and of course, Dick Curtis serves 'em up fried. 

Other standout bits--for me at least--the whole "Why Cough" routine, and Larry's later "tell him I'm your Aunt." Again, good but not great...

7 out of 10....

Larry's "Aunt" line was pleasant, I'll give you that one.

[Paul Pain]

This short is a shame because this and Dick Curtis's somewhat insignificant role in THE TOOTH WILL OUT are his last Stooge appearances.

The opening routine with the janitor's closet is pretty good, particularly the cleaning brush on Larry's face.  Shemp saying he's from the South, aka Montreal is well done.

The rest just plain sucks.  It is stupid.  It is awful.  It is old, trite gags that weren't funny back in WHAT'S THE MATADOR? either.  But these are paramount of the Felix Adler recycle bin special.  I'm going to go puke because 3 funny minutes do not make up for 13 lousy minutes.  The concept of a husband so jealous he'll murder other men for taking a census is too farfetched even for Stooge standards.

This short can BURN IN HELL!

[Shemp_Diesel]

Heh, I was thinking--this might be another case like the weekly discussion for The Ghost Talks, where the short in question for this particular week seems to get a somewhat cold reaction & we look forward to the next week's masterpiece short.

Now granted, I like this week's short, but next week should be something else. As for Knife, I forgot to mention the disclaimer that pops up on this short after the opening credits--very good....

[Paul Pain]

Heh, I was thinking--this might be another case like the weekly discussion for The Ghost Talks, where the short in question for this particular week seems to get a somewhat cold reaction & we look forward to the next week's masterpiece short.

Now granted, I like this week's short, but next week should be something else. As for Knife, I forgot to mention the disclaimer that pops up on this short after the opening credits--very good....

At least next week is a classic to make up for this disappointment.

[Paul Pain]

Aw fuck man, breaking up unspoken traditions!  I can always count on Diesel for that first review.

That's what I'm here for.   

[Dr. Hugo Gansamacher]

      OK, OK, there are worse shorts than this, but not many.

I've never found myself so much in disagreement with Metaldams. This is not a high-ranking short for me, but I could probably identify a dozen that I enjoy less. The business of Moe asking census questions of Shempetta Howard and her bizarrely mustachioed husband in their broom closet, in which they declare that they are "from the South," namely "Montreal, Canada," is enough to make this short one not to be missed, especially when Shempetta and the man of the house start exhibiting their Southern ways, with Shemp saying, "Halleluyah! Tote dat barge!" or something on those lines, and Larry at the same time stammering some vaguely stage-Negro things that I can't make out. It's also refreshing to see Moe treating Shemp with abrupt violence for once, throwing the powder in his face and banging him on the head with the portable safe, rather than trying to use mere yelling as a substitute. (As I have said in other threads, even though I am a big Shemp fan, it disappoints me to see Moe fail to consistently carry through his bullying act with his big brother the way he had used to do with baby brother Curly.)

I readily grant that the mirror sequence is one of those bits that make one glad to have the fast-forward option on video players.

Now does anyone have an explanation of why Moe wears that bizarrely shaped hat? It seems to have been left unblocked and then merely pinched. Did anyone actually wear a hat in this style? I wish Mrs. Morgan Morgan a.k.a. Tiska Taska were still around to shed light on these matters of fashion.

[Paul Pain]

Did anyone else notice the smile that appears on Larry's face when Moe tosses the powder in Shemp's face?

So Mr. Wycoff is a prestidigitator who does legerdemain... shouldn't he be a weatherman instead of a magician?

At 12:30-13:00, why don't they just grab their stuff and leave at that point?

[Shemp_Diesel]

Another part I liked I forgot to mention--Shemp under the covers trying to feign a woman's voice. "Ouch darling, you're rough, you hurt little me." 

 

[Dr. Hugo Gansamacher]

So Mr. Wycoff is a prestidigitator who does legerdemain... shouldn't he be a weatherman instead of a magician?

I understand the words "prestidigitator" and "legerdemain," but that one goes over my head.

Another part I liked I forgot to mention--Shemp under the covers trying to feign a woman's voice. "Ouch darling, you're rough, you hurt little me." 

Even somebody as dumb as the character played by Dick Curtis is not likely to be fooled by that.

[Lefty]

The census rehearsal by the Stooges was the best part of the show.  "That's the home of the mooses and the meeces ... and the mouses."  Montreal is in the south, relative to the rest of Canada.  As Americans, they should have said South Philly or South Brooklyn.

Another funny thing was Jean Willes saying "Walk this way," and the Stooges make fun of her walk while following her.  And there is Larry in the TV doing a public service announcement, then taking the knife and stabbing Dick in the Fanny.

The "Why cough" gag reminds me of a big shot at work named Mycoff, who met with our group after she came on board, and right after that, "my cough" that had been bothering me for a long time went away. 

[Dr. Hugo Gansamacher]

And there is Larry in the TV doing a public service announcement, then taking the knife and stabbing Dick in the Fanny.

Larry saves the day again--well, almost.

[metaldams]

Rotting produce, decomposing bodies, poopy diapers, a flaming "burn in Hell,"  and now Larry stabs Dick in the fanny.  This thread rules.

[Paul Pain]

Rotting produce, decomposing bodies, poopy diapers, a flaming "burn in Hell,"  and now Larry stabs Dick in the fanny.  This thread rules.

And don't forget the raw eggs and skeleton!  This short somehow brings out all the macabre!  Rather appropriate considering Halloween is around the corner!

[Paul Pain]

I've never found myself so much in disagreement with Metaldams. This is not a high-ranking short for me, but I could probably identify a dozen that I enjoy less.

That still means there are 178 you enjoy more.   

[Dr. Hugo Gansamacher]

That still means there are 178 you enjoy more.   

There are 191 of them? I had no idea the number was that high.

Anyway, your inference is a non sequitur, as it assumes (1) that the figure of a dozen includes all the ones that I enjoy less, and (2) that I could rank all the remaining ones in a series.

[Paul Pain]

There are 191 of them? I had no idea the number was that high.

Anyway, your inference is a non sequitur, as it assumes (1) that the figure of a dozen includes all the ones that I enjoy less, and (2) that I could rank all the remaining ones in a series.

I see no reason to get bent out of shape over something so silly.  Holy f*ck, batman

[Dr. Hugo Gansamacher]

I see no reason to get bent out of shape over something so silly.  Holy f*ck, batman

Who's getting bent out of shape? I'm just pointing out that your conclusion is incorrect.

[Paul Pain]

 

Anyway, your inference is a non sequitur, as it assumes (1) that the figure of a dozen includes all the ones that I enjoy less, and (2) that I could rank all the remaining ones in a series.

You said that you could identify a dozen that you enjoy less.  This is a fact.  By on the notion of set theory, this set of 12 can be arranged in any order without changing the characteristic of the set, that it is a set of shorts you enjoy less.  By this, point (2) is vanquished.  Now one can argue whether or not you meant exactly a dozen shorts on point (1). 

This is of course on the notion that you didn't realize that I was joking in the first place.  Can I get another "Holy f*ck, batman!" please?    So I will let you enjoy the corner of en serioso.

Lighten up, my friend!

[JazzBill]

This is a middle of the road short to me. A few rehashed old bits but Shemp does manage to knock out a couple good one liners. I did like the bit when Moe disguises himself as a chair and folds up when Dick Curtis sits on him. I thought the ending was a little lame. I rate tis short a 71/2. 

[Kopfy2013]

 I also consider this middle-of-the-road.   I for one like the mirror scenes.   I thought that came out well.

 I like the fact that a lot of the magicians tools come into  play in the home.

I give it a 7

[Woe-ee-Woe-Woe80]

Very disappointing, mediocre Shemp episode that I've never cared for, the only scenes I liked was Larry disguising himself on TV and Shemp's "make mine fried" line, I always thought this episode was a mediocre ripoff of "No Census No Feeling" and "What's The Matador".

Overall I give this one a 4/10, definitely the weakest of the 1951 stooge shorts.