Goof on the Roof (1953)

metaldams · **on:** March 25, 2016, 06:50:48 PM

http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/151
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045831/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wXR3-TTN6_8

Watch GOOF ON THE ROOF in the link above

What a bittersweet short to review. We've been on this journey for about three years now (!), and we've discussed a lot of good ones. I think that while the four original Shemp shorts going forward, the best of what we will discuss, have merit, there will never be a film we discuss again as classic as this one. Two Howards and a Fine, boxed in settings, lots of slapstick, minimal plot that never gets in the way of the fun, this is Stooging at its purest. Maybe one of the few remaining originals will surprise me and score a 10, I don't know. However, this is the last film before rewatching it where I already knew the 10/10 rating is upon us.

Not too much to say because it's basic slapstick, simple and direct. Still, I would like to touch on a few things. The beginning, love those bunny pajamas, but for such a slapstick fest, there is a subtle bit of humor. Think about it, Bill gets married and throws the boys out of the house, one day's notice. How do they react? They'll build a TV for the guy and think it's nice they sent them a telegram! Hysterical.

Love the reoccurring gags of the slipping of the soap and Shemp having various ways of getting a bucket full of water stuck on his head. Another theme of this short seems to be destroying lots of property to regain a little. Larry makes a Swiss cheese wall just so he can get that television knob and Shemp destroys the inside of that television just to get a Cracker Jack ring! Even Moe loses the plot of fixing the television. A piece of it gives him a knock of the head, so he deems the piece not worthy of going back in. Again, hysterical.

The climax, which involves the boys knocked out on the ground surrounded by absolute destruction, is one of the great Stooge shots. Even the shotgun in the ass gag seems funnier here than normal, for some reason. Excellent short all around, it will never get this good again.

10/10

Paul Pain · **Reply #1 on:** March 25, 2016, 07:20:53 PM

Review either later tonight or early tomorrow. Beat Shemp_Diesel

Edit: here it is, but without sex jokes. I argue that there is one more short that may be worthy of a 10/10 rating (at least where 10/10 is perfect good, as we have some perfect bad to come too), and that short is next week's INCOME TAX SAPPY, although the much later GYPPED IN THE PENTHOUSE and BLUNDER BOYS will be quite good as well, but 10/10 probably won't arrive on those.

Here, we have a treat in the form of traditional Stoogery: destroying the house. Metaldams has already pointed out some highlights, but I will point out others that make this worthwhile: Moe and the cheese, the fire in the wall, and Shemp on the roof.

This short just seems to find new ways to make us laugh. A lot of this wouldn't have been possible were it not the 1950s, but it is and thus the boys have a TV to destroy. I want a door to the kitchen like they have in this one! I want to slam the door into people and cause buckets to land on their head!

Another great moment is Shemp saying "I'll be right down," right before he ***spoiler alert*** falls through the roof. Enjoy it will it lasts folks because it's ALL downhill from here.

10/10

At least we really have free speech here unlike the Three Stooges Unite Facebook group.

Shemp_Diesel · **Reply #2 on:** March 25, 2016, 07:46:29 PM

Quote from: Paul Pain on March 25, 2016, 07:20:53 PM

Review either later tonight or early tomorrow. Beat Shemp_Diesel

Heh, very good you are...

Well, I guess the first thing I'll point out is that is one very catchy rendition of Three Blind Mice that opens this short. From this point going forward, it's those opening renditions of Mice that may be the best thing about many of the Shemps coming up. But not so here...

While I wouldn't say Goof is the last short in the 9 or 10 range, they will be rarer going forward--although, next week's short is a treat, too (imo).

Some of the highpoints--Moe's soap and vinegar sandwich (mmmm, heavenly), Shemp's cracker-jack ring, the wholesale destruction of Bill's house, which speaks for itself. Basically, everything we've come to love about the Shemp-era stooges--confined to one or 2 rooms, and beating the hell out of each other & tearing shit up as they do it.

9 out of 10...

Lefty · **Reply #3 on:** March 26, 2016, 10:26:22 AM

"Goof on the Roof" is an excellent short, and has been pointed out, not too many will follow. Those of us who are not mechanical geniuses (genii?), or even a genius of the lamp, can enjoy the destruction of the TV set, the antenna, and the wall. The Stooges certainly would have liked today's TV sets, not having all that junk in them.

A number of times I have tried (not all that successfully) to fix something, and Moe's famous line from this short was something I generally said: "Just for that, you don't go in there!"

Shemp looked like he was wearing a wetsuit when he was getting soaked with the buckets of water. If not, maybe he should have worn one.

And where else does the bride carry the groom across the threshold? Maxine Gates would have made a great wrestler -- possibly against Gorgeous George Wagner and Buddy Rogers and the others back then.

Tony Bensley · **Reply #4 on:** March 26, 2016, 11:31:59 AM

Quote from: Paul Pain on March 25, 2016, 07:20:53 PM

This short just seems to find new ways to make us laugh. A lot of this wouldn't have been possible were it not the 1950s, but it is and thus the boys have a TV to destroy.

What about the TV (Albeit a primitive TV/Radio Hybrid, probably not unlike what was promoted at the 1939 New York World's Fair!) that gets destroyed in A PLUMBING WE WILL GO (1940)? In my opinion, that was hilarious!

Just an observation.

CHEERS!

Paul Pain · **Reply #5 on:** March 26, 2016, 12:38:55 PM

Quote from: Tony Bensley on March 26, 2016, 11:31:59 AM

What about the TV (Albeit a primitive TV/Radio Hybrid, probably not unlike what was promoted at the 1939 New York World's Fair!) that gets destroyed in A PLUMBING WE WILL GO (1940)? In my opinion, that was hilarious!

Yes, but in those days TVs were things only the rich had, and that was destroyed via plumbing. This is a commoner's TV being hand-destroyed by three knuckleheads

Dr. Hugo Gansamacher · **Reply #6 on:** March 26, 2016, 01:19:43 PM

Perhaps people here are not such big fans of dummy action in the Stooge shorts as I am, but to me the fall of Shemp—the "Goof" of the title—through the roof and directly into the television, presented with a flamingly obvious dummy moving in fast motion, is not just the high point of the short but one of the high points of all the shorts around this time. It makes me laugh out loud every time, and the phoniness of the dummy is part of what does so.

This short also seems to me to illustrate the point that a successful Stooge short requires not just an occasion for the Stooges to engage in their characteristic violent and destructive acts but also a coherent plot. This short has a plot of simple linear form, driven by a single motive: "improving" Bill's house. What makes the short effective is not just that the Stooges do things that are funny individually (though they certainly are that), but that all their doings are part of a single coherent action of home improvement, Stooge-style—which means, of course, turning a neat little bungalow into a "rat's nest," as Bill's bride calls it.

Larry, trying to get the control knob out of the wall: "I need either a longer arm or a shorter wall. Shorter wall!"

Shemp, seeing Larry in his own former position of having a bucket of water over his head: "Is that me?"

Shemp_Diesel · **Reply #7 on:** March 26, 2016, 01:29:04 PM

Another little thing I like--at the beginning when the boys wake up, and Larry striking the match on Shemp's neck; "Aah, what are you squawking about?"

Paul Pain · **Reply #8 on:** March 26, 2016, 06:30:01 PM

What kind of goof uses an axe as a hammer?

Shemp_Diesel · **Reply #9 on:** March 26, 2016, 06:59:59 PM

Quote from: Paul Pain on March 26, 2016, 06:30:01 PM

What kind of goof uses an axe as a hammer?

Heh, good question--btw, how many things in this short were "cock-eyed?" From what I remember, there was the door, the bar of soap, and the tv antenna--am I leaving anything out?

Kopfy2013 · **Reply #10 on:** March 27, 2016, 01:35:45 AM

Not a fan of this one at all. Makes me yearn for remakes. Too much senseless stuff.

I give it a 3. It could be lower but worse ones are coming up

metaldams · **Reply #11 on:** March 27, 2016, 07:15:04 AM

Quote from: Kopfy2013 on March 27, 2016, 01:35:45 AM

Not a fan of this one at all. Makes me yearn for remakes. Too much senseless stuff.

I give it a 3. It could be lower but worse ones are coming up

What, exactly, is senseless?

Kopfy2013 · **Reply #12 on:** March 27, 2016, 10:26:54 AM

Totally destroying items like a bulldozer. Unlike other shorts there were interactions with the stuff they blew up. A Plumbing We Would Go has Curly fighting with inanimate objects ... Moe and Larry also talking to them etc. I probably am not making sense but most of the shorts there is stupidity - which is what the stooges are - as opposed to just trashing things ...

Now Moe does have some of that banter by saying 'Just for that you are not going back in' ... I don't know, I was uneasy during the short ... never laughed or even gave a guffaw

during the short.

The Stooges were made for doing stupid things with great timing and one-liners and physical comedy ....It set them apart ... This one to me there was nothing special with it ...

Shemp_Diesel · **Reply #13 on:** March 27, 2016, 01:42:44 PM

Not one mention of the feather-duster through Shemp's ears--amazing....

Paul Pain · **Reply #14 on:** March 27, 2016, 02:03:04 PM

There is amazing humor when the stupid act stupid and think that they are smart. Sounds like Trump and Sanders, except they'd be Two Stooges.

Quote from: Shemp_Diesel on March 27, 2016, 01:42:44 PM

Not one mention of the feather-duster through Shemp's ears--amazing....

God bless you, and have a Happy Easter! You're noticing all the good bits the rest of us didn't

We didn't mention Shemp throwing the bucket and smashing the vase which resulted in the feather-duster incident. Or how about Moe taking Larry's match, throwing it in the wall, and then blaming Larry for the fire? We can go all day with this short.

Shemp_Diesel · **Reply #15 on:** March 27, 2016, 02:24:39 PM

Yes, this is a good little 2-week respite we have with Goof and next week's short--before we get back to what I would call "Jules White's thrift shop" when we get back to the retreads. But, I'll vent on those when the time comes....

$:-\$

Paul Pain · **Reply #16 on:** March 29, 2016, 06:24:34 AM

Quote from: Shemp_Diesel on March 27, 2016, 02:24:39 PM

Yes, this is a good little 2-week respite we have with Goof and next week's short--before we get back to what I would call "Jules White's thrift shop" when we get back to the retreads. But, I'll vent on those when the time comes....

$:-\$

Don't remind us. It is hard to believe how far we have come as Stoogephiles. My agenda: Stooge Con 2018 or bust! Of course, by then we will be done with Stooge reviews and embarked on a new adventure.

JWF · **Reply #17 on:** May 15, 2016, 10:43:42 AM

I never fail to laugh at the obvious Shemp dummy that comes crashing through the ceiling and destroying the TV.

Big Chief Apumtagribonitz · **Reply #18 on:** May 16, 2016, 10:15:08 PM

I tend to agree: where would this be without the Shemp dummy falling through the roof at lightning speed? And, to give credit where it's due, a great Shemp overdub yell, and excellent sound effects? This one would still be okay, though I agree with Kopfy that the constant destruction in the name of repair work gets old fast. It has none of the finesse and class of similar scenes in, say, They Stooge to Conga. You can tell from the title that the production team knew that the fall from the roof was the big laugh, and for sure it's one of the best effects in stoogedom. I would never say that this is a one-joke short, it's actually pretty good ( although, let's face it, the ending sucks ), but without the all-world fall, this would have been all-world mediocre.

Paul Pain · **Reply #19 on:** May 19, 2016, 06:59:41 PM

Quote from: Big Chief Apumtagribonitz on May 16, 2016, 10:15:08 PM

I tend to agree: where would this be without the Shemp dummy falling through the roof at lightning speed? And, to give credit where it's due, a great Shemp overdub yell, and excellent sound effects? This one would still be okay, though I agree with Kopfy that the constant destruction in the name of repair work gets old fast. It has none of the finesse and class of similar scenes in, say, They Stooge to Conga. You can tell from the title that the production team knew that the fall from the roof was the big laugh, and for sure it's one of the best effects in stoogedom. I would never say that this is a one-joke short, it's actually pretty good ( although, let's face it, the ending sucks ), but without the all-world fall, this would have been all-world mediocre.

A blatantly obvious dummy is ALWAYS a good thing.

Tony Bensley · **Reply #20 on:** January 28, 2018, 09:07:45 PM

While very good, I just wasn't as wowed by this one as others. To be fair, this may have been partly due to the cropped nature of the widescreen for this short, which I found rather jarring at times when I got the feeling that I was missing something.

Also, when we finally get to see Shemp on the roof, it is so noticeably not a real roof, and the next door house backdrop looks FAF! In my case, it probably doesn't help that I tend to mentally compare this short with the 1930 Laurel and Hardy two reel gem, HOG WILD (1930), which is rich with real outdoor location shooting. In one of The Essential Collection commentaries for that short, Richard Correll does heap praise on this short, which he mistakenly refers to as GOOFS ON A ROOF.

To be honest, I think that I'd need to view this GOOF ON THE ROOF in Academy Ratio to evaluate it more fairly. As it stands, I give this short an 8/10.

CHEERS!

Dr. Mabuse · **Reply #21 on:** February 27, 2020, 04:28:14 PM

Moe, Larry and Shemp give it their all with Clyde Bruckman's final Stooge screenplay. What's missing are decent production values and sharp direction. Unfortunately, "Goof on the Roof" emerges as a pale shadow of destructive classics such as "A Plumbing We Will Go." At least there's no stock footage.

5/10

metaldams · **Reply #22 on:** February 27, 2020, 06:15:34 PM

Quote from: Dr. Mabuse on February 27, 2020, 04:28:14 PM

Moe, Larry and Shemp give it their all with Clyde Bruckman's final Stooge screenplay. What's missing are decent production values and sharp direction. Unfortunately, "Goof on the Roof" emerges as a pale shadow of destructive classics such as "A Plumbing We Will Go." At least there's no stock footage.

5/10

I enjoy those boxed in, low production Shemp efforts like GOOF ON THE ROOF. The Stooges and low production work fine for me as long as the slapstick and chemistry are there. In this short, I feel it is and yes, the low production went overboard when stock footage took over.

GreenCanaries · **Reply #23 on:** June 18, 2020, 01:40:30 AM

"Stop doin' it for me! You're doin' it to me!"

Watched this one again recently, and I fucking howled at the shot of a panicked Shemp with the feather-duster through his ears (which was my avatar here for a spell). Also, when Larry threatens to "dust [Shemp's] brains out again" and Shemp flips over the half-door for the second time, I particularly love Shemp's terrific howl there.
(Speaking of that bit, get that freeze-frame button ready: it's Johnny Kascier doubling Shemp. Not to mention Hurley Breen doubling Larry's flip with the hose.)

I like how casual the destruction of the TV and the house is. For example, after Larry decides "Shorter wall," something about how he then gleefully and casually commences rapidly pounding the hammer into the wall tickles me, grinning as if it's such a simple, solid, and perfectly rational solution to the problem at hand. Even in the less outwardly destructive moments, like when Moe gets electrocuted: to help, Larry grabs the rope from the curtain, completely bringing down the whole curtain, to which Larry reacts with perhaps the most minor of startles before retrieving the rope he needs.

The bit with Moe and the fire extinguisher proves to be a good twist on the reliable "uncooperative object" gag, with a fairly clever conclusion of Moe deciding with a shrug on the solution of letting the liquid spray into his mouth so he can then spit it onto the conflagration in the wall.

Okay, this may be thinking way too deeply, but does anyone take the boys' destruction of the TV as some sort of unintentional commentary on television putting the two-reelers out to pasture?

"How do you like that guy, huh?"
CRASH

metaldams · **Reply #24 on:** June 18, 2020, 06:18:31 AM

The feather duster shot In the ear is one of those all time great Stooge shots, no doubt.

As far as television, I don’t think they had a writing conference to make commentary about it, but it does make for some nice symbolism. I do know television proved to be a great new device for them to mine comedy out of like they do here. Yeah, absolutely love this short.