Hot Ice (1955)

metaldams · **on:** June 24, 2016, 01:13:35 PM

http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/164
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048177/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JzgYbqX-p_8

Watch HOT ICE in the link above

How the Hell you guys, especially Paul Payne, can drum up so much passion for these recycles, even if it's hatred, is beyond me. Hey, good for you, though. As for me, I'm just going to go on my normal streak of feeling bland. What we've got here is a remake of CRIME ON THEIR HANDS with a sprinkling of HOT SCOTS. That doesn't move me much in any direction.

Look at it this way - What are the most memorable scenes in this short? Your mileage may vary, but if you were to ask me, I'd say Larry getting pummeled by the gorilla through the wall, the boys interactions with Christine McIntyre, and the gorilla throwing a couple of dummies around. All of this is....old footage. I love the original garbage cleaning scene from HOT SCOTS, but here it's abbreviated with be extended cut of setting up plot and standard Stooging. OK, so the most memorable footage is old footage, nothing new of worth in my opinion added to the Stooges work. That's really what it boils down too. As for Barbara Bartay, I'm not a fan of her work the same way a lot of you guys are against Nannette Bordeaux, the latter whom I'm OK with.

Next week, BLUNDER BOYS. The last time we'll ever discuss an all original Howard/Fine/Howard original. How bittersweet that will be, but at least I'll have more to say.

5/10

GreenCanaries · **Reply #1 on:** June 24, 2016, 03:46:03 PM

Ah, the Czech-Scottish accent has arrived...

Shemp_Diesel · **Reply #2 on:** June 24, 2016, 04:29:05 PM

Heh, I don't know if this is my "moment of glory" or if I'll have much to say this week. If there ever was a Moe, Larry and Shemp effort that deserved a BOMB rating--not counting Bubble Trouble--this is it.

This is a rehash that combines elements from 2 different Shemp shorts--I'm sure this has been done before, but I can't be bothered to think about which short it was. The only redeeming values this episode may have is the old footage from Crime on Their Hands.

All of the new footage is almost totally devoid of laughter or just pointless--see Barbara Bartay's purse or the old man in the new footage when the stooges are checking the beds. Or, even that new footage at the end when Shemp swallows the diamond, again...

Just a wretched piece of stooge history--bring on Blunder Boys already...

1 out of 10 pokes (maybe I did have a lot to say)....

Paul Pain · **Reply #3 on:** June 24, 2016, 06:34:41 PM

Required reading: CRIME ON THEIR HANDS thread

What the heck? What the flipping heck? What the *censoring of an extremely long, offensive, and profanity-laden blue streak with a string of expletives thrown in for an added bonus*??!?!?

This is what is known as "hot garbage." This is one of the most bloody awful stock jobs yet, if not the worst so far. There is nothing saving this short except the closing credits. I disagree that Shemp was a "dead man walking," as our beloved Big Chief said last week; but he certainly looks like one here! We have reused footage that sucked the first time around in THE HOT SCOTS, minus some funny lines when they were cleaning the yard in that short. We have reused footage from CRIME ON THEIR HANDS that was poorly spliced in.

Just for comparison's sake, I watched CRIME and then HOT ICE back to back. The characters don't even wear the same color clothes in both shorts. Add in obvious aging, hair styles changing, and overall bad splicing (with both the CRIME and HOT SCOTS footage), and we have a farce. A lot of these jumps result from Jules White's efforts to remove most all traces of Lester Allen, but he failed at doing that anyhow.

Barbara Bartay just sucks. She's not that good looking, she has a horrible accent, and she's a terrible actress. All the stuff Moe pulls out of her purse is amusing only for the amount and the lack of reaction Moe gives to what he finds. But she's just pathetic the entire way with it. Lester Allen and Cy Schindell came back from the dead for this one... and it killed them again, I do believe.

Kenneth MacDonald is seamless in his new scenes. The man was just incredibly talented, but I have ranted enough about how he is arguably the best actor to ever appear in a Stooge short even if he didn't provide the laughs that Vernon Dent and Bud Jamison did. We only have one more short with him in it, as I don't think he had any new scenes in SCHEMING SCHEMERS, did he? And BLUNDER BOYS being Kenneth's only non-villain role to boot!

The new scenes aren't even funny. They cut out bits here and there, like the second mint Shemp eats before the diamond. The scene in the room with the chest and the bum in the bed was humorless and added nothing to the plot. And the ending was just plain gruesome... they KILL Shemp at the end! They KILL him! They put a drill through his stomach and other awful things to close out the short.

I judge stock jobs based on how the shorts are merged and how good the new scenes are, therefore this short can...

BURN IN HELL^TM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1/10

Shemp_Diesel · **Reply #4 on:** June 24, 2016, 07:36:16 PM

Kenneth McDonald appeared in new footage in Scheming Schemers--most notably the pie fight from that short....

Oh yeah, Joe Palma once again is used as a substitute for whatever actor was not available or was dead by the time said recycle was made--regardless of the fact that Palma looks nothing like Cy Schindell....

Dr. Hugo Gansamacher · **Reply #5 on:** June 25, 2016, 08:15:26 AM

Oh, my--hash of old shorts with a chimaneepanzee. Who could resist?

This one is notable to me for its inclusion of the worst simulation of a Cockney accent ever captured on film. At least, it is the worst simulation of an accent in the Stooge shorts.

Paul Pain · **Reply #6 on:** June 25, 2016, 10:32:19 AM

Quote from: metaldams on June 24, 2016, 01:13:35 PM

How the Hell you guys, especially Paul Payne, can drum up so much passion for these recycles, even if it's hatred, is beyond me. Hey, good for you, though. As for me, I'm just going to go on my normal streak of feeling bland. What we've got here is a remake of CRIME ON THEIR HANDS with a sprinkling of HOT SCOTS. That doesn't move me much in any direction.

Because I'm younger than you are!

Quote from: Shemp_Diesel on June 24, 2016, 07:36:16 PM

Kenneth McDonald appeared in new footage in Scheming Schemers--most notably the pie fight from that short....

Oh yeah, Joe Palma once again is used as a substitute for whatever actor was not available or was dead by the time said recycle was made--regardless of the fact that Palma looks nothing like Cy Schindell....

I stand corrected!

metaldams · **Reply #7 on:** June 25, 2016, 12:38:49 PM

Quote from: Paul Pain on June 25, 2016, 10:32:19 AM

Because I'm younger than you are!

Nothing to frown about, and there's probably some truth to your reasoning. LOL. Yeah, these recycles just leave me feeling bland. Come Besser, I will probably change my tune.

Paul Pain · **Reply #8 on:** June 25, 2016, 12:58:13 PM

Quote from: metaldams on June 25, 2016, 12:38:49 PM

Nothing to frown about, and there's probably some truth to your reasoning. LOL. Yeah, these recycles just leave me feeling bland. Come Besser, I will probably change my tune.

I screwed up. That was supposed to be this face!

Besser will be fun as most of the problems with those lie in... we'll get to those come September.

Shemp_Diesel · **Reply #9 on:** June 25, 2016, 02:10:30 PM

Metal, will you be feeling inspired by the time we get to "the back of Joe Palma's head?" I know I have a pretty good rant coming when we get to those shorts...

metaldams · **Reply #10 on:** June 25, 2016, 03:41:40 PM

Quote from: Shemp_Diesel on June 25, 2016, 02:10:30 PM

Metal, will you be feeling inspired by the time we get to "the back of Joe Palma's head?" I know I have a pretty good rant coming when we get to those shorts...

I'll get to that when the time comes.

Paul Pain · **Reply #11 on:** June 25, 2016, 06:29:51 PM

Quote from: metaldams on June 25, 2016, 03:41:40 PM

I'll get to that when the time comes.

So August

Kopfy2013 · **Reply #12 on:** July 01, 2016, 12:46:10 PM

I consider this worse than the original(s) ... seems rushed ... agree with the panelists --- not a good remake ...

However, I take things on their own not assuming a remake ... I give this a 5 ...

P.S. I do like the purse scene. Dynamite, etc being pulled out. Great detective work!

Signor Spumoni · **Reply #13 on:** July 01, 2016, 02:37:41 PM

Quote from: Paul Pain on June 24, 2016, 06:34:41 PM

Required reading: CRIME ON THEIR HANDS thread

What the heck? What the flipping heck? What the *censoring of an extremely long, offensive, and profanity-laden blue streak with a string of expletives thrown in for an added bonus*??!?!?

This is what is known as "hot garbage." This is one of the most bloody awful stock jobs yet, if not the worst so far. There is nothing saving this short except the closing credits. I disagree that Shemp was a "dead man walking," as our beloved Big Chief said last week; but he certainly looks like one here! We have reused footage that sucked the first time around in THE HOT SCOTS, minus some funny lines when they were cleaning the yard in that short. We have reused footage from CRIME ON THEIR HANDS that was poorly spliced in.

Just for comparison's sake, I watched CRIME and then HOT ICE back to back. The characters don't even wear the same color clothes in both shorts. Add in obvious aging, hair styles changing, and overall bad splicing (with both the CRIME and HOT SCOTS footage), and we have a farce. A lot of these jumps result from Jules White's efforts to remove most all traces of Lester Allen, but he failed at doing that anyhow.

Barbara Bartay just sucks. She's not that good looking, she has a horrible accent, and she's a terrible actress. All the stuff Moe pulls out of her purse is amusing only for the amount and the lack of reaction Moe gives to what he finds. But she's just pathetic the entire way with it. Lester Allen and Cy Schindell came back from the dead for this one... and it killed them again, I do believe.

Kenneth MacDonald is seamless in his new scenes. The man was just incredibly talented, but I have ranted enough about how he is arguably the best actor to ever appear in a Stooge short even if he didn't provide the laughs that Vernon Dent and Bud Jamison did. We only have one more short with him in it, as I don't think he had any new scenes in SCHEMING SCHEMERS, did he? And BLUNDER BOYS being Kenneth's only non-villain role to boot!

The new scenes aren't even funny. They cut out bits here and there, like the second mint Shemp eats before the diamond. The scene in the room with the chest and the bum in the bed was humorless and added nothing to the plot. And the ending was just plain gruesome... they KILL Shemp at the end! They KILL him! They put a drill through his stomach and other awful things to close out the short.

I judge stock jobs based on how the shorts are merged and how good the new scenes are, therefore this short can...

BURN IN HELL^TM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1/10

It just wouldn't be a bad short if it didn't have Paul Pain's official, "This short can burn in hell!"

Lefty · **Reply #14 on:** July 02, 2016, 10:31:35 AM

Probably the only good thing is Moe taking items out of Barbara Bartay's handbag. And yes, her Czech attempt at a Cockney accent is stupendous! Colossal! Putrid!

Big Chief Apumtagribonitz · **Reply #15 on:** July 04, 2016, 09:56:29 PM

Really, the best you can say about any of these is that nobody expected them ever to be seen again. This was a last squeeze of a dry sponge to drip a few more dollars out of old shorts ( as I've said before, I think they added the absolute minimum amount of new footage, perhaps required by copywright law, to be released as new to the distributors ) and then expected the reels to be melted back down or just be cut up into ukulele picks. No one, but no one, cared. And, even at this All-World site, there's only maybe fifteen of us still watching, so they might have been right.

Big Chief Apumtagribonitz · **Reply #16 on:** July 04, 2016, 10:45:26 PM

Kopfy's contention is that some remakes are better than the originals, decidedly NOT including Crime/Ice. My own opinion, reiterated to the point of boredom, I'm sure, is that NONE of the remakes, including the Curly-to-Curlys, the Curly-to-Shemps, the Shemp-to-Shemps, nor the Shemp-to-Joes, holds a candle to the original, even if the original was not a classic. I find the remakes so cheesy, so derivative, so corny ( that's Jules White's direction ) so slow, so glaringly obvious technically and so badly acted, that it depresses me beyond words to watch them, even though I've promised to stick it out to the end. As best I can tell, these remakes started coming out on my local channel in Boston in 1961, when I was about eight, and even at that young age, all the kids were saying WTF? Who are they trying to fool? Turns out they were'nt trying to fool anybody, they were just getting one last wring out of that dry sponge.

Paul Pain · **Reply #17 on:** July 07, 2016, 01:25:10 PM

Quote from: Signor Spumoni on July 01, 2016, 02:37:41 PM

It just wouldn't be a bad short if it didn't have Paul Pain's official, "This short can burn in hell!"

Aww...

Curly Van Dyke · **Reply #18 on:** November 19, 2016, 01:59:27 PM

Barbara Bartay may be a Lousy Actress,but she sure looked Hot in that tight Sweater.
RUFF RUFF!!!!!!!

Woe-ee-Woe-Woe80 · **Reply #19 on:** December 08, 2017, 10:04:53 PM

This short had potential to be a decent remake of the near classic "Crime On Their Hands" if the short ended differently (I won't spoil how this short ends) than what it did, the new ending made me cringe, I did enjoy the rest of the new footage blending in with the old footage, there is one scene where you can see Joe Palma's face filling in as "Muscles" (originally played by Cy Schindell).

Overall I give this short a 4/10 (would've rated it higher if it had a better ending).

Tony Bensley · **Reply #20 on:** February 02, 2018, 07:43:50 PM

HOT ICE can best be summed up as a HOT MESS!

1/10

CHEERS!

metaldams · **Reply #21 on:** November 10, 2020, 07:49:47 PM

Quote from: GreenCanaries on June 24, 2016, 03:46:03 PM

Ah, the Czech-Scottish accent has arrived...

I just watched this one today and really noticed this with our favorite Czechmate, Ms. Bartay. Maybe British and not Scottish, but yes, it’s an uncomfortable Eastern European attempt. “‘ere, ‘ere.” and “Ain’t ever ‘eard of him.”

Shemp_Diesel · **Reply #22 on:** September 08, 2021, 06:47:53 PM

Nothing new to contribute really--I haven't watched this mess of a 2-reeler since my initial purchase of the Volume 8 DVD way back when. Basically, I just wanted to reminisce about how years ago when watching the stooges and first getting hip to these Shemp recycles was the fascination I had back then of when the new footage would pop up & the noticeable change in the stooges appearance & even sometimes their wardrobe would be slightly different despite what may have been Jules White's best efforts to line everything up back then.

But, that teenage fascination I had with the stock-footage jobs back then--now, at the ripe old age of 39, my contention is I never want to watch a majority of these shorts again. And--so far--I've stuck to that resolution (along with the Bessers)....

metaldams · **Reply #23 on:** September 08, 2021, 07:34:47 PM

Quote from: Shemp_Diesel on September 08, 2021, 06:47:53 PM

Nothing new to contribute really--I haven't watched this mess of a 2-reeler since my initial purchase of the Volume 8 DVD way back when. Basically, I just wanted to reminisce about how years ago when watching the stooges and first getting hip to these Shemp recycles was the fascination I had back then of when the new footage would pop up & the noticeable change in the stooges appearance & even sometimes their wardrobe would be slightly different despite what may have been Jules White's best efforts to line everything up back then.

But, that teenage fascination I had with the stock-footage jobs back then--now, at the ripe old age of 39, my contention is I never want to watch a majority of these shorts again. And--so far--I've stuck to that resolution (along with the Bessers)....

I tried watching all 190 in order within the past year. Got through the Curly shorts no problem. Original Shemp no problem. Plowing through the remakes, I was getting so bored I didn’t have the stamina to go through Besser.

I think maybe I can piecemeal one occasionally and even then, when I haven’t seen the original in a while.

Dr. Mabuse · **Reply #24 on:** September 08, 2021, 08:26:11 PM

Quote from: Shemp_Diesel on September 08, 2021, 06:47:53 PM

I just wanted to reminisce about how years ago when watching the stooges and first getting hip to these Shemp recycles was the fascination I had back then of when the new footage would pop up & the noticeable change in the stooges appearance & even sometimes their wardrobe would be slightly different despite what may have been Jules White's best efforts to line everything up back then.

Watching the recycled Shemp shorts was my childhood introduction to "stock footage" — followed by the Popeye "cheaters" produced by Famous Studios in the late 1940s and early 1950s.