Scheming Schemers (1956)

metaldams · **on:** August 19, 2016, 02:56:41 PM

http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/172
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049722/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

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

Watch SCHEMING SCHEMERS in the link above

Why by no means a comic masterpiece, SCHEMING SCHEMERS is hands down the best of the Palma efforts and perhaps the most interesting of all the Shemp recycles. Getting the Palma aspect out of the way, he's thankfully barely here. One shot of him covering himself with pipes. No Shemp noises, no lines, no physical comedy, and the world is better off for it. I'm sure even poor Joe Palma may have been relieved.

Another thing SCHEMING SCHEMERS makes me wonder is if Moe and Larry felt burdened by the name The THREE Stooges at this time. Look at The Bowery Boys. They went through so many different numbered combinations it's ridiculous. No number or names on their marquee, so they could morph as they please. With the name The Three Stooges, there had to be three guys. Obviously having Three Stooges worked well in the long run but Moe and Larry work the majority of their scenes without any version of Shemp here, stock footage or otherwise, and do a nice job. Surely, if just billed as The Stooges all these years, Moe and Larry could have continued just the two of them without having to find some other comedian to fit into an already well established formula.

Other than Moe and Larry doing well in the bathroom scenes together, the pie fight is OK, though the cheapness of the new footage contrasts with the old. Kenneth MacDonald has aged as well as Moe compared to the old footage, and that HALF-WITS HOLIDAY pie fight, which gets milked more than any other Stooge footage, gets milked again, no third Stooge present, just like the original. Creepy. Notice the dubbed Emil Sitka line about Symona needing to change her clothes. This is strictly so her sword of Damocles stock footage makes sense with her in a new outfit. Speaking of aging, the 1946 footage of Symona looks much younger than the 1949 footage, no doubt she was getting sick. I was alarmed at the difference. Also, SCHEMING SCHEMERS is the mutt of all Stooge shorts. A PLUMBING WE WILL GO, VAGABOND LOAFERS, HALF-WITS HOLIDAY and new footage is all used, 16 years in the making!

An OK film to watch without knowing any better, but this short ultimately has a few minutes of new laughs with stuff we've mostly seen before, as good as some of it is. One more recycle left, and FINALLY, we get to Besser.

6/10

Paul Pain · **Reply #1 on:** August 19, 2016, 03:34:34 PM

Required reading:
(1) VAGABOND LOAFERS thread
(2) A PLUMBING WE WILL GO thread
(3) HALF-WITS HOLIDAY thread

We have finally reached rock bottom. The Fake Shemp concept is such pure crap that they'll cover up with five minutes of The Two Stooges! At least the new bathroom scenes have some quality to them... some. The highlight is when Moe thinks Larry has really fallen down the drain. That's it... and that's only worth smiling over.

What a horrible way for Kenneth MacDonald to go out, with one of the 3 or 4 worst Stooges scenes of all time, including Besser and DeRita, and easily the worst food fight.

This short is just so poorly contrived that it's obvious that they have something to hide. The new scenes are not logically interspersed with the old. The overdubs are painfully bad and obvious and not tonally proper with the original basement set.

Quote from: ThreeStooges.net

The "Insensitivity Award" goes to...
Whoever thought it would be funny to close out the short with Moe asking "Hey, where is that puddinhead' Shemp?" And then Moe and Larry look heavenward [to the 2nd floor, where Shemp was trapped in a maze of stock footage]. One can only guess what was going thru Moe's thoughts when he was directed to perform that short sequence.

I agree whole-heartedly with this assessment. Whoever thought he had a funny sense of humor was a human piece of shit, plain and simple.

This short can... BURN IN HELL^TM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

0/10

metaldams · **Reply #2 on:** August 19, 2016, 05:07:17 PM

Quote from: Paul Pain on August 19, 2016, 03:34:34 PM

Required reading:
(1) VAGABOND LOAFERS thread
(2) A PLUMBING WE WILL GO thread
(3) HALF-WITS HOLIDAY thread

We have finally reached rock bottom. The Fake Shemp concept is such pure crap that they'll cover up with five minutes of The Two Stooges! At least the new bathroom scenes have some quality to them... some. The highlight is when Moe thinks Larry has really fallen down the drain. That's it... and that's only worth smiling over.

What a horrible way for Kenneth MacDonald to go out, with one of the 3 or 4 worst Stooges scenes of all time, including Besser and DeRita, and easily the worst food fight.

This short is just so poorly contrived that it's obvious that they have something to hide. The new scenes are not logically interspersed with the old. The overdubs are painfully bad and obvious and not tonally proper with the original basement set.

I agree whole-heartedly with this assessment. Whoever thought he had a funny sense of humor was a human piece of shit, plain and simple.

This short can... BURN IN HELL^TM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

0/10

I think having two Stooges while separating Shemp through stock footage plotting is better than having a double say lines and pantomime. The low point of the concept to me was the previous two shorts, I think they just slightly came to their senses here. It also makes me wonder, if the name had been different, if Moe and Larry could have carried on by themselves.

Shemp_Diesel · **Reply #3 on:** August 19, 2016, 07:01:34 PM

Another week of the Shemp "post mortem" doldrums--but I will say, rewatching this one recently, it's slightly better than the 2 shitfests that preceded it. Not that Schemers is good by any stretch of the imagination, but I will admit to getting some big laughs from Moe and Larry as the "Two Stooges" in the opening bathroom scenes--in particular, the scene Paul Pain previously pointed out when Moe thinks Larry fell down the drain.

The Joe Palma aspect is mercifully short this time around and in next week's short--as I'm sure Jules and everyone else involved finally realized how ridiculous the whole thing was.

But, those few opening moments with Moe & Larry aside, this is another poor stock job with painfully bad overdubs & the pie fight is painfully bad--especially all that stock footage from Holiday. And the ending with Moe & Larry looking skyward--as Frasier Crane would say "oh dear god."

Can't believe I'm to the point where I'm almost thirsty for a Joe Besser short...

3 out of 10....

Paul Pain · **Reply #4 on:** August 20, 2016, 09:30:03 AM

Quote from: metaldams on August 19, 2016, 05:07:17 PM

I think having two Stooges while separating Shemp through stock footage plotting is better than having a double say lines and pantomime. The low point of the concept to me was the previous two shorts, I think they just slightly came to their senses here. It also makes me wonder, if the name had been different, if Moe and Larry could have carried on by themselves.

Maybe, but for a short passed-off as "The Three Stooges" it sure falls short. It's not even a logically ordered short. It's just a desperation attempt, as next week's short will also be.

And we forgot about "Fake Christine" too.

Lefty · **Reply #5 on:** August 20, 2016, 10:30:59 AM

"Scheming Schemers" -- is that the title of this Two Stooges' short, or is it the schlemiels at Columbia who decided to do this?

As for Kenneth MacDonald, his getting plunked by the pipe in "Vagabond Loafers" was much better than the pie-fight procession. Maybe this was why he was not in any Joe shows.

Regardless of the inefficiency of this short, I still enjoy the new bathroom scene with Larry's extra "you" in it:

Larry: "I gotta wash my hands. Who do you think you I am, anyhow?"
Moe: "Hey, Anyhow."
(Moe jams plunger on Larry's forehead.)
Moe: "Come on, come on, Anyhow!"

Kopfy2013 · **Reply #6 on:** August 20, 2016, 03:26:08 PM

A ton of cuts ... Most make sense but short is rushed/chaotic.

I give it a 6.

Props to Ms. McIntyre one of my faves.

QuinceHead · **Reply #7 on:** August 20, 2016, 07:58:51 PM

I was going to comment on the poor taste of this short's ending, but I see other posters have already beaten me to it...

For duty and humanity,
JohnH aka QuinceHead

QuinceHead · **Reply #8 on:** August 20, 2016, 08:04:57 PM

Plus, the new footage was shot only six weeks after Shemp's death!! $:-\$

For duty and humanity,
JohnH aka QuinceHead

QuinceHead · **Reply #9 on:** August 20, 2016, 08:08:17 PM

As for Simona Boniface, she died of pancreatic cancer in September 1950 at the age of 56; her last "live" appearance in a Stooges short was 1949's "Vagabond Loafers".

After "Scheming Schemers", she would be resurrected once again in "Pies and Guys"...

For duty and humanity,
JohnH aka QuinceHead

BeatleShemp · **Reply #10 on:** August 21, 2016, 09:06:34 AM

I have to say that this one is probably my favorite of the "fake Shemp" shorts as well. The new scenes with Moe and Larry in the washroom was just hilarious to me. When Moe reaches down the hole and grabs a chunk of Larry's hair and says: "I got part of him. I'll have to take him out in pieces" makes me laugh every time. I like the twist that the ring has been in Larry's hair the whole time. As for the pie fight stuff, I always love the HOLIDAY footage. There is a bit where Moe is coming up to throw a pie and Larry comes up behind him and cracks him in the back of the head with one. You see Larry momentarily laugh and break character; then when Larry covers his face and asks: "Are you here Moe?" "No I just left!" he lets his guard down and Moe gets him. It is pretty hilarious. There hardly had been any Stooge slapstick in the previous two remakes, and here we get a nice dose of it. The pipes obstructing Joe Palma's face was a good cover, and that he only appears in that tiny scene. I bet it was hard to have some sort of dialogue with Shemp after his passing, but they had to for the sake that they had four shorts with Shemp in their contract left to film. 7 out of 10 pokes for me.

Dr. Hugo Gansamacher · **Reply #11 on:** August 21, 2016, 07:42:41 PM

Quote from: metaldams on August 19, 2016, 05:07:17 PM

I think having two Stooges while separating Shemp through stock footage plotting is better than having a double say lines and pantomime. The low point of the concept to me was the previous two shorts, I think they just slightly came to their senses here.

Yep.

Quote from: Paul Pain on August 19, 2016, 03:34:34 PM

At least the new bathroom scenes have some quality to them... some. The highlight is when Moe thinks Larry has really fallen down the drain. That's it... and that's only worth smiling over.

Yep.

You can gauge my enthusiasm for this short by my loquacity.

Big Chief Apumtagribonitz · **Reply #12 on:** August 22, 2016, 01:07:03 PM

And next week is Hoofs and Goofs. Out of the frying pan into the fire. May I suggest that in order to refresh our palates ahead of time, so to speak, we go to YouTube and watch Besser on the Abbott and Costello Show. The prints are excellent, and the chemistry between Besser and Costello is great. THAT'S Besser at his best. If they had gotten that anarchy into the stooge shorts, they might have had something. The A&C shows also answer the controversy about Besser not wanting to get hit, which wasn't really true, anyway. He and Costello never stop pounding on each other.

metaldams · **Reply #13 on:** August 22, 2016, 05:33:11 PM

Quote from: Big Chief Apumtagribonitz on August 22, 2016, 01:07:03 PM

And next week is Hoofs and Goofs. Out of the frying pan into the fire. May I suggest that in order to refresh our palates ahead of time, so to speak, we go to YouTube and watch Besser on the Abbott and Costello Show. The prints are excellent, and the chemistry between Besser and Costello is great. THAT'S Besser at his best. If they had gotten that anarchy into the stooge shorts, they might have had something. The A&C shows also answer the controversy about Besser not wanting to get hit, which wasn't really true, anyway. He and Costello never stop pounding on each other.

We actually have one more Shemp to go, but you know what...posting some A&C with Besser before we get to the dreaded 16 maybe a good idea. I'll do so soon if no one else does.

Curly Van Dyke · **Reply #14 on:** November 20, 2016, 02:38:14 PM

I think the editors should have gotten an Oscar for all the Patchwork that went into this!!!
There's even a Female Joe Palma Doubling for Christine with her back to the Camera!!!

Woe-ee-Woe-Woe80 · **Reply #15 on:** December 07, 2017, 09:58:40 PM

The only fake Shemp short I can tolerate because the new footage with Moe & Larry was really good and it was great seeing those two together, there are times I wish you can see a stooge short with both Moe & Larry together because they have such great chemistry together, this short is also IMO one of the better Shemp rehashed shorts as well, I give this short a 6/10 because it has a decent amount of new footage and it was enjoyable to watch.

Tony Bensley · **Reply #16 on:** February 04, 2018, 04:19:43 PM

I'm in the I found SCHEMING SCHEMERS to actually be an OK short despite its Mutt status in utilizing footage from 1940 and 1949. Unlike the first two Fake Shemp efforts, the new footage works pretty well for me, and I found the face concealment by way of carrying a load of plumbing tools, by the briefly used Joe Palma was cleverly done, and didn't seem contrived. The ending with Shemp stuck in the pipes also wasn't the worst one for a Three Stooges short, in my opinion.

By the way, does anyone know the name of the actress who played the back of Christine McIntyre's head? I did pick up on that thankfully brief bit when viewing this short.

SCHEMING SCHEMERS gets 7/10 from me.

CHEERS!

Paul Pain · **Reply #17 on:** February 04, 2018, 04:49:15 PM

Quote from: Tony Bensley on February 04, 2018, 04:19:43 PM

By the way, does anyone know the name of the actress who played the back of Christine McIntyre's head?

It may have been Beverly Thomas, who was the more-than-obvious "Christine McIntyre" in BUBBLE TROUBLE. We need GreenCanaries on this.

GreenCanaries · **Reply #18 on:** February 05, 2018, 12:24:04 AM

Quote from: Paul Pain on February 04, 2018, 04:49:15 PM

We need GreenCanaries on this.

I can usually identify certain people from the front of the head, but not so good with the back. Sorry.

Dr. Mabuse · **Reply #19 on:** December 11, 2020, 05:59:44 PM

The best of the Palma jobs and one of the more tolerable stock-footage jamborees. Fake Shemp is kept to a bare minimum while the new scenes with Moe and Larry are quite funny. It's nice to see Dudley Dickerson one last time, but I didn't realize how much Kenneth MacDonald aged in the new footage. All things considered, "Scheming Schemers" is better than it has any right to be.

6/10

Daddy Dewdrop · **Reply #20 on:** August 15, 2021, 08:38:10 AM

Coming in at #154 on my worst-to-first countdown is this "fake Shemp" special. Thankfully, Palma is only (almost) seen very briefly. The bright spot is the opening drain scene with Moe and Larry. Overall, not good, but not bad either.

#154. Scheming Schemers

Shemp_Diesel · **Reply #21 on:** September 19, 2021, 12:16:32 PM

I don't know if this is the proper analogy, but I found most of the editing on this short--particularly the overdubs--to be of an "Ed Wood" quality. Or maybe a better way to say it is "it sucks balls," especially the contrivance of Emil dubbing the line "change your clothes dear" so that stock shot of Symona from 1947 can be used...