http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/278http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0171919/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ6u3UJEVuAWatch WHERE THE PEST BEGINS in the link above
Kind of the first Shemp solo Columbia film where Shemp is Shemp...kind of. I'll get to that in a moment, but first things first. WHERE THE PEST BEGINS brings us a world never touched upon in a Stooge short, a world where both Christine McIntyre and Rebel Randall co-exist. Not only do they co-exist, but they are married to Tom Kennedy and Shemp, respectively. Only in Hollywood. Both ladies are lovely, and are absolutely sweet as well, especially Christine. You can tell so much they want everybody to just get along. Both very endearing characters, any guy would be lucky to have them as wives. A pleasure seeing these two ladies on the screen.
Now for Shemp. The very first scene in the film, he's being a swell guy, making breakfast for his wife. Of course, he screws everything up and gets in his little one liners as he's doing so. Lots of messy slapstick, and it's Shemp as we know and love him. After this, he's with his dog, who starts to cause havoc on the moving neighbors, and Shemp's reaction is.....joy. Yeah, he's basically a sadistic bastard in this film, or "pest" as the title implies. Let's also not forget the way he ogles his neighbor's wife. The main reason why I can't rate this a classic like I did years ago is because now I realize what an unlikable character Shemp is. Perhaps I'm forgetting something, but for all the destruction The Three Stooges caused over the years, it was rarely done out of malice to innocents. If they'd wreck someone's home, it was out of incompetence. Here, Shemp finds glee in Tom Kennedy falling into a barrel of dishes or his dog attacking a mover. I guess they haven't figured out how to write for Shemp yet, and really, he really feels at home when he's a Stooge. Funny, I don't feel this way about Shemp at Vitaphone. Perhaps there is some truth that outside of The Three Stooges, character was less of a strong point than gag at Columbia.
Truthfully, it's the likability of the Shemp character that's the issue for me. The pacing, the slapstick, the outdoor settings, the acting, everything else is fine. I'll still rate this as the best Shemp solo up to this point because at least they're getting closer in a slapstick sense for Shemp, but character wise, a little off.
Interestingly enough, directed by Harry Langdon and shunned Three Stooges and Vera Vague director, Harry Edwards.
7/10