Soitenly
Moronika
The community forum of ThreeStooges.net

Paul Pain's Stooge Short Tournament - Preliminary Round 4

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Paul Pain

  • Moronika's resident meteorologist
  • Bunionhead
  • ******
    • Posts: 2,007
    • Karma: +0/-0
    • Gender:Male
  • The heartthrob of millions!
Here we go!  Pick your favorite short from each pair (or triplet)!  The ones with most votes advance to the Priminary Final.  For your benefit, I have linked the discussion to each respective short from metaldams' reviews.   These are seeded in order by ThreeStooges.net ratings.  The winner of of Bracket 1 goes onto be seed 127 in the big board, and the winner of Bracket 2 goes on to be 128.  If we have enough fun with this, maybe we can push these brackets long enough to achieve an order of 1-190 by these methods?  [pie] [3stooges] ;) ::)

Edit: in case of a tie, both shorts advance, and there will be three shorts squaring off based on where the lower ranked short would have been.

=========================================Bracket 1===========================================================
137 A GEM OF A JAM vs. 155 MONKEY BUSINESSMEN
141 CUCKOO ON A CHOO CHOO vs. 145 THE GHOST TALKS

=========================================Bracket 2===========================================================
128 UP IN DAISY'S PENTHOUSE vs. 138 IF A BODY MEETS A BODY
130 SOCK-A-BYE BABY vs. 136 SHOT IN THE FRONTIER
« Last Edit: February 15, 2017, 10:52:03 AM by Paul Pain »
#1 fire kibitzer


Offline Paul Pain

  • Moronika's resident meteorologist
  • Bunionhead
  • ******
    • Posts: 2,007
    • Karma: +0/-0
    • Gender:Male
  • The heartthrob of millions!
=========================================Bracket 1===========================================================
137 A GEM OF A JAM vs. 155 MONKEY BUSINESSMEN
141 CUCKOO ON A CHOO CHOO vs. 145 THE GHOST TALKS

=========================================Bracket 2===========================================================
128 UP IN DAISY'S PENTHOUSE vs. 138 IF A BODY MEETS A BODY
130 SOCK-A-BYE BABY vs. 136 SHOT IN THE FRONTIER
#1 fire kibitzer


Offline Umbrella Sam

  • Toastmaster General
  • Knothead
  • *****
    • Posts: 1,016
    • Karma: +0/-0
    • Gender:Male
    • Talk About Cinema
Bracket 1
A GEM OF A JAM
THE GHOST TALKS

Bracket 2
UP IN DAISY'S PENTHOUSE
SHOT IN THE FRONTIER
“I’ll take a milkshake...with sour milk!” -Shemp (Punchy Cowpunchers, 1950)

My blog: https://talk-about-cinema.blogspot.com


Offline metaldams

  • Global Moderator
  • Egghead
  • ******
    • Posts: 9,616
    • Karma: +18/-0
    • Gender:Male
Monkey Businessmen
Cuckoo on a Choo Choo

Up in Daisy's Penthouse
Shot in the Frontier
- Doug Sarnecky



Offline Shemp_Diesel

  • Chowderhead
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,016
    • Karma: +0/-0
    • Gender:Male
Monkey Businessmen
Cuckoo on a Choo Choo

Up in Daisy's Penthouse
Sock-a-Bye Baby
Talbot's body is the perfect home for the Monster's brain, which I will add to and subtract from in my experiments.


Offline CurlyFan1934

  • Beetlebrain
  • **
    • Posts: 80
    • Karma: +0/-0
A GEM OF A JAM
CUCKOO ON A CHOO CHOO

IF A BODY MEETS A BODY
SHOT IN THE FRONTIER


Offline Lefty

  • Birdbrain
  • ****
    • Posts: 708
    • Karma: +2/-0
=========================================Bracket 1===========================================================
137 A GEM OF A JAM
145 THE GHOST TALKS

=========================================Bracket 2===========================================================
138 IF A BODY MEETS A BODY
130 SOCK-A-BYE BABY


Offline luke795

  • Chucklehead
  • ***
    • Posts: 215
    • Karma: +0/-0
    • Gender:Male
Bracket 1
A GEM OF A JAM
THE GHOST TALKS

Bracket 2
UP IN DAISY'S PENTHOUSE
SHOT IN THE FRONTIER



Offline Percy Pomeroy

  • Beetlebrain
  • **
    • Posts: 77
    • Karma: +0/-0
    • Gender:Male
Bracket 1

137 A GEM OF A JAM
141 CUCKOO ON A CHOO CHOO

Bracket 2

138 IF A BODY MEETS A BODY
130 SOCK-A-BYE BABY


Offline Squirrelbait

  • Puddinhead
  • ***
    • Posts: 266
    • Karma: +0/-0
BRACKET 1
A Gem Of A Jam
The Ghost Talks

BRACKET 2
If A Body Meets A Body
Sock-A-Bye Baby
If there's no other place around the place, I reckon this must be the place, I reckon.


Offline Umbday

  • Grapehead
  • *
    • Posts: 41
    • Karma: +0/-0
Bracket 1
137 A GEM OF A JAM
141 CUCKOO ON A CHOO CHOO

Bracket 2
128 UP IN DAISY'S PENTHOUSE
130 SOCK-A-BYE BABY


Offline Paul Pain

  • Moronika's resident meteorologist
  • Bunionhead
  • ******
    • Posts: 2,007
    • Karma: +0/-0
    • Gender:Male
  • The heartthrob of millions!
And... Preliminary Round 4 is official!

=========================================Bracket 1===========================================================
137 A GEM OF A JAM 8 defeats 155 MONKEY BUSINESSMEN 3
141 CUCKOO ON A CHOO CHOO 6 defeats 145 THE GHOST TALKS 5


=========================================Bracket 2===========================================================
128 UP IN DAISY'S PENTHOUSE 6 defeats 138 IF A BODY MEETS A BODY 5
130 SOCK-A-BYE BABY 6 defeats 136 SHOT IN THE FRONTIER 5

I can't see how any sane person could think SUCK-A-BYE-BABY is better than SHOT IN THE FRONTIER... one of the worst fully original plots with Curly against one of the better original plots with Shemp... oh, well, onward we go!
#1 fire kibitzer


Offline Umbrella Sam

  • Toastmaster General
  • Knothead
  • *****
    • Posts: 1,016
    • Karma: +0/-0
    • Gender:Male
    • Talk About Cinema
Forgive me, Paul, but I counted 6 for DAISY'S PENTHOUSE.
“I’ll take a milkshake...with sour milk!” -Shemp (Punchy Cowpunchers, 1950)

My blog: https://talk-about-cinema.blogspot.com


Offline metaldams

  • Global Moderator
  • Egghead
  • ******
    • Posts: 9,616
    • Karma: +18/-0
    • Gender:Male
Forgive me, Paul, but I counted 6 for DAISY'S PENTHOUSE.

Yes, I too am counting Daisy 6, Body 5
- Doug Sarnecky


Offline Paul Pain

  • Moronika's resident meteorologist
  • Bunionhead
  • ******
    • Posts: 2,007
    • Karma: +0/-0
    • Gender:Male
  • The heartthrob of millions!
I indeed made a mistake!  Fixed.  Either way, we know the 128th seed will be pure shit compared to #2 BRIDELESS GROOM!
#1 fire kibitzer


Offline Percy Pomeroy

  • Beetlebrain
  • **
    • Posts: 77
    • Karma: +0/-0
    • Gender:Male
I can't see how any sane person could think SUCK-A-BYE-BABY is better than SHOT IN THE FRONTIER... one of the worst fully original plots with Curly against one of the better original plots with Shemp... oh, well, onward we go!

Regarding my sanity, I plead the fifth. However, I do judge Shot In The Frontier to be plodding and unmemorable and nowhere near the top echelon of Shemp shorts. Sock-A-Bye-Baby is solidly mediocre, but at least has one laugh of loud moment, when Curly forces Moe's face into the steering wheel when they are hiding from the police.


Offline Big Chief Apumtagribonitz

  • Knothead
  • *****
    • Posts: 1,019
    • Karma: +0/-0
Sock-a-bye Baby has TWO major LOL moments, the other one being Curly dreamily mashing Moe's head in the refrigerator door.  Quick but killer.  Glad this made the cut without my having to remind you mental giants about this glorious stooge moment.  I like the short anyway, but those two gorgeous laughs  place this very high on my personal list.


Offline Big Chief Apumtagribonitz

  • Knothead
  • *****
    • Posts: 1,019
    • Karma: +0/-0
And oh, yes, if you've been voting for Cuckoo On A Choo-Choo, please stop.  We get it that you're an iconoclast and see angles and depths and merit even in the worst of these things, and that you are in agreement with the premise that a movie can be so bad it's good.   This premise has been around for a long time, even maybe a hundred years or so, let's say, in the comedy genre, at least since Mack Sennett.  But in order for a film to be " so bad it's good ", by definition it has to be bad. Choo Choo is bad.  Really bad.  It seems to me that almost all of the defenders of Cuckoo  defend it on the grounds of 1.) it's experimental  and 2.) It's so bad it's good.  Even the defenders admit it's bad.  They're right: it's bad.  It's really bad.  It blows chunks.  The Ghost Talks is no masterpiece, but it's good stooges compared to Cuckoo On A Choo Choo, and now Choo Choo has defeated Ghost Talks.  Choo Choo is bad, friends, it has no right to be in the running, even in the early-elimination rounds, for consideration as the best stooge short, which, unless I'm mistaken, is what we're doing here.  We've just been through an election where the worst man won, let's not go through this again.
     And everybody please go back and take a peek at how many contributors we had a couple of years ago, at the height of the weekly episode discussions, at say 1940 Curly.  Go back and look at all the familiar names and opinions that vanished just about the times that the bad Shemps and the Bessers and the Derita features came along.  They're just not interested in discussing the dreck, and they disappeared rather than try to find anything legit in junk like Cuckoo.  There's only about ten of us left contributing regularly, and it may be because we're being asked to give serious consideration to garbage like Cuckoo on a Choo Choo.


Offline metaldams

  • Global Moderator
  • Egghead
  • ******
    • Posts: 9,616
    • Karma: +18/-0
    • Gender:Male
And oh, yes, if you've been voting for Cuckoo On A Choo-Choo, please stop.  We get it that you're an iconoclast and see angles and depths and merit even in the worst of these things, and that you are in agreement with the premise that a movie can be so bad it's good.   This premise has been around for a long time, even maybe a hundred years or so, let's say, in the comedy genre, at least since Mack Sennett.  But in order for a film to be " so bad it's good ", by definition it has to be bad. Choo Choo is bad.  Really bad.  It seems to me that almost all of the defenders of Cuckoo  defend it on the grounds of 1.) it's experimental  and 2.) It's so bad it's good.  Even the defenders admit it's bad.  They're right: it's bad.  It's really bad.  It blows chunks.  The Ghost Talks is no masterpiece, but it's good stooges compared to Cuckoo On A Choo Choo, and now Choo Choo has defeated Ghost Talks.  Choo Choo is bad, friends, it has no right to be in the running, even in the early-elimination rounds, for consideration as the best stooge short, which, unless I'm mistaken, is what we're doing here.  We've just been through an election where the worst man won, let's not go through this again.
     And everybody please go back and take a peek at how many contributors we had a couple of years ago, at the height of the weekly episode discussions, at say 1940 Curly.  Go back and look at all the familiar names and opinions that vanished just about the times that the bad Shemps and the Bessers and the Derita features came along.  They're just not interested in discussing the dreck, and they disappeared rather than try to find anything legit in junk like Cuckoo.  There's only about ten of us left contributing regularly, and it may be because we're being asked to give serious consideration to garbage like Cuckoo on a Choo Choo.

     I genuinely like CUCKOO, always have, and it has nothing to do with being iconoclast.  It's because when I watch that film, I'm entertained, simple enough, so my vote, as I'm sure that of others, is genuine.  I also think the constant stream of recycles, Palma, Besser, and Derita has much more to do with less participation than films like CUCKOO, which is actually interesting and got a good amount of views and replies. 
- Doug Sarnecky


Offline Paul Pain

  • Moronika's resident meteorologist
  • Bunionhead
  • ******
    • Posts: 2,007
    • Karma: +0/-0
    • Gender:Male
  • The heartthrob of millions!
I have never thought of CUCKOO as bad; it's just not typical Stooge fare.  But I see why you don't like it.  I immensely enjoy parodies, though.
#1 fire kibitzer


Offline Paul Pain

  • Moronika's resident meteorologist
  • Bunionhead
  • ******
    • Posts: 2,007
    • Karma: +0/-0
    • Gender:Male
  • The heartthrob of millions!
And everybody please go back and take a peek at how many contributors we had a couple of years ago, at the height of the weekly episode discussions, at say 1940 Curly.  Go back and look at all the familiar names and opinions that vanished just about the times that the bad Shemps and the Bessers and the Derita features came along.  They're just not interested in discussing the dreck, and they disappeared rather than try to find anything legit in junk like Cuckoo.  There's only about ten of us left contributing regularly, and it may be because we're being asked to give serious consideration to garbage like Cuckoo on a Choo Choo.

People go, and people come; but the amount of contributors was about constant... the amount of debating, however, fell off a cliff big time.
#1 fire kibitzer


Offline Percy Pomeroy

  • Beetlebrain
  • **
    • Posts: 77
    • Karma: +0/-0
    • Gender:Male
Chief, thanks for getting me to watch Choo Choo again this morning. It was even better than I remembered.

I agree with Metal, I like Choo Choo because it's very funny. It has perhaps the best prop in Stooge history, the little brown jug that plays How Dry I Am. Thankfully, Shemp seems to have an endless supply of them, because they keep getting broken over the Stooge's heads. Choo Choo has great dialogue, slapstick and sound effects. Everything that you would want in a Stooge short. Additionally, I enjoyed these little tidbits: Lenore channeling Moe (she calls Larry a porcupine and rips out his hair), Shemp wearing a Do Not Disturb sign throughout much of the short and the evil plan to have Roberta marry a drunk just because he's rich. Choo Choo has a bravura Shemp performance and is clearly the class of this field and would probably be a candidate for my own top 50.

Is Choo Choo considered experimental because it's supposed to be a parody? Maybe. Being a philistine, I am unfamiliar with A Streetcar Named Desire , so I just enjoy Choo Choo at its face value. Is it weird because of the giant bird? Yes, a little. The scenes with the hokey canary aren't very funny and keep this short from being a true gem.


Offline Shemp_Diesel

  • Chowderhead
  • ******
    • Posts: 3,016
    • Karma: +0/-0
    • Gender:Male
Yeah, I'm not going to try to defend why I love Choo Choo--all I know is, whenever I watch it, I laugh my ass off & it's a great 16 minute ride.

 :D
Talbot's body is the perfect home for the Monster's brain, which I will add to and subtract from in my experiments.