Topic: Pardon My Terror (1946) - Schilling & Lane

[Paul Pain]

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0147148/
https://threestooges.net/filmography/episode/466



YOU'RE NEXT!: https://moronika.com/forums/index.php/topic,6621.0.html
WHO DONE IT?: https://moronika.com/forums/index.php/topic,5542.0.html
FOR CRIMIN' OUT LOUD: https://moronika.com/forums/index.php/topic,5726.0.html

We enter part 2 of the quadrilogy with PARDON MY TERROR.  This was the successor to last week's short, YOU'RE NEXT!, which I have linked.   This is eventually succeeded by WHO DONE IT?  This short was supposed to be a Three Stooges short, but Curly's illness prevented this.  They ran the script as is, with the lines divided between the two.

PARDON MY TERROR is a physical short for non-Stooge Columbia fare, with Dick Lane whacking Gus Schilling (no relation to retired pitcher Curt) several times in this short.  They were one of Columbia's strongest non-Stooge teams, and this short shows why when viewed in light of the circumstances.  Of course, one can only wonder what the original script was.

Schilling is a goofball in good ways and adapts himself well to Curly's parts.  They do a nice job with the "It's warm in here" gag, and overall carry the product well.  In particular, they do well with what is a scare comedy.  Dick Lane does well as the big bully and really carries himself as the team leader.

The plot is basic and similar to what we are familiar with.  There aren't really notable weaknesses in the script that would detract from this.  The opening scenes do well as a transition and set the stage.  We're clearly in McCollum-Bernds turf here , as Ed directed and prepared the script with Hugh as producer.

The cast is the negative here.  Emil Sitka and Dudley Dickerson are fantastic in the opening scenes in their respective roles.  Kenneth MacDonald is as perfectly slimy as ever, and he is absolutely fantastic in the scene where, spoiler alert, he gets his ass electric-shocked with 10000 volts.  Of course, 10000V won't harm you if it's at 0.4 microamps.  Dick Wessel, aka Chopper Kane, is solid here with a goofy villain role.  Phil Van Zandt, like Kenneth MacDonald, is wonderfully slimy in a surprise role that highly impacts the plot.  Vernon Dent is fine in his limited time. 

The ladies.  Christine McIntyre is great as always.  Is it just me, or does Columbia, in their shorts, always do well at picking appropriate actresses to get bound and gagged?  My issue, however, is Lynne Lyons, who reminds me of the mouse-fearing spy from THREE LITTLE SEW AND SEWS.  She's about as good at the evil seductress role as coronavirus-19.

Decent stuff

9/10

[metaldams]

      It’s blatantly obvious this script was written for The Three Stooges.  Lane slapping Schilling around and giving out Moe like insults, Schilling barking at the bad guy like a dog, the final shot after getting the shock where they are running away screaming, it’s all so Stooge like.  I don’t feel right judging these guys as a comedy team based on this short, this script wasn’t meant for them.  Curly had a stroke and Columbia needed some warm bodies to work a Stooge script, pronto.  They do a good enough job to make the film watchable, but Schilling and Lane were put in an impossible situation here.  Not only do they have to act like The Three Stooges, but they also appear in a script that is a weaker cousin to WHO DONE IT?  Gotta disagree with Paul about the script weaknesses.

      Most obvious is the seduction scene.  There’s a game of chess between Christine and Shemp in the version we all know.  Christine is slyly seductive and when Shemp catches on, we get the great poison scene where they take turns trying to fool each other.  Great comic psychology.  Here?  Lynne Lyons is too over the top in her flirtations and Schilling acts scared the whole time and the payoff?   He eventually runs away.  Compare that to Shemp’s eeps after drinking the poison. Dick Wessel is OK, but the Duke York goon character is better.  The scene where Shemp sniffs Christine with the camera?  Not here. So yeah, the script got better a couple of years later, no doubt.  There were simply more memorable scenes.  I will at least say Kenneth McDonald getting the electric shock is the biggest laugh I ever got out of him and it’s interesting seeing Schilling and Lane do the painted eyelid gag The Three Stooges did years earlier in HORSES’ COLLARS.  Christine McIntyre is always a class act and a pleasure to watch, here is no exception.

      Like most of these Columbias, not a bad way to spend 17 minutes, but man, it is hard not to make comparisons and be a party pooper.   An interesting history lesson as well, but ultimately, just shut your brain off so you can enjoy.

[Paul Pain]

Like most of these Columbias, not a bad way to spend 17 minutes, but man, it is hard not to make comparisons and be a party pooper.   An interesting history lesson as well, but ultimately, just shut your brain off so you can enjoy.

The reason I chose these last two shorts is so that we can make comparisons.  I agree the situation was a bit impossible, so my rating is more based on the performances delivered based on the circumstances.

[metaldams]

Looking at the three stooges.net link, Curly had his stroke May 6th.  This started filming May 10th.  I give Schilling and Lane credit for doing this on such short notice.  I gotta wonder what the preparation was like.

[Paul Pain]

Looking at the three stooges.net link, Curly had his stroke May 6th.  This started filming May 10th.  I give Schilling and Lane credit for doing this on such short notice.  I gotta wonder what the preparation was like.

Probably something like: "Here's the script.  We shoot as is, OK?"

Also give credit to Vernon Dent, Kenneth MacDonald, Christine McIntyre, and Emil Sitka for doing as well as they did given they had just recently been working with Curly and probably had been preparing for this thinking it would be the Three Stooges.  I know I would be shaken.  Unless, as was often the case, they didn't get the call to film this until the day before.

[metaldams]

Probably something like: "Here's the script.  We shoot as is, OK?"

Also give credit to Vernon Dent, Kenneth MacDonald, Christine McIntyre, and Emil Sitka for doing as well as they did given they had just recently been working with Curly and probably had been preparing for this thinking it would be the Three Stooges.  I know I would be shaken.  Unless, as was often the case, they didn't get the call to film this until the day before.

I’m not sure if it was just The Three Stooges or Columbia policy, but The Three Stooges generally had two weeks notice at least before each film.

https://natedsanders.com/the_three_stooges_signed_contract_renewal_with_col-lot54238.aspx

[metaldams]

....and Emil Sitka did have a rough day, for reasons we wouldn’t guess.  His scene was done the last day of shooting.

http://www.emilsitka.com/pardonmyterror1946.html

[GreenCanaries]

I think Ed Bernds talks at length about the time constraints and resulting difficulties of suddenly having to rework this from a Stooges short into a Schilling & Lane short in the Okuda/Watz COLUMBIA COMEDY SHORTS book.

[Umbrella Sam]

Unlike Catlett and Collins in YOU’RE NEXT!, the personalities of Schilling and Lane are clearly established here, Lane being the leader. The problem is how obvious it is that this was supposed to be the Stooges in the leading roles. Schilling and Lane basically feel like they’re imitating the Stooges.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing the entire time. The two can occasionally pull off gags, especially that one of them imitating Phil Van Zandt when he leads them to their room. And Schilling actually does manage to pull off some good scare reactions, especially the way he screams. It’s such an over-the-top scream; it works quite well. But then you also have stuff like the punching gag and all the slapping moments; moments that are clearly suited for a Stooge, not two random comedians trying to act like Stooges.

I do see metaldams’s point regarding the seduction scene, although I appreciate that at least the interpretations have somewhat of a noticeable difference. The supporting cast is good, but they do feel somewhat underutilized. Perhaps it’s because there are so many of them (the size of this cast really surprised me). They just don’t feel like they get their proper times to shine.

Overall, a decent effort given how last minute things had to be changed, but it still does feel a bit rushed and forced at times.

6 out of 10

[Dr. Mabuse]

Knowing about the production history, I finally watched "Pardon My Terror" last night and had a great time.  Directed with stylish verve by Edward Bernds, it's a fast-paced short with a terrific supporting cast.  Perhaps it would have been a classic with Curly in his prime; however, Gus Schilling and Richard Lane do a damn good job, so I didn't feel cheated.  In fact, I enjoyed the team so much that I want to track down more of their Columbia shorts.

A pity that "Pardon My Terror" wasn't included as a bonus feature on Sony's "Three Stooges: The Ultimate Collection." Interestingly enough, the TV print blacks out Christine McIntyre's cleavage at the 55-second mark.

8/10

[Paul Pain]

Knowing about the production history, I finally watched "Pardon My Terror" last night and had a great time.  Directed with stylish verve by Edward Bernds, it's a fast-paced short with a terrific supporting cast.  Perhaps it would have been a classic with Curly in his prime; however, Gus Schilling and Richard Lane do a damn good job, so I didn't feel cheated.  In fact, I enjoyed the team so much that I want to track down more of their Columbia shorts.

You ask; I deliver.  How about next week we dig into the available Schilling & Lane shorts?  They're definitely one of Columbia's strongest teams.