Moronika
Film & Shorts Discussions => The Three Stooges - Curly Years => Topic started by: metaldams on September 19, 2014, 11:36:14 AM
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http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/74
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035814/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Another WWII short......kind of, sort of. If you notice the letter the boys receive about their military deferment for one month to give them time to work on their plane, it is from The Republic of Canabeer, not the U.S. Government. This I believe goes back to PresidentWardRobey's theory about the dream sequence in I CAN HARDLY WAIT and for what we know as fact concerning some naval scene in Abbott and Costello's IN THE NAVY. If you're going to make the armed forces, war effort, or government look comical, make sure it's some way divorced from reality or in this case, blatantly stating it's not the United States. Governments in general tend not to have a sense of humor about themselves, but enough of my political observations.
Anyway, for the most part this is a typical cartoonish Jules White short, and in this case I view it as a good thing. The image of Moe in the gas inflated burning rubber floating in the air to me is one of the all time great Stooge visuals. I don't have too much else to say about the actual comedy other than I find it to be well paced and satisfying. I'll give props to Larry's going steady line, a rare homosexual reference in a 1940's film. Innocent by today's standards, of course.
I will show some disappointment with the use of stock footage from BOOBS IN ARMS. The ending itself felt slapped together. If you click on the link above to the threestooges.net page on this short, you will see a photo of Judy Malcolm and the never to be seen in a Stooge short Sethma Williams pictured with the boys and listed as being in a deleted scene. I can't help but wonder if their scene was shot and deleted in place of the stock footage? Who knows, I can come up with a million conspiracy theories, but I have no facts on the issue to back anything up.
8/10
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Random nerd note: This short was shot one week after the next released short PHONY EXPRESS. Usually shorts are released in order they are filmed, but not always.
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A lot of good/great stuff in this one--"Vice, I have no vice. I'm as pure as the driven snow." And Curly makes use again of his great line about not hitting him in the head (you know I'm not normal).
As Metal mentioned, Moe's helium fat suit is one of the all time great visuals. Another great exchange is Curly correcting Moe's English and of course, the saw treatment he gets afterwards. All of the scenes in the plane are great, which makes it sort of a major buzzkill that Jules White and his apparent "stock footage fetish" rears its ugly in the closing minutes of this short.
Of course, we all know that this is far from the last time Jules and his cost cutting measures will affect the stooges--but it definitely brings the grade down somewhat on an otherwise excellent short.
8.5 pokes....
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Jules took and his asinine skinflint attitude took what could have been one of the best shorts of the 40s and turned it into a 8/10 instead of a 10/10 by including one of the 2 or 3 all-time worst scenes (I blasted this scene on the BOOBS IN ARMS page already). I hate that scene in the same way I hate the Eagles: praised for what it doesn't do.
DIZZY PILOTS' original scenes are a fine example of what could be done when the boys were at their best. Moe as a helium balloon is excellent, but it is bettered by Larry and Curly's futile efforts to save him. Moe's punishments were well-deserved. Even the plane flying scenes are well done.
As for the homosexuality reference: I love it. Who else to deliver it other than Larry, the ever-flaky stooge. I personally have no problem with any jokes so long as they are obviously not meant to offend (e.g. All in the Family). I myself am Italian in Florida, and if I ever am a comedian you can be sure I will call myself a wop and some other things too.
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Here's another of the shorts where Moe is JUSTIFIABLY mad at the other two, another where they damn near kill him. And not painlessly, either: he gets the living Hell kicked out of him in this one, maybe worse than any other episode. Here, use a SHOTGUN! They hit him, too. Not to mention Curly trying to saw his arm off over a grammatical error. I don't agree with Paul Payne that Moe deserves this: nobody deserves this to begin with, and that the other two just keep making things worse, however accidentally, is what's great about this one, which is a favorite of mine.
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Here's another of the shorts where Moe is JUSTIFIABLY mad at the other two, another where they damn near kill him. And not painlessly, either: he gets the living Hell kicked out of him in this one, maybe worse than any other episode. Here, use a SHOTGUN! They hit him, too. Not to mention Curly trying to saw his arm off over a grammatical error. I don't agree with Paul Payne that Moe deserves this: nobody deserves this to begin with, and that the other two just keep making things worse, however accidentally, is what's great about this one, which is a favorite of mine.
I can see how I was misleading, but if you look on other pages you will see that I always use "Moe's punishments" to refer to Moe beating the crap out of the other two.
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O K, I re-read your post with that explanation, and it turns out we're on exactly the same page.
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No one has mentioned it, but this was, through stock footage, the last Stooge shorts for both Richard Fiske (who sadly died in WWII) and Charles Dorety.
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No one has mentioned it, but this was, through stock footage, the last Stooge shorts for both Richard Fiske (who sadly died in WWII) and Charles Dorety.
Richard Fiske's last actual footage is IN THE SWEET PIE AND PIE, but you're right, it's his last short. Also Harry Semels's last short, who died three years later and also lost a son in the war. I liked him best in WEE WEE MONSIEUR.
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I had no idea this was Harry Semel's last short--I guess you do learn something new everyday. Whenever I think of Harry, it's always as Swinehart from Movie Maniacs...
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Btw, if we're counting stock footage as an actual appearance, does that mean that Vernon Dent's last short is Guns-a-Poppin'... just asking?
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Btw, if we're counting stock footage as an actual appearance, does that mean that Vernon Dent's last short is Guns-a-Poppin'... just asking?
That would be his last short.....but not his last performance, natch. I love pondering deep philosophical questions like this.
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I had no idea this was Harry Semel's last short--I guess you do learn something new everyday. Whenever I think of Harry, it's always as Swinehart from Movie Maniacs...
Oh yeah, that's a great role too!
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Lots of final roles here, it seems.
That would be his last short.....but not his last performance, natch. I love pondering deep philosophical questions like this.
Last short I think differs from appearance. Vernon's last appearance was KNUTZY KNIGHTS, but he was in many stock footage specials, particularly the Fake Shemp shorts (which may be worse than Besser IMO).
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The philosophical question: what counts?
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The philosophical question: what counts?
It is what it is. One is a last appearance, with or without stock footage, one is last performance, meaning last thing shot in front of the camera. They both count for something.
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It's a rerun, and a rerun is a rerun.
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It is what it is. One is a last appearance, with or without stock footage, one is last performance, meaning last thing shot in front of the camera. They both count for something.
But is it an appearance? That's the deeper question. The actor does not technically "appear." At least in Vernon Dent's case all of his stock footage "appearances" came during his lifetime, but look at BOOTY AND THE BEAST: Jules White has no fear of using dead people in stock footage. But is it an appearance if the actor didn't appear? It's more like... a doppelganger.
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It appears a big can of worms (or woims) has been opened. Damn that stock footage... ;)
Something else from Dizzy Pilots I like--while the boys are in the plane: We got to lose some weight; what are you looking at me for? :)
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While we are discussing stock footage appearances, Christine McIntyre comes to mind (as I'm sure she does for just about any Stooges' fan). I believe every short she is shown in after "Of Cash and Hash" is stock footage -- definitely in "Fifi Blows Her Top," which I watched last week.
As for "Dizzy Pilots," I agree with the vast majority that this was an excellent short until the "Boobs in Arms" got involved.
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This is another short that I like a lot. Plenty of good sight gags and a good plot that moves along nicely. The tar scene with Moe is classic. I have no problem with the stock footage in this short because it fits in nicely, not like some of the butcher jobs that will come later on. I rate tis short an 8 1/2.
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But is it an appearance? That's the deeper question. The actor does not technically "appear." At least in Vernon Dent's case all of his stock footage "appearances" came during his lifetime, but look at BOOTY AND THE BEAST: Jules White has no fear of using dead people in stock footage. But is it an appearance if the actor didn't appear? It's more like... a doppelganger.
The actor to me appears in stock footage, so that's the last appearance. The final short new footage was shot for is the final performance. That's my view and it doesn't run deeper than that. Other's mileage may vary.
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Hopefully tomorrow I can find 20 minutes to sit and watch this.
The actor to me appears in stock footage, so that's the last appearance. The final short new footage was shot for is the final performance. That's my view and it doesn't run deeper than that. Other's mileage may vary.
That's the kind of answer I wanted. You drew a thick line in the sand, which is how I like things: black and white with no grey area in between.
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I didn't get my 20 minutes. >:(
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I rate this short an 8. As stated it could have been higher if they did not use stock footage. I am never a fan of stock footage but I guess we have to remember that these were shown at the theatre and many neither saw the military skit or forgot about it. As for stock footage this is a good scene that does not seem out of place ... but you do wonder why Fiske seems so angry.
One thing I notice is when Curly says 'P-Two' you can actually see spit flying into Larry's face ... I thought that was interesting ... He got some frustration out at Larry it seems.
'Moidering the King's English' ..'Going steady?' ... as mentioned some of the verbal highlights.
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I had some more musings about the use of stock footage--but I think I'll save it until we get into the meat of the Shemp years. Then I'll feel free to cut loose... :P
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Watched this and enjoyed it immensely.
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(https://threestooges.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F_PCyiPdF23Q0%2FR-Z7XQhrseI%2FAAAAAAAAAJA%2FyPba3-vs6fE%2Fs1600-h%2FJudy%2Bwith%2B3%2BStooges.jpg&hash=36dde4bed6484beba9b63255018b71e7c93af416)
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_PCyiPdF23Q0/R-Z7XQhrseI/AAAAAAAAAJA/yPba3-vs6fE/s1600-h/Judy+with+3+Stooges.jpg
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This is a pretty good episode. My minor complaint with it is that I thought the part where Moe gets stuck on the painted rubber dragged on a little bit longer than I expected. But the rest of the episode is very funny. I especially like the part where Curly wants a "contract" and the part where he corrects Moe's English because he wants him to "saw the garage." Very funny bit. And the part where the stooges test their plane is hilarious. It always bugs me though that if Curly didn't break the wire with his foot, they probably would have passed the test flight. The stooges were so close, but managed to mess things up as they always do. It's a shame that budget problems during this time caused them to reuse the army footage, but it was edited very nicely into the story. I actually saw this episode before BOOBS IN ARMS and had no idea that was reused footage until I saw BOOBS IN ARMS later on.
Great episode.
8.5/10
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I used to watch this one a lot. Yeah the rubber scene dragged a bit. I have always loved the Moe/Larry scenes while Curly or Shemp are doing there own stuff, but I also have an immense fondess for Curly/Larry scenes as well. And the bit with the rope where Curly snagged Larry with it cracks me up every time. It's a scene that I rewind all of the time. Very similar to the bit in Pardon My Clutch where Larry gets snared by the rope in that's being tossed over the load. The rifle/shotgun part was a hilarious exchange. The logic. Classic. This one rules. 9 out of 10.
OOh, and when Curly smashes Moe's hand in the vice. He just drops everything because Moe said "Now." Another funny part.
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http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/74
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035814/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Another WWII short......kind of, sort of. If you notice the letter the boys receive about their military deferment for one month to give them time to work on their plane, it is from The Republic of Canabeer, not the U.S. Government. This I believe goes back to PresidentWardRobey's theory about the dream sequence in I CAN HARDLY WAIT and for what we know as fact concerning some naval scene in Abbott and Costello's IN THE NAVY. If you're going to make the armed forces, war effort, or government look comical, make sure it's some way divorced from reality or in this case, blatantly stating it's not the United States. Governments in general tend not to have a sense of humor about themselves, but enough of my political observations.
Anyway, for the most part this is a typical cartoonish Jules White short, and in this case I view it as a good thing. The image of Moe in the gas inflated burning rubber floating in the air to me is one of the all time great Stooge visuals. I don't have too much else to say about the actual comedy other than I find it to be well paced and satisfying. I'll give props to Larry's going steady line, a rare homosexual reference in a 1940's film. Innocent by today's standards, of course.
I will show some disappointment with the use of stock footage from BOOBS IN ARMS. The ending itself felt slapped together. If you click on the link above to the threestooges.net page on this short, you will see a photo of Judy Malcolm and the never to be seen in a Stooge short Sethma Williams pictured with the boys and listed as being in a deleted scene. I can't help but wonder if their scene was shot and deleted in place of the stock footage? Who knows, I can come up with a million conspiracy theories, but I have no facts on the issue to back anything up.
8/10
I noticed that in the recycled footage from BOOBS IN ARMS (1940), Curly's "I won't do it, he don't pay my salary, it's a guy with a beard!" (A then very obvious Uncle Sam reference!) line comes perilously close to shattering the "Divorce from Reality" where any U.S. references are concerned! Perhaps the only reason that it slipped by was due to the scene having already been previously approved by the Production Code?
CHEERS! [3stooges]
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Great episode but was a little disappointed when they've decided to add footage from "Boobs In Arms" towards the end of the episode considering how great this episode was, the scene where Moe goes up like a balloon is one of my all time favorite Stooge moments and the methods Curly & Larry use to get him down are a classic! This short also features one of my favorite Larry moments where he was asking Moe & Curly if they're going steady, of course Moe slaps him for that line!
Overall I give this short a 9/10 (would've been a 10/10 if it wasn't for the "Boobs In Arms" footage).
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Solid short. Not one of the greats, but very entertaining nonetheless. 8/10.
My favorite bit, that has not been mentioned, is when Moe orders Larry to roll him a cigarette in an open cockpit plane. A quick thinking Larry hands Moe a cigar instead.
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The high-energy "Dizzy Pilots" should have ended at the 14-minute mark. Jules White's tacked-on stock footage is reminiscent of "Dizzy Detectives" — another potentially great short marred by unnecessary padding.
8/10
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The high-energy "Dizzy Pilots" should have ended at the 14-minute mark. Jules White's tacked-on stock footage is reminiscent of "Dizzy Detectives" — another potentially great short marred by unnecessary padding.
8/10
Agreed. Both shorts seemed long enough as is without the stock footage. Really makes no sense why it had to be added.
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It was a great short even with the used ending.
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It was a great short even with the used ending.
My job is to nitpick. [pie]
Look, you’re ultimately right. The stock footage in itself is entertaining and doesn’t take up the time it would in the later Shemp years, but there’s still a part of me that wishes new footage could have been there. The new footage we do get in itself feels almost complete. But yeah, ultimately the goal of this short is to entertain, and it more than does its job.
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As you know, I am not a fan of the rehashes, and much less so as they became routine, but this one was good the first time around and is still good the second time around. Plus the first fourteen minutes are so great that the rerun ending is forgivable, at least to my taste. It does make me wonder, though, what the technical glitch was that caused the rerun - they were very rare at that point.
Plus, I have no idea why I'm suddenly able to post again.
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As you know, I am not a fan of the rehashes, and much less so as they became routine, but this one was good the first time around and is still good the second time around. Plus the first fourteen minutes are so great that the rerun ending is forgivable, at least to my taste. It does make me wonder, though, what the technical glitch was that caused the rerun - they were very rare at that point.
Plus, I have no idea why I'm suddenly able to post again.
Well, in this thread, I do mention and post a picture of the boys with Judy Malcolm and another actress from this film. Maybe their scene had to be cut and the stock footage made up for it. I have theories - maybe a Harold Lloyd gag was used around the time of the court case? - but I know of no definitive reason.
Glad you can post again. I really wish I had an answer to the tech difficulties.
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We'll never know, I guess, unless one of the Stoogeum Napoleons finds an original script. And it's very nice to be back, I've been plugging away all along with little success - if I disappear again, it's because I know as much about computers as I know about Zimbabwean lacrosse.
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God, I can't believe that posted.
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I've recently begun thinking that Judy Malcolm and Sethma Williams actually never had anything to do with the film at all, but were only in the still photos for publicity purposes. I have seen some other Stooge stills (I think one I'm thinking of right now is from SO LONG MR. CHUMPS, but I can't find the picture at this moment) that see the boys posing with girls whom I don't remember being in the finished film.
Plus, the 3S.net page for this film mentions that the script never specifies what Judy and Sethma had to do with the film.
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I've recently begun thinking that Judy Malcolm and Sethma Williams actually never had anything to do with the film at all, but were only in the still photos for publicity purposes. I have seen some other Stooge stills (I think one I'm thinking of right now is from SO LONG MR. CHUMPS, but I can't find the picture at this moment) that see the boys posing with girls whom I don't remember being in the finished film.
Plus, the 3S.net page for this film mentions that the script never specifies what Judy and Sethma had to do with the film.
Well, I can guarantee you my Harold Lloyd guess was wrong - he didn’t sue until 1946.
You may be right in that it was just a publicity shot they were there for and nothing more.
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I watched this one this morning and must say I notice some little things a lot better on my 3rd ever viewing of this short.
First thing was Larry. He makes some great faces while Moe and Curly create chaos during the early parts and during the flight scene. Once again, Porcupine is an unsung hero.
Second thing was that they used hydrogen on Moe. This was a clever little bit on the part of production, correctly noting that hydrogen is violently explosive for when Curly shoots Moe down.
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Another average Curly effort.
#107. Dizzy Pilots