Two More Stooges Shorts

First, How High is Up?

(Short # 48 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

The Stooges could even make taking off a sweater an utter delight. They portray blue-collar workers who live in an old jalopy automobile. It advertises on the back, “If it leaks, we mend it.” After some comedy in fixing their flat tire, a few minutes are spent helping Curly remove his too-tight sweater. Of course it becomes an overly complicated task involving multiple tools. That bit was absurd in the best ways.

Afterwards, they stop at a job site where they put holes into the lunch boxes of workers so they can be fixed. The workers (including Bruce Bennett; more on him at the end) discover their ruse so they run away to the site of a skyscraper being constructed. They are tasked with riveting the beams on the 97th floor, much to their horror. There’s a believable set w/ appropriate backdrop to represent them in their perilous predicament.

As the scenario was classic and there’s some quality one-liners, High was a joy to discuss today. As for Bruce Bennett, he was an Olympian for the United States who won a silver medal in the shot put at the ’28 games. Before High, Bennett appeared as Tarzan in a serial; a few years afterward he would become a performer who had prominent roles in several films people would know today, i.e. Mildred Pierce, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, the original Angels in the Outfield, etc.

Then, From Nurse to Worse: 

(Short # 49 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

The Stooges commit insurance fraud. Amusingly, they are told by their buddy to perform this scam. Their friend Jerry (I was amused that they used Curly’s real first name for this character) told them to feign that one of them was mentally insane. Of course, Curly was the one chosen, and of course the Stooge who barks like a dog at least once in every short acted like a hound in front of a doctor to feign craziness.

Well, they went to Dr. D. Lerious (those pun names in these shorts are so silly yet they still make me chuckle) and Curly’s act was so effective, the Dr. demands immediate brain surgery! The rest is the trio on the run, which includes the hospital and interactions w/ dog catchers. One wacky scene featured all three Stooges plus two actual canines scratching themselves and each other like they were all pooches.

From Nurse to Worse was fun because they modified some gags and introduced some new ones. The Black actor Dudley Dickerson briefly appeared; that was a highlight as he had a great reaction to a bizarre moment. A hysterical ending made Nurse a very good time.