Ants in the Pantry

This is the start of 1936 shorts for the Stooges: 

(Short # 12 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

This was another short viewed often due to it being on one of the three VHS tapes of Stooge material that my parents purchased for me as a kid. That will not factor into my rating; Ants in the Pantry will forever be amusing.

The trio are exterminators; their employer (A. Mouser) is rankled that business is down. He tells them to plant pests in a house so that the owners would hire them. They happened to choose a mansion hosting a soiree at the time. After planting mice, moths, & ants, Beulah Burlap indeed hires them; despite her plea to not be conspicuous, Howard, Fine, & Howard are indeed that, culminating in a disastrous incident at a piano where a sack full of cats are hidden.

The expected mayhem from them is great; so is the one-liners such as this classic bit: Larry is poked in the eyes, he yells, “I can’t see! I can’t see!” The other two respond in unison, “What’s the matter?” w/ the reply, “I got my eyes closed” resulting in another eye poke. The final scene is a fox hunt which has little to do with the rest; still, no complaints. One Stooge rides a bicycle on this hunt, another a donkey. As the final gag has always made me chortle, Ants in the Pantry is a short I’ll always dig.

As sometimes occurred, this story was remade for a Shemp short; in this case, 1951’s Pest Man Wins… which allegedly is even better than this but I don’t have any memories of ever watching it. I’ll find out in a few months.

Moment by Moment

Moment by Moment (1978)

Runtime: 105 sleep-inducing minutes

Directed by: Jane Wagner

Starring: Mainly, it’s Lily Tomlin and John Travolta

From: Universal

“A dreary romantic drama where Lily Tomlin romances a younger John Travolta” is as ill-fated an idea as you’d expect. Would you believe I saw this once-years ago-because it was reviewed on an old bad movie site? Moment by Moment is so odd it does deserve a review—even though it’s a putrid film. In 2025, it is common knowledge that Tomlin has been an out lesbian for years (in fact, her partner for the past half-century, Jane Wagner, wrote and directed the film) and there’s been rumors about Travolta’s sexuality… no matter their romantic tastes, their chemistry here was iceberg-cold. All That Heaven Allows, this is not!

A huge and obvious issue which the film can’t overcome: if it’s never been noticed before, the fact that Tomlin and Travolta resemble each other is apparent only a few minutes in! That made their “romance” disturbing & unsettling. They look like siblings & their rapport comes across as mother and son; she notices he’s catching a cold so Lily makes him a healthy drink & gave him a sweater! Tomlin is a socialite who has a philandering husband and John is a drifter named STRIP who is an annoying putz so I’ve always been confused as to why she fell for him despite her loneliness, or he fell for a grouchy pill-popping rich dame. Tomlin played the part as if she was constantly buzzed on Seconal.

As an aside, there are many shots of Los Angeles and the surrounding areas, from Beverly Hills to the beaches. My heart goes out to those in that area having to deal with those wildfires; I know someone online who has lived out there for a little while and undoubtedly a few reading this are also in SoCal. That said, no one should view this monotonous, tedious slog just to view what a scenic, iconic region looked like almost a half-century ago.

It is clear why Tomlin, Travolta, and Wagner have never been known for the romantic genre. Even while filming, allegedly everyone knew the production was getting away from them and this likely would be a cinematic turkey. The soft rock soundtrack and score wasn’t bad and the film does have a perverse quality. However, it doesn’t possess the subtle wit (or much of any wit, really) from Lily & Jane and there unfortunately are many bad John films, some of which are FAR more entertaining instead of this picture that’s missing much of a plot and to use a tired cliché, probably serves best as a cure for insomnia.

A Pair of Classic Three Stooges Shorts

Both are from 1935:

Hoi Polloi: 

(Short # 10 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

To clarify, “hoi polloi” is Ancient Greek, a pejorative term for “the common masses.” This short is a gem; rather wild is that this was the first version of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, before the late 30’s movie, before 1964’s My Fair Lady, and the inspiration for films like She’s All That. Even wilder is that Moe Howard’s wife Helen had the idea to spoof Pygmalion for a short; instead of receiving credit, she received an undisclosed amount of money.

Two professors argue whether it is environment or hereditary factors that determine behavior. A bet is made, and it was easy for them to select the Stooges for the project after being a spectator to their bumbling ways as garbagemen. That professor’s attempt to civilize them is as disastrous as expected, including a famed scene in Stooge lore: Geneva Mitchell teaching the trio to dance, only for a bee to go down the back of her dress, leading to a hysterical moment.

Once Howard, Fine, & Howard attend a soiree of rich, distinguished folk, it is lunacy as there’s plenty of classic one-liners, Moe slaps, pratfalls, and the well-heeled crowd experiencing a culture clash like no other from seeing (& feeling) their mayhem. The number of laughs in this short-along w/ the classic moments-is why the rating is so high.

As an aside, I should say a few words about such supporting players like Geneva Mitchell and Phyllis Crane, who appeared in more than one early Stooge short but rather soon wouldn’t appear in that world again. They were at their best here; as the girl that Moe attempts to know better at the party, not only did she utter some memorable dialogue, she had an unexpected pratfall & slammed head-first on the ground. Hopefully she was alright.

Hoi Polloi even ends w/ an unforgettable final 30 seconds. It is one of the best in the early run of The Three Stooges.

Three Little Beers: 

(Short # 11 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

Those that aren’t fans of golf will have extra reason to enjoy this short.

Three Little Beers is another classic in my eyes. The title is such as the boys are just hired as delivery drivers for Panther Brewing Co., ran by A. Panther. They discover the company is holding an annual golf tournament, featuring either cash prices or a keg of beer as the reward. A delivery stop happens to be the real-life Rancho Golf Course, in Beverly Hills. 

Much of the short is shot outdoors, broadening the stage for the Stooges. As all are ignorant to the sport’s rules, they each cause havoc in different ways on different parts of the course. They annoy the golfers, wreck a putting green, put dozens of divots into a fairway, chop down a tree to retrieve a ball… this doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities for two or all three of them to meet again for a bit for an extended, complex slapstick bit. 

Lest you believe the brewery gimmick is ignored after the first few minutes, oh no; it is brought back for the finale which uses the streets of Los Angeles (the Silver Lake area, in fact) to great effect. Even if you love golf, you may appreciate the Stooges poking fun at the sport. In any case, the short is a hole-in-one due to all the laughs it’s always given me. In addition, it was the first appearance for two performers who became stalwarts w/ the trio: John Tyrrell & Eddie Laughton.

 

Jailhouse Rock

Jailhouse Rock (1957)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Richard Thorpe

Starring: Elvis, Judy Tyler, Mickey Shaughnessy, Vaughn Taylor, Dean Jones

From: MGM

I had to tip my cap to what would have been the 90th birthday of Elvis. I have a list of his movies and I’ve enjoyed his music since I was a kid. This does not excuse the most unsavory aspects of his life, from the drugs to his behavior to what I’ll call “the questionable start” of his relationship w/ Priscilla. The King was in many corny movies which at least usually made me chuckle due to silliness. Thankfully, he once was in serious films, such as Jailhouse Rock, played last night on TCM.

Vince Edwards is sentenced to prison for manslaughter after attempting to protect a girl from her cruel drunk beau, then killing the SOB w/ several punches. While in the slammer, his cellmate is a former country singer. Much to my amusement, even back then the currency in jail is cigarettes and the movie stressed that point. Once he served his time, there were many bumps on the road to potential stardom.

Edwards is not always a likable protagonist. That made the journey more compelling as his behavior never became a turn-off. Of course it’s a serious film and it had a quality soundtrack, especially the title tune and especially the musical number done when Jailhouse Rock is played. One asset is that music promoter/love interest Judy Tyler was always an easy character to sympathize with. What a shame that only a few days after production completed, Tyler and her husband were killed in a car wreck. Presley was so crushed by the news, he allegedly never watched the film. She was only 24, her husband only 19, so what a tragedy.

It's a nice 50’s musical drama, albeit one where it helps if you like The King and can accept him playing a more atypical role than usual compared to his typical lightweight nonsense on the silver screen.

 

Lady for a Day

Lady for a Day (1933)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Frank Capra

Starring: Warren William, May Robson, Guy Kibbee, Glenda Farrell, Ned Sparks, Jean Parker

From: Columbia

I give praise to Glenda Farrell. I never use such weird modern nomenclature like “give them their flowers” but that is what I’m doing here. Recently, someone on Letterboxd I follow lamented how most on Letterboxd know her best for her rather unexciting role in the gangster classic Little Caesar rather than the bold parts she portrayed where she was fun, delivering smart, whip-smart dialogue. I have viewed her in pictures like Mystery of the Wax Museum and Heat Lightning yet shamefully I’ve never specifically given her praise. Well, I will a little later for her supporting turn here.

I selected this film as it was from Frank Capra and was nominated for Best Picture that year. That isn’t always a sign of quality; Emilia Perez will receive a nomination in that category soon and besides knowing of its polarizing reception on Letterboxd, it was only last night that I saw any footage from the picture. A 15 second musical number was posted on Twitter… and it was a baffling clip concerning sex-change operations where I can’t believe it’s not a parody due to the lyrics and Autotune BS attached to every “singing” voice! As it’s a film set in Mexico yet Mexicans are horrified for a number of reasons concerning the film itself… don’t ever expect a review of that from me.

Where was I again… oh, yes, a movie undoubtedly much better than that arthouse trifle. The plot of Lady for a Day will seem familiar to those that have seen Capra’s A Pocketful of Miracles; it’s a remake of Lady. The movie’s a farce where a collection of wacky characters come together to pull off one heck of a con. An earthy, poor lady known as Apple Annie cosplays in letters to her long-unseen daughter in Barcelona that she’s a rich society dame. Well, daughter is coming to New York City to introduce her fiancé, the son of a Count. Those characters (fellow beggars and hoodlums together) help Annie out, because… DAVE THE DUDE-Warren William-believes that she gives him good luck.

Like I proclaimed, this is a farce. It’s a film I enjoyed due to my amusement concerning the plot. It helped that the wide variety of characters were charming; I know some will like hearing that both Guy Kibbee and Nat Pendleton play plum roles. Farrell’s part wasn’t as large as I anticipated-at least not until the final act-yet was delightful as Missouri Martin, nightclub owner and sassy lady. At least there were times she received a starring role, such as Smart Blonde, where she played plucky newspaper reporter Torchy Blane.

Not everyone enjoys this nonsense; understandable. Even as it escalated and the con became more & more elaborate, I was still amused. Through the years in the future, I’ll once in a blue moon check out more directed by Capra and more featuring Glenda Farrell.

 

Witchhammer

Witchhammer (Kladivo Na Carodejnice) (1970)

Runtime: 107 minutes

Directed by: Otakar Vavra

Starring: Elo Romancik, Vladimir Smeral, Sona Valentova, Josef Kemr, Lola Skrbkova

From: Filmove Studio Barrandov

Well, that was grim.

As the film’s available on the Criterion Channel, Czech cinema has barely been explored by me (or cinema behind the Iron Curtain aside from the Soviet Union) and something different was desired, I selected Witchhammer.

In the latter half of the 17th century, the Northern Moravia Witch Trials occur; sadly, this was based on real-life events. The proceedings were as expected for an inquisition. Women were accused of engaging in witchcraft, they were tortured until falsely confessing that others were witches, and it spread like a virus.

This was exactly as grim as you’d expect a 1970 movie behind the Iron Curtain to be, especially when it’s a thinly-veiled attack on Communism and phony trials where the guilt of the accused was predetermined before the trial. In fact, the movie was banned over there for almost two decades. Miserable moments happening to the fairer sex, the fate of those who dare start questioning this witch hunt and oppressive atmosphere aside, it was still a compelling journey due to the direction, the script, the performances and the score.

It's not the easiest journey to take; women are tortured, after all, and several characters are rather loathsome, looking to acquire power & that supersedes all other concerns. However, at least once in awhile I should view serious, sobering cinema such as Witchhammer. It’s far more staid & sobering than Vincent Price’s Witchfinder General, to make the obvious comparison.

Pardon My Scotch

This was a rather hysterical 1935 Three Stooges short: 

(Short # 9 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

A Wellington boot is how I shake all my alcoholic drinks.

This short wasn’t lacking for excitement. The opening few minutes featured the Stooges as carpenters, causing havoc while attempting to install a door in a speakeasy about to become a legitimate joint, as it’s 1933 in the film’s universe… meaning Prohibition will end tomorrow and alcohol will become legal for public consumption again. Footage from that opening was reused for 1943’s Dizzy Detectives. It will be many weeks down the road but eventually there’s a time late in the Stooge run where not only were shorts remade, footage from the past would be used again. Anyhow, great gags occur, including the appearance of Moe almost having his face sawed off by an electric saw.

The owner of the drugstore/speakeasy is required to leave so the Stooges are there alone. A customer walks in and demands booze, so their solution was to mix random caustic chemicals in a boot and call it “scotch.” The customer loves the powerful concoction and has connections, so the trio attend a society party. Great Depression audiences likely loved Moe, Larry, & Curly thumbing their noses (or, poking the eyes) of the rich folk, and their next several shorts would exploit this. There are homages to both Harpo Marx and Chaplin.

There were plenty of laughs, creative moments, and the trio dressed as Scottish men, doing a “Highland dance.” It was a treat viewing the uncouth leads in such a “proper” setting, horrifying the prim individuals and offending the baritone singer attempting his act. A fancy dinner is absolutely wrecked, resulting in a memorable finale. Heck, Moe suffered broken ribs after a pratfall, yet was able to finish the scene before being rushed to the hospital. Pros, they always were.

I Revisited Pinball Summer

It's a 1980 Canuxploitation picture I reviewed here more than a dozen (!) years ago. Here are new thoughts on it: 

A random Canadian T&A comedy that has a surprisingly worthwhile soundtrack.

I have viewed this obscurity before, and had a brief review up from my early days on Letterboxd; it was discussed long ago on a now-defunct movie podcast, Bad Movie Fiends. Three of the four hosts hated the film, mainly due to the two leads and their ASSTAGONIST behavior-their term, not mine. Those “protagonists” were asses, and the motorcycle-riding “villain” was more likable! No kidding, this is from the director of the original My Bloody Valentine! Some of the leads here were bit players in Valentine; sadly, none of the leads in Valentine were in Summer.

In a small Quebec town, a summer was spent w/ goofball youths. Greg and Steve are the leads, although their behavior probably will make you think they’re detestable. Pete’s Arcade is the hotspot in town, fit for anyone in striped socks and short-shorts.

A pinball tournament takes place in the final act; before that, we see people drive around in a SWEET 70’s GMC Van, eat at quaint burger joints, visit a drive-in-whether Krakatoa: East of Java plays-a discotheque, and the “heel” seriously attempts to help a possibly mentally-handicapped worker at Pete’s known as WHIMPY get laid! That’s more than Greg and Steve did for Whimpy; instead, they insult him. As you’d expect in a T&A comedy, “rich people” are insulted, nudity is shown (including men mooning the camera), marijuana & alcohol use horny characters are a-plenty, and so are the hijinks.

This movie is no Porky’s, to make the obvious comparison to another vulgar Canadian comedy from the era. It’s still fascinating who you’ll likely root for in this picture… unless you detest everyone, which is possible. Whether you view the movie under its original title of Pinball Summer or alternate title Pick-Up Summer-it is a mediocre film full of low-stake events such as spray-painting male genitalia onto your rival’s 70’s van & sneaking out of the house. The highlight: a soundtrack that goes FAR harder than you’d expect for a silly movie that came in the wake of Animal House becoming an unexpected hit.

Whether it be songs or score, the tunes by Jay Boivin and Germain Gauthier are full of earworms and are quite catchy. For reasons unknown, the film has never made it to the HD era. However, via someone online visiting an Alamo Drafthouse in NYC years ago where they had a mystery afternoon of AGFA films, this was one of them. If they’re able to, it’d be nice to see the movie in its original aspect ratio, as flawed as the end product is.

I View Two More Three Stooges Shorts

The first was 1935's Pop Goes the Easel: 

(Short # 7 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

“Don’t worry, you know the old saying… easel come, easel go.”

The first classic Stooge short, I’ve come to realize via going through these chronologically. I’ll offer an explanation as to why.

Once again the boys are all poor, begging for a job via signs; audiences in the Great Depression will sympathize. As happened in later shorts, circumstances caused them to be chased by a police officer, and their hiding place is unfamiliar ground. In this case, an art school will rue the day that Moe, Larry & Curly enter their rooms.

Pop Goes the Easel made me laugh often. There’s no shortage of memorable jokes & one-liners. There is plenty of creative slapstick, gags and different objects that are used, usually by Moe to his two pals. The gags are quite funny, including what proved to be a frequent trope: Curly and/or the other two dress in drag to avoid capture/confrontation.

The cop occasionally appears throughout and the highlight: the first instance of food/a similar substance being thrown at people, escalating to pure chaos. In this case, it wasn’t pie or pastries; rather, it was clay but the result was the same. If you look close enough it was clearly two different takes edited together (the most glaring example is that a brunette character is replaced by a blonde) but it’s irrelevant in this case with all the laughs and slapstick.

Oh, and it’s neat that in a brief moment involving two girls playing hopscotch, the girls were played by the daughter of Moe Howard and the daughter of Larry Fine.

The second was 1935's Uncivil Warriors: 

(Short # 8 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

It wasn’t my plan this weekend to post two reviews of Stooge shorts on Sunday. What changed: fatigue throughout the weekend, plus discovering earlier on Sunday that a Letterboxd was also starting an objective to review all The Three Stooges Columbia shorts. Hopefully they have as good a time w/ the task as I am so far. As for Uncivil Warriors, the Civil War setting thankfully did not lead to any moments that aged horribly by 2025 standards, aside from one iffy line concerning “a suntan” that doesn’t offend me but others may feel different.

As much as I love Buster Keaton’s The General, it is unfortunate due to the implications that he plays a Confederate soldier. At least here, Howard, Fine, & Howard are Union soldiers. They are tasked for a clandestine mission behind enemy lines to acquire information.

To utter what has become a common refrain, several gags introduced here would appear in later shorts. They had a large bag of tricks, for sure. It ranged from the “Good Time Charlie” bit (don’t ask) to the oblivious consumption of inedible items. In this case, a mix-up in a kitchen results in the boys eating a potholder thinking it’s cake, resulting in a feathery mess.

While not a highlight for me, it’s still a fine 19 minutes where Bud Jamison amusingly portrayed a Colonel Buttz and Curly dresses as a woman again. Time was spent outdoors and that aspect alone was a nice change of pace.

 

Battle in Outer Space

Battle in Outer Space (Uchu Daisenso) (1959)

Runtime: 90 minutes

Directed by: Ishiro Honda

Starring: Ryo Ikebe, Kyoko Anzai, Minoru Takeda, Koreya Senda, Len Stanford

From: Toho

It was time for a cheesy 50’s sci-fi picture. I hate framing the movie that way given it was from Ishiro Honda, featured Eiji Tsuburaya and had music from Akira Ifukube… however, the only copy in English that I can locate is dubbed into English instead of subtitled. Plus, the plot isn’t that complex even if the music and effects are nice for the time. Technically the film is a sequel to 1957’s The Mysterians, reviewed by me about 18 months ago although that’s only because this featured more than one character that was in Mysterians, albeit played by a different actor and Battle can be viewed on its own.

Aliens from the planet Natal built a base on the moon and start their attacks on Earth. Note that this all takes place in the far-flung future of… 1965. Of course it’s more complicated than that; UFO’s appear, the aliens implant devices into the brains of certain humans, which causes sabotage on one of the two rockets sent to space; in fact, there are battles in outer space against those darned aliens.

After the initial half hour of drama and presenting the plot, they take the battle to space, where I marveled at the charming design of the ships and the practical battles done on and off the surface of the moon. The focus is on that rather than any characterization—but I’d like to think of it as a better (to me) version of those modern blockbusters which are based on spectacle rather than characters. To its credit there are several Caucasian people in the cast & a strong message of everyone together on Earth united against this common enemy. Especially in this day & age, a solid message to hear.

Plus, there are some boffo laser guns…

 

Restless Knights

This is a 1935 Stooges short: 

(Short # 6 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

A short that I’ve viewed a number of times in my life. It wasn’t due to believing that Restless Knights is a masterpiece. Rather, as a kid, three different VHS tapes-from the late 80’s-were purchased by my parents-official VHS releases done by Columbia which featured three Stooge shorts each. This was the final of one tape.

The opening scene has Walter Brennan telling his three sons that they are of noble blood, and need to protect Queen Anne from an attempted coup. She’s the Queen of… Anesthesia. They arrive at the palace (a nice set undoubtedly used in higher-profile productions at Columbia) and after a few minutes of grappling done to comedic effect-the highlight despite its role in killing time before the main plot continues-they are blamed for the Queen’s kidnapping.

It's not my favorite by any means; however, there’s still some amusing slapstick, the first usage of a bit done in later shorts, and a few quality one-liners. I’d love to know the decision process behind what was chosen for VHS release back then; at least this wasn’t the worst of the Curly era. In a few months I’ll have to discuss how he was treated poorly by the studios once health problems surfaced but it will be weeks before I have to go down that road.

Nosferatu (The New Version)

Nosferatu (2024)

85% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 262 reviews)

Runtime: 132 minutes

Directed by: Robert Eggers

Starring: Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Willem Dafoe, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bill Skarsgard, Emma Corrin

From: Focus Features

My apologies to Lily-Rose Depp; I obviously did not know your game.

The expectations were high for Nosferatu. Besides the very good and great ratings given to both the silent & Herzog's version from '79, The Witch and The Northman are modern movies I don't actually think are overrated. A relief then that those expectations were met.

Due to the previous adaptations, few surprises were in store for the plot. Thomas Hutter was sent to Count Orlok's castle to complete arrangements for his move to a town in what later would become Germany, Hutter's wife Ellen has a connection to Orlok, the Count brings a plague to the town, etc. In this case, familiarity did NOT breed contempt; rather, the Europe of 1838 was brought to life quite well and it was a joy seeing the talented cast breathe life into those roles.

Naturally I'd expect quality performances from the likes of Willem Dafoe & Nicholas Hoult. However, I had never seen Lily-Rose Depp in any film. Hearsay on Twitter told me that she was the best aspect of several lousy (or worse) films. Well, she knocked it out of the park in portraying a difficult role as Ellen, haunted by a terrifying creature, acting hysterical, often emotional to the point of tears. Impressed, I was; her presence in future films is something for me to keep an eye on. Even those who don't like her dad anymore-let's not dwell on why!-begrudgingly had to give her praise for her performance.

The film is the most overtly sexual version of Nosferatu; some will enjoy this but I won't kink-shame! Unlike Letterboxd, Film Twitter and especially the modern movie-going audience is divided on Robert Eggers. More than a few will think the movie is “too weird” and especially “too horny.” Me, the film looked & sounded great, featured interesting characters and while the claim that the first third is the most interesting can't be argued by me, this new take on Nosferatu does deliver.

Thank heavens that this avoids the tropes I most dislike when it comes to modern cinema. Max Schreck will forever be the most disturbing iteration of Nosferatu, appearances on SpongeBob notwithstanding. Then again, I (a 43-year old man) don't understand why that character appeared on SpongeBob... or the popularity of SpongeBob to begin with! Wait, where was I? Oh, yes: this version of the title character is different yet menacing at the same time. Nosferatu the new movie did not let me down.

Horses' Collars

(Short # 5 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

This is a short from 1935: 

The Stooges as detectives in the Wild West: amusing. The first scene (set in an office) doesn’t reveal this right away, but it is apparent once you see them dressed preposterously as cowboys, entering a saloon.

Moe, Larry, & Curly work as emissaries by a detective named Hyden Zeke-nice pun. They are tasked w/ assisting a young, pretty blonde. The film’s villain stole her father’s IOU. They meet the villain in a saloon, then attempt to steal the wallet that IOU is in.

Fred Kohler portrayed the heel Double Deal Decker; Kohler played similar roles in serious Westerns, lending some authenticity. There are some laughs and amusing moments-including the usage of various genre tropes, including lynching-but it is silly that already they reused a gag from the second short; Curly snaps at an external stimulus. In this case it’s mice and in a bit of wacky psychology, eating cheese calms him. It could be the only short from them that mentions Roquefort cheese.

It is not my favorite from the Stooges; that said, there are enough laughs where I can proclaim this as “fine.” In addition, it was the first usage on film of several gags that I recall from later installments.

The War of the Roses

The War of the Roses (1989)

Runtime: 116 minutes

Directed by: Danny DeVito

Starring: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, DeVito, Sean Astin, Marianne Sagebrecht

From: 20^th Century Fox

Another movie courtesy of messageboard discussion. Back in November someone discussed the few movies directed by Danny DeVito; he liked all of them. The Danny of today is baffling to me… bad commercials and the popularity of It’s Always Sunny will forever elude me. However, the Danny of the past I’ll always have fond memories of. Going w/ a comedy where the three stars of Romancing the Stone reunited seemed like a nice idea. In hindsight, seeing it at Christmas would have been idea; two scenes are set at that time of year.

And it was. I wasn’t expecting a movie so HORNY but the dark humor was expected. DeVito co-starred as a sleazy yet voice of reason lawyer who told in flashback the marriage then divorce of Mr. and Mrs. Rose. They had a steamy first encounter, then marriage, then there are a few time jumps and we arrive at the point where a marriage that has had its rocky moments disintegrates. So does their large, fancy home; it’s a messy, destructive divorce which, yes, includes an accidental cat death. Their formerly happy abode is the crux of the friction in the second half of the picture. The film escalates and becomes pitch-black in the final act.

In hindsight, some moments do echo what I understand was on Sunny. As several people on this platform noted, the final act is shot like a horror film. I was entertained by the dialogue, by the increasing absurdity, by the escalation, and even by how the leading trio were (at least at times) various shades of unlikable. The sharp script, the solid direction that had some creative camera angles and the cast do make it a pretty good time. The plot thankfully wasn’t so dark that I became turned off by all the toxic behavior and anger.

Viewing The War of the Roses did increase the desire to tackle more of DeVito in the director’s chair.

 

Three Little Pigskins

This Three Stooges short is from 1934: 

Also known as “The Three Stooges short featuring Lucille Ball.” This was one of her earliest credited roles, in fact. She did not have much of an opportunity to showcase many of her talents in the roll of one of a trio of molls of a pro football team’s owners… who are also gangsters.

In a common trope for Howard, Fine, & Howard, they were portrayed as characters so broke they needed to beg for nickels. In the midst of the Great Depression, naturally the audience would sympathize w/ them. Due to a misunderstanding, the ladies believe that the trio are The Three Horsemen (a reference to The Four Horsemen, a famous college football quartet at Notre Dame in the 1920’s), college football stars.

Before the big football game that comprises the final few minutes, the comedy comes from the misunderstanding and the boys chillin’ with the girls in a large apartment. I did laugh that in heels, Ball towered over the Stooges. They were all of short stature but even if you ever noticed, it was never a big deal. Once on the gridiron, they made mockery of football as they later did to other sports. Even garnering a laugh for me was that their numbers were ½, a ? and the chemical formula to hydrogen peroxide.

Three Little Pigskins was more than just a supporting role for someone that became legendary a few decades later. It is also more than the short where the leads refused to be gang-tackled by actual football players; this was a wise decision as two of their stunt doubles suffered broken bones.

I Discuss The Three Stooges

In specific, the start of something new for 2025 that won't be completed until the second half of the year. It's below in three separate reviews of the first three Three Stooges shorts the trio did for Columbia; they were all from 1934.

Woman Haters: 

(Short #1 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

So, this has been LONG overdue but until sometime in the summer of ‘25, I’ll typically be reviewing one of these shorts plus one movie per day. I don’t want to blow up everyone’s feeds, you know. However, there will be days (like today) where I’ll only review more than one Stooge effort and nothing else. To clarify, what I’ll be tackling is the 190 shorts that the Stooges made for Columbia from 1934 to the last short released, which was a quarter-century later. Linked at top is a list in progress for anyone to follow around while in the midst of this project.

I have Dad to thank for introducing me to the comedy trio as a kid. He was a kid in the 50’s when the Stooges were broadcast on television and became beloved. They were on broadcast TV and VHS tape during the 80’s, when I was less than the age of 10. I’ve had all those shorts on DVD for ages; about time I do this project, in chronological order. Wiki can be read for a detailed recap of how Moe, Larry & Shemp were first led in vaudeville by Ted Healy and why they broke away from an abrasive, abusive person. Shemp tried a solo career so Moe Howard recruited his younger brother Jerome “Curly” Howard. They plus Larry Fine made for a tremendous trio.

Woman Haters was different from the expected Stooges formula. As it was part of Columbia’s “Musical Novelty” series, this explains all the rhyming dialogue throughout. Tom, Jim & Jackie (yes, that was their character names) are part of the titular Woman Haters Club, until naturally a woman enters the picture and this results in comedic chaos.

There’s the expected slapstick-the slaps and eye pokes-but it’s just not quite the same as expected overall. Heck, Larry is the guy who falls in love w/ the girl instead of Moe. Still, it’s amusing; a big asset was Marjorie White as Mary, i.e. the peach who entered the trio’s life & trampled their bachelor credo. White was also a vaudeville veteran and sadly only spent a short amount of time in Hollywood; she died in a car accident, age 31. White was delightful as the pretty blonde w/ the babydoll voice who was a spitfire and alluring at the same time.

Once in awhile a future famous face (like Walter Brennan) or a veteran of other comedic shorts (like Tiny Sandford) will appear. Much to my delight, Bud Jamison also appears. He was in plenty of Chaplin shorts but I know him best for the number of Stooges efforts he was a key supporting player in up to 1944.

Most of the other Stooges reviews won’t be as lengthy; of course an intro and backstory were needed. For today, I’ll post a second review in a few hours and a few hours after that, a third and final review.

Punch Drunks: 

(Short #2 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

A de facto origin story for the Stooges. It was a rare short Howard, Fine & Howard wrote themselves and unlike typical, the trio are separate to begin but after they meet at a restaurant where Curly is a waiter, Larry comes in to play violin, and Moe is a boxing promoter, they become a trio.

The gag is that Curly goes berserk upon hearing Pop Goes the Weasel. The tune is public domain and recalling something I read once, the tune was chosen due to its natural absurdity. They meet a pretty girl, who doesn’t get to do much, and Curly becomes an up-and-comer pugilistic fighter as Weasel is played on the violin during his bouts.

Already at this point, the boys had their specific, typical personas. So is the slapstick you typically saw in their shorts, and also the clever wordplay/jokes that has always been an underrated aspect of the Stooges. The short starts to run out of steam/cleverness in the second half, even with an amusing running gag involving the championship fight’s timekeeper & a young prankster boy.

Punch Drunks was a nice precursor to what Stooges fans will love in the almost 200 shorts they did over the years at Columbia. This includes the inclusion of a few trademark sound effects that I’ll always associate with those boys. Not all were present here but the effects for the slaps, eye pokes, drinking a liquid, and other moments will forever be imprinted in my mind.

Men in Black

(Short #3 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

In my third & final review of the day, the only Stooge short ever nominated for an Academy Award; that award back then was “Short Subject – Comedy.” Who even remembers the winners of such honors, anyhow? In any case, those wondering why in the world a short devoted to the trio as doctors in the hospital is titled Men in Black: it’s a topical joke as there was a 1934 Clark Gable/Myrna Loy drama (Men in White) centered around doctors in a hospital.

Atypical is that there isn’t much of a plot aside from “the Stooges just graduated from medical school because they were students for too long and they cause anarchy in a hospital.” That doesn’t mean there isn’t funny one-liners (some to be repeated often in the future; the same goes for certain gags) or amusing slapstick. The focus on absurdist moments and random interactions w/ bizarre patients isn’t quite what I love the most about the Stooges.

At the same time, a nice rating can still be granted for the entertainment/laugh quotient. There were laughs, several running gags and the Betty Boop-voiced nurse was at least memorable; other side characters were also intriguing. Still, I’m glad that most of their work at Columbia had more of a semblance of a plot.