A Trio of Three Stooges Shorts

Cash and Carry: 

(Short # 25 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

The Stooges… sentimental? Yes, it happened here. They rarely showed compassion for others but when there’s a poor young woman and her kid brother (Sonny Bupp; yup, he portrayed Charles Foster Kane III in Citizen Kane a few years later) and the latter has a brace on his leg so they’re saving pennies for the longshot hope that one day they can afford an operation… it’s nice that the trio decide to help him, albeit in bumbling fashion.

I’ve seen a complaint that the leads were “even dumber than usual”; sure. This includes them not being able to read a map & not knowing the answer to 6 + 6. They were all victims of circumstances; they attempt to deposit the duo’s meager savings into the bank. As Curly proclaimed to the question “is it safe to deposit money in the bank? Will they give it back?” he responded “Sure. They didn’t used to, but now they do!” as Moe glared. Unfortunately, there was a time early in the Depression when money wasn’t safe in the bank although it probably was by ’37.

Once they were swindled and given an abandoned house, the insanity from the boys using shovels & other tools was a delight. Moe in particular suffered plenty of abuse. It all leads to a conclusion that is even rarer: a happy ending for the trio! That includes a famous real-life figure as portrayed by an actor only seen from the back. It’s nice which makes it quite enjoyable.

Playing the Ponies: 

(Short # 26 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

The Stooges running a restaurant: a swell idea. This short does stand out for the first half. They run a failing seaside restaurant and typically it was Moe & Larry in the front interacting w/ customers while Curly the Chef was in the back. This formula worked as there was a decent amount of funny jokes & sight gags, including Curly (addicted to salted peanuts; understandable) making “chicken soup” by pouring hot water over a chicken carcass taken from the fridge that’s in a strainer into a bowl. Also in front was three containers which held mints, salted peanuts, and “chili pepperinos.”

No, I don’t know what “chili pepperinos” are either! From a quick Google search, people in modern times assume it’s a device invented for this short. Think “black peppercorns” that look just like salted peanuts, and are as hot as a Carolina Reaper pepper. The trio are swindled by two shysters where the restaurant was traded for a racehorse that had false accolades attached to it but in reality was a lame equine.

The antics at the stables then the racetrack aren’t as spectacular (the race itself was farcical compared to a standard horserace) yet there are still chuckles present, including the conceit that the lame horse-Thunderbolt-runs faster than Seabiscuit after eating those pepperinos. It has another nice happy ending for the Stooges & Thunderbolt. This may be fun to watch if you fish for your seafood out the window of your place like Curly does here.

The Sitter Downers: 

(Short # 27 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

The Stooges go on strike in order to marry sisters named Florabell, Corabell, & Dorabell. The ladies live with their father, who constantly refuses the marriage proposals. The strike lasts for weeks & earns national attention. He finally acquiesces and to their good fortune, a company offers them a ready-cut house. The first 6 minutes is quite amusing, full of funny puns and such moments as Curly “sitting on an octopus” (sitting on sewing needles and the always-great sound effects of an item being pulled from Curly, usually from his posterior).

The final 10 minutes are in a park somewhere, the Stooges required to build the house from the pieces of lumber given to them. Their attempts are as inept as expected. Moe and Larry run after each other/beat each other up as Curly is stymied while creating a cement floor. There’s acres of great slapstick and funny one-liners. Curly has cement shoes (long story) requiring the usage of… dynamite!

Not only is there Howard, Fine, & Howard, but their wives are also amusing whenever they appear. June Gittelson (a heavy-set woman; this was her last appearance in his universe… a shame as she always made me laugh), Betty Mack and Marcia Healy (yes, the sister of their former boss Ted Healy) helped make this an entry that many Stooge fans are fond of. In fact, this short… brought the house down.