A Pair of Stooge Shorts

The Yoke's on Me: 

(Short # 79 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

This short requires a longer than usual review. As it is 1944, World War II is the theme and the Stooges purchase a farm as they can’t join the Army due to Curly having water on the knee. There are laughs as of course the farm is dilapidated w/ no livestock, which results in the usual complications, including repair, interacting with a goose, and an ostrich escaped from the circus which ingests gunpowder so it lays explosive eggs… you know, the typical struggles of being a neophyte farmer.

The threat: the Japanese. Not a surprise, as the lampooning of the Italians and Germans were popular in American entertainment of the time; the Stooges did so several times previously. If it was Japanese soldiers or spies on the loose invading their farm and interacting w/ their Jack-o’-Lanterns that’d be one thing. Unfortunately, they were instead Japanese-Americans who escaped from internment camps…
History lesson: Japanese-Americans were in internment camps during World War II; George Takei as a kid is a famous example. From what I understand, there were similar camps for Germans and Italians, but much smaller in scope and mainly w/ non-citizens.

While not a large role in terms of time on screen, what looked to be Hispanics or those from other Pacific Rim regions cosplaying as Japanese are the bucktoothed stereotype is still bad even if the little idea that the majority of those in those “relocation camps” were legally Americans by law so it’s our trio literally blowing up Americans whose biggest crimes were stealing pumpkins then arming themselves w/ makeshift weapons after the Stooges attacked them first!

I am no bleeding-heart liberal or woke; in fact, I am glad this short wasn’t banned; in modern times, it can educate people that these camps were a fact of life for some Americans during the war. Some solace can be taken that in the 80’s the United States government paid out reparations to the survivors of those camps as at least in hindsight, “racism” was the motivating factor behind imprisoning those people in the first place.

A shame, as there are laughs present along with some nice wordplay; Yoke’s would have been fine if not for the ugly elements that have aged like milk.

Idle Roomers: 

(Short # 80 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

A wolfman is kept in a fancy hotel? Why the heck not? The first third you wouldn’t suspect a wolfman to appear. The Stooges are bellhops at the Hotel Snazzy-Plazza when Christine McIntyre and her husband Vernon Dent check in. This was the first big role McIntyre had in the world of Howard, Fine & Howard; besides her physical appearance as a pretty blonde, Stooge fans are big fans as she’s a talented performer who appeared sometimes w/ Curly, & was in many Shemp efforts. I’ll be seeing her often throughout the rest of my viewing these Columbia shorts.

As she arrives before her husband, the trio fawn over her, leading to the expected gags. Then, Dent (who runs a carnival) reveals to the audience that he has a wolfman who has the wacky conceit that he goes berserk over… hearing music. Again, why not? The zaniness began once Curly turned on “the boogie-woogie box”… the radio. Subsequently, there’s the expected running around/away, a gag involving a busted mirror, elevator antics, etc.

As silly as Idle Roomers was, there was enough in the way of routines, puns, and sight gags to thrill me.