Tuesday, May 13, 2025

All Gummed Up

(Short # 103 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

Not top-tier Stooges yet still amusing. They operate a drugstore (which offers even more than at a modern Walgreens; for example, fishing poles are available) and much to my amazement, they were portrayed as more competent than usual. After a few throwaway gags, the main plot thread begins. Emil Sitka and Christine McIntyre are a couple in elderly makeup who move around like senior citizens; not only is he the drugstore landlord and wishes to kick them out for a better deal, he is also a cantankerous old man who is mad at his decrepit wife solely for her age.

The wacky premise is that they successfully concoct a Fountain of Youth potion w/ the ingredients & drugs they have in store (mixed in a boot, as they’ve done before) so McIntyre becomes a beautiful woman again. There are some solid laughs, although it’s not the strongest or most memorable Shemp short.

Those curious about the title: it references the main gag in the final few minutes, which does seem oddly-placed. The conclusion is of the non-sequitor type: at least in this universe-who knows about the 1940’s-giant marshmallows and huge pieces of bubblegum look exactly the same. Christine bakes a cake but wants marshmallows on top; apparently this used to be a thing. A mix-up happens, which does produce some funny visuals. Still, a rather peculiar conclusion.


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