Rip, Sew & Stitch:
(Short # 150 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)
In my only review of the day, I explain how the producers didn’t quite figure out the “stock footage” thing yet. As alluded to recently, this began the era where often (but not always) old Shemp shorts would be remade, and at least some stock footage from said short would be used. Rip, Sew & Stitch is a remake of 1947’s Sing a Song of Six Pants.
To copy and paste parts of that review:
“The blue-collar jobs they have this time: tailors. They run & operate Pip Boys; yes, Pep Boys was a thing even in the 40’s. They are in debt to Skin & Flint; Shemp has the idea-after listening to the radio-that they capture safe robber Terry Hargen for the reward. Naturally, Moe thinks it impossible that he’d literally walk into their shop—but he does. They and Terry were “victims of soicemstances,” Terry loses his clothes (long story), and the trio discovered a combination to a safe.
Six Pants (yes, the name is a spoof of the English nursery rhyme Sing a Song of Sixpence) is great. The pace is fast, acres of funny dialogue are uttered, there are funny pratfalls, some sight gags are delightful, the accoutrements you’d expect in a tailor’s shop are used to riotous effect-Shemp’s struggles w/ an ironing board and a rolled-up pair of pants is classic-they fight the villain & his henchmen in the climax, and even the final stinger gag was… tailor-made to punctuate what may have been one of Shemp’s best.”
The problem here: Sew uses way too much stock footage from Six Pants… only a few minutes is new. This footage filmed in ’53 had some laughs but they excised Virginia Hunter, a moll character who was delightful in Six Pants. Plus, they could not get Harold Brauner as Terry Hargen to return so one scene featured an OBVIOUS stand-in who looked nothing like Brauner to advance a new storyline beat for Sew.
When Sing a Song of Six Pants is far better AND it is public domain so you can view it anywhere online…
Bubble Trouble:
(Short # 151 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)
This is another review where I might as well copy and paste parts of an old review as once again, this is a remake of an older Shemp short where a LOT of stock footage from said short is used. This time it’s 1947’s All Gummed Up. The original was one I only thought was fine, and my opinion isn’t changed here.
“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.”
Bubble does have some changes, though. A scene involving bubble gum instead of marshmallows being placed on a cake and wacky bubble gags then occur… instead of the scene being placed at the end like Gummed, Bubble has it in the middle-which arguably is a better spot for it. Moreover, instead of turning into a child after drinking the potion, Emil Sitka turns—into a gorilla! Sure, why not?
This is not top-tier yet both the new & old footage has laughs so they are an acceptable watch.
Goof on the Roof:
(Short # 152 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)
A short I was more than happy to discuss again on Letterboxd. In addition, it reminds me of the time in college (when I was living in an apartment) where I would see an hour of the Stooges in the late afternoon on AMC-back before the channel turned into the offal that is almost every cable channel now-and it was hosted by none other than Leslie Nielsen, who did comedic bits between each short. This was where I first discovered Goof on the Roof and that hour was great even during the not-so-great college days… long story.
Goof thankfully was an original story; despite most of the short only consisting of the trio and limited sets, the routines were so gosh-darn funny that was irrelevant in this case. They receive a telegram that their roommate is returning from eloping w/ his gal. As they clean a house, a television is delivered-this is back when TV had started to explode in popularity. Using only such items as that TV set, a bar of soap, a bucket of water, and a swinging door, this is hysterical as the house is utterly destroyed by the end, along with that television.
There is also acres of funny one-liners throughout as Shemp’s head goes into the bucket on multiple occasions, holes are put into a wall as a television knob accidentally is lost as Larry attempts to hammer it straight, and Shemp is the titular goof on the roof as his attempt to install the antenna inevitably goes awry. Utter chaos reigns supreme; when Bill and his new wife Rosebud make their return… it creates quite the wacky ending. Goof on the Roof has been one of my favorites for over two decades; thankfully my tune hasn’t changed as I’ve viewed the preceding 151 shorts.
Not to end this on a downer, but this was the last effort of longtime writer Clyde Bruckman. Wiki gives a long, detailed breakdown concerning how alcoholism ruined his career, why Harold Lloyd sued him on several occasions and how he felt that taking his own life was the answer to a major downturn in his life. A shame; besides being credited on various Stooge shorts since the 30’s (including such classics like Three Little Beers, In the Sweet Pie and Pie, & Brideless Groom) he co-wrote a few Buster Keaton all-timers in Sherlock Jr., The General and yes, Seven Chances, which was obviously the inspiration for Brideless Groom. His “borrowing” of ideas he used in the past was a major source of consternation for him.
Regardless, his contributions are appreciated by me. And yes, I’m aware of the X-Files episode Clyde Bruckman’s Final Response (where Peter Boyle portrayed a character named Clyde Bruckman who could foretell someone’s death) which contained many allusions to people involved w/ silent film.
Income Tax Sappy:
(Short # 153 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)
The Stooges cheat the IRS, but they were encouraged by their sister. This is another original story; of course some gags are reminiscent of those in the past yet I didn’t complain about the familiar lines or moments; I’ll always chuckle at someone’s sandwich “biting” the eater no matter if it’s Moe or Curly that’s the recipient. After all, there are new moments involving Larry squirting instant glue which lands on Moe’s hand, resulting in Larry’s hair getting stuck on Moe’s hand, which leads to… more calamity. Furthermore, expect more than one surreal gag.
The trio are stuck w/ the realization that if they can successfully rip off the Internal Revenue Service, they can go into business to do the same for others. A time jump occurs and the Stooges are now rich. A fancy soiree occurs at their mansion, one of their guests a random gentleman who wears what looks like a fake beard…
More laughs occur as they serve then eat dinner; the highlight is that after Curly and Moe's past problems attempting to eat oysters and clam chowder in a bowl, this time it is Larry who has that issue; it is lobster gumbo that is the crustacean in this case. As the conclusion was great, Sappy is a very good effort.
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