Larry Fine
Shemp Howard
Directed by Jules White
Written by Felix Adler
Produced by Jules White
Virginia Hunter as Flossie
Tiny Brauer as Terry Hargan
Vernon Dent as Detective Sharp
(You can YouTube the short. I used to embed videos in these posts --
but more often than not, they were taken down at the source.)
Love the old school settings involved in so many of these shorts. Today's is a tailor shop, also selling used clothes cheep. It would appear, however, that its primary source of income is cleaning, pressing, and altercations. Actually, the boys might not, in fact, have a primary or secondary source of income. They are actually about to go tits double-breasted suits up.
We open with two bits (no shave and/or haircut) that involve Larry chasing a beam of sunlight mistaken as a spot, through a pair of trousers. He too eventually winds up taking a swig of cleanser instead of that other bottle and spit takes on Moe. That don't end well for the Stooge in the Middle. Shemp, the fine purveyor of the other opening gag, is sitting on a table tending to mending a pair of slacks as he is wearing them -- wait -- he ain't wearing them at all! Yowzer.
Betwixt these spots, we learn that the boys are deep in hock with their tailor equipment and will be repo'd in 24 hours. $321.86? I couldn't, gentlepersons, come up with that NOW. We know the debtors mean biz, as well, one simply does not trifle with the Skin & Flint Finance Corporation. (I. Fleecum, President.)
Any time ol' Shemp references his own "pretty lil face," well -- let's just say he had me at "pretty," the ugly mug.
RADIO NEWS FLASH: Cops are scouring the city for Terry "Slippery Fingers" Hargan (Brauer). Guy's robbed 18 safes in 9 days! That's almost 2 a day! A "Large Reward" is being offered.
But first a snack. Moe makes Larry and Shemp a pan cake feast on a hot clothing press. Has anyone penned a Three Stooges cookbook yet? Why not, then?
Scissors are silverware. Right? In my book and in this short, yup.
Back to the action. Mr. Grant's pants need hand-pressed and Boss Moe gives the task to Under-boss Shemp. Having been rolled up in a window shade, they refuse to lay down on the board for poor Shemp. Occasionally, he rivals his brother Curly's physical stoogery -- and this is one of those occasions. Even more rare, though, is when he looks and even sounds a LOT like Curly and seems to almost pay an homage to his little brother. All told, it's a fantastic bit of slap-stick by Shemp. He ain't just a verbal stooge. Although those nuances remain alongside the hyperbole. Smart dumb stuff, this.
What's this??? Customers!!! Slippery Fingers is on the run and runs right into the shop to hide amongst the mannequins. Detective Sharp (Dent) is hot on his heals and the boys inadvertently run distraction on the cop by trying to sell him a cheep suit. Look out for a Larry cool nuance here, when he undresses Hargan to sell Sharp his pants, and senses something ain't right.
A nice bit here --
Shemp: Where'd ya get this mess? (fingering Sharp's suit.)
Sharp: Here.
Shemp: Oh, what a beautiful mess-terpiece.
Another --
Shemp: This is 200% wool/
Sharp: 200%?
Shemp: These sheep led a double life.
Hargan gets away and hi-tails it back to his hideout where Flossie (Hunter) and two other associates await. Flossie shoots him some feces re: his showing up sans pants. Sassy broad. He in turn sends her back to the tailor's to collect his articles of clothing. You see, there's a code to a safe in the watch pocket of the pants. He wants to pull the heist pronto.
Right prior to Flossie sauntering into Pip Boys, Moe discovers the piece of paper and recognizes it for what it is. But what does the monogrammed TH on the suit jacket mean? Teddy Hoosevelt, of course (Shemp)! No, Thomas Hedison (Larry)! Upon further Moe inspection, Terry Hargan is embroidered on the suit.
I want my name embroidered on all my clothes. KAPLOWITZ. Wow. I can sees it now. Where was I? Oh, yeah. HARGAN WAS HERE!
[Stooge interlude]
Shemp: Who made that hat? (eyeballing a customer.)
Customer: My mother.
Shemp: I thought so.
Now Flossie tall and languidly makes way up to the counter. She spots Hargan's Gabardine threads right off and pays the boys with a roll of bills from the suit jacket's pocket. $450 big ones! Wait -- she gives them a 50 and keeps the rest. Dames. Did I mention Moe cuffs the safe combination? He does. Oh, boy...
That thing that Moe does with the scissors to Shemp's nose made me for realz cringe wonderfully.
Anyways, Flossie returns to the hideout and Hargan is none too happy to find out the combination is no longer in the pocket. He's even less happy to find out "they" took his bankroll. "C'mon boys. We're going calling." I always wanted to say that. Actually, I have said it. Many times. I've always wanted to say it to someone who would listen and then tag along, however. I say it to potatoes on their way to the fry pan, etc.
This is gonna get good --
It's showdown high noon time at Pip Boys. Three on three for all the marbles. I am not sure what the heck is up with those fake beards. I sense they simply had them laying around. I too sense a tad of Hasidic Face. Nevertheless, it's go time. "Cut it out, I'm ticklish!" - Moe Howard.
Also, Larry exhibits some quite legitimate Kung-fu. But it's Shemp that is allowed to shine here as he takes care of Hargan all on his lonesome -- while hanging helplessly (OK, haplessly) from a rotating coat rack.
In the interim, Moe and Larry team up to give a guy third degree burns in comedic if not oddly naughty fetishist style. Although I could just be reading too much into it. Lots of hot iron lingering around tuchus, though.
All the baddies are subdued and who do ya think strolls in? Detective Sharp. He gathers up the crooks and tells Moe, Larry, and Shemp it is he who will get that "Large Reward." He then gifts the boys tickets to the Policeman's Ball. Fornicate upon the PO-lice.
Tickets to the Policeman's Ball? Shemp bawls and wipes his face on an out-on-his-feet Hargan's suit collar. Only to find his stash pocket there. He grabs a roll of greenbacks and Sharp grabs Hargan off to the clink.
Shemp addresses the wad of cash: "One hundred, two hundred, three hundred, four hundred, five hundred, and fifty..." With a pffft he crumbles up the fifty and tosses it aside. The others pfft, as well. Then all three come to and jump on the 50. Take THAT, both Skin & Flint!
Trivial Trivialities:
Director Jules White is the radio announcer.
"Sing a Song of Six Pants was remade in 1953's "Rip, Sew and Stitch."
As per (unsubstantiated) Wiki: "It is one of four Stooge shorts that fell into the public domain after the copyright lapsed in the 1960s (the other three being Malice in the Palace, Brideless Groom, and Disorder in the Court). As such, these four shorts frequently appear on inexpensive VHS or DVD compilations."
"Pip Boys," The name of the Stooge's tailor shop, was a riff on Pep Boys, the Auto Store from Larry's own Philly.
Notes:
Shemp makes me fall in love with him all over again.
Final Grade: B+
(The + is for Larry's delivery of "Brother." Look for it.)
