THE CIGAR
Crowned Heads Jericho Hill
12 Honest Men 7 1/2 x 38 Lancero
w. Mexican San Andres
b./f. Nicaraguan
b./f. Nicaraguan
THE THREE STOOGES
Men in Black (1934)
s. Moe, Larry, and Curly
d. Raymond McCarey
p. Jules White
w. Felix Adler
ACT I
Almost a version of the old Aristocrats joke - dignity and humanity, after all, have as much to do with this hot mess as does Aristocracy with what occurred in a long ago talent agent's office. That poor, poor family. Actually, and come to think of it, this short ends with its ironic rallying cry, as does "The Aristocrats!"
This Three Stooges short is a near perfect leaping off point to the wonderful world of Stoogery. Men in Black offers a view of what to expect of them at the top of their crisply precise form - also, you'll be getting in on the proverbial ground floor, since we see on display here the births of some very classic gags:
This Three Stooges short is a near perfect leaping off point to the wonderful world of Stoogery. Men in Black offers a view of what to expect of them at the top of their crisply precise form - also, you'll be getting in on the proverbial ground floor, since we see on display here the births of some very classic gags:
We start with a surprise clumping off of ash, and a surprising amount of it -- about 3/4" already. It's cool powder and not as dense as I'd imagined. A new bit of spicy dark earth comes in and as it leaves, sweet grass lingers. There's a catch in my throat and my chest is warm.
Also, my stomach is killing me. Thanks, gefilte fish. I might be in trouble tonight, and I can hear Dion Giolito laughing at me. The schmuck.
Very sweet, very dark and somber. Very rustic yet well-appointed. In short, very Johnny Cash. Burn is evening and its line is down to near-razor. Not a tremendous smoke out-put, but a potent one. Even on my porch, I can smell the charred honey, mesquite, and coarse pepper cut with brown sugar. I greedily want more of it in my smoke-hole. The leather oils up a tick and darkly so, of course. The sweet grass is the lone ray of sunlight and while narrow, it doth remain. I can almost see it as filtered through thick steel bars.
Ash clumps again. Where's my schmatta? A bandana seemed more fitting but too, perhaps too on-the-nose. Not much more has changed here, perhaps a further sweet charring. Not bad, but all complexities have merely been hinted at thus far. I chew to loosen up the draw. Darned Lanceros.
Also, my stomach is killing me. Thanks, gefilte fish. I might be in trouble tonight, and I can hear Dion Giolito laughing at me. The schmuck.
Very sweet, very dark and somber. Very rustic yet well-appointed. In short, very Johnny Cash. Burn is evening and its line is down to near-razor. Not a tremendous smoke out-put, but a potent one. Even on my porch, I can smell the charred honey, mesquite, and coarse pepper cut with brown sugar. I greedily want more of it in my smoke-hole. The leather oils up a tick and darkly so, of course. The sweet grass is the lone ray of sunlight and while narrow, it doth remain. I can almost see it as filtered through thick steel bars.
Ash clumps again. Where's my schmatta? A bandana seemed more fitting but too, perhaps too on-the-nose. Not much more has changed here, perhaps a further sweet charring. Not bad, but all complexities have merely been hinted at thus far. I chew to loosen up the draw. Darned Lanceros.
the first of which is the Stooges charging into or out of an office door with an unfortunate and ill-fated full length plate-glass window, slamming and shattering it behind them. Here, we're given the punch-line of the glassier seeing the boys coming, and after the several previous breakings he's had to repair - sends it to shards himself. Thus winning the day.Sorta.
Also we are privy to the first Stooges liquid concoction. In this case 'medicine' artisan crafted by random pours of who-knows-what liquids all containing gibberish names. The gibberish names bit is also used when the boys pass along surgical equipment to one another. The effect here is a sealed off world, delineating and pointing out even more, their otherness. They are othering themselves, though. Thus winning the day. Sorta.
On display here, too, is a very early use of Hammerspace. When the Stooges Stooge to the storage closet, they leave said closet on a three-man bicycle, a horse, and then go-carts. The funny here, if there's any left after my pedantic explanation, is that said items would not in reality fit in the storage closet's supposed space. Explaining jokes is yet another reason why I'm seldom invited to parties.
Also we are privy to the first Stooges liquid concoction. In this case 'medicine' artisan crafted by random pours of who-knows-what liquids all containing gibberish names. The gibberish names bit is also used when the boys pass along surgical equipment to one another. The effect here is a sealed off world, delineating and pointing out even more, their otherness. They are othering themselves, though. Thus winning the day. Sorta.
On display here, too, is a very early use of Hammerspace. When the Stooges Stooge to the storage closet, they leave said closet on a three-man bicycle, a horse, and then go-carts. The funny here, if there's any left after my pedantic explanation, is that said items would not in reality fit in the storage closet's supposed space. Explaining jokes is yet another reason why I'm seldom invited to parties.
ACT II
"Calling Doctor Howard, Doctor Fine, Doctor Howard." I'm unsure, and perhaps a kind reader might enlighten me, as to whether or not this is the first or an early run at this gag. Nevertheless, in this rendition, the boys get so fed up that it ends with them all emptying their handguns into it, as it lies on the floor of the hospital, quivering. "For dignity and humanity," is repeated here once again, this time in the context of a greater, hidden just beneath the slap-stick, meaning. Power to the people, not to machinery. Kill your TV! might well be derived, as well.
Spices have overtook the earth note, but there's a compost in there, as well, which has an inherent sweetness. Hard leather seeps its oils from further back now. Molasses and honey swirl around the black pepper. Mesquite is dialing back, and really only mixed into the retro-hale now with a nice dose of the coarse black pepper. Cocoa comes in and plays a nice supporting role. It's a baking chocolate that while not inherently sweet, is sweetened some by is neighbors. Sweet grasses ebb and flow.
The catch in my throat is kind and sweet, I know, this sounds strange -- but I like it. Still, I think I should take an extra Flintstones vitamin before calling it a night. I'm just rolling off the ash now. It won't build, but it don't flake, either. The compost is dampening from the leather's oils. That and its inherent earthy sweetness is maybe the most interesting component here, and I m not complaining.
I might be puking soon, but that'd be on account of the gefilte fish. Serves me right to trust even Manischewitz, out here in the farthest-flung reaches of the Jewish Diaspora.
Black pepper has found its way to the tip of my tongue now, not in a bad way. It slowly spreads to the rest of it. Its acting finer ground now and still, like all else here, sweet. Sweet grass hides. Very dark, very sweet -- not sickly so, but maturely and ruggedly so. I'm at the half now, and black coffee is coming up hard. It's a syrupy thing that's almost espresso and raw sugar is stirred in. Smoke to the room thickens, but I'm still getting big sips of it in my craw. It's more than enough to taste everything -- I'm just greedy is all. My chest warms and I daresay, my gut settles a touch, as well.
With the coffee, body and flavors tickle full. Strength is at medium, maybe a solid -medium I'm expecting a ramping up there. Packing softens a good inch ahead of the unchanged burn.
At the end of the second act, I'd say coffee has become an espresso. Maybe in Red Eye fashion. That's a Shot in the Dark if'n yer out West.
As an interesting aside and further dalliance into Second Amendment, Curly's famous comedic gate is simply yet ingeniously him covering up a lifelong limp. When he was a young man of twelve - prior to the Curly, and possibly even Babe moniker, the young Jerome Horwitz accidentally shot himself in his foot while cleaning a rifle. Older brother Moe got him to a hospital in time to thwart a tragedy, but Curly never had the necessary procedure to correct it, even when he had the funds to do so. He was fearful of the procedure.
It bears noting that the crisp precise outcome of this production I mentioned prior is not relegated to the narrow scope of eye-pokes and nose twistings. It is seen in the dialogue, as well - namely with the Betty Boop voiced nurse. Also notable to this short's language is its laid back yet brisk almost predecessor type traits to the jive that lay just around the corner and a few years down. As a matter of fact, the opening theme is a jazz-influenced style melody that was used in only one other Stooge-romp, Punch Drunks.
ACT III
There is some slight peeling of the wrapper here about around-abouts the burn-line. Also, there is an introduction of a hardwood note, sweetly seasoned on the retro-hale. Some of the brown sugar leaves the espresso and it's full on espresso now, no java. Crisper, too. Strength is up to medium. Leather seeps a bit less of its oils, but what its already seeped is still in the compost and now the earth note, and they remain dampened. It's nice, though and does not dull or threaten the delineation of flavors. It's not as in some offerings, where a pail of water gets thrown on a camp fire. Chocolate ups a darkly sweet tick.
I recall hearing tall(?) tales of Keith Richards snorting his daddy's ashes. I can beat that: I just smoked Johnny Cash, gentlepersons.
I recall hearing tall(?) tales of Keith Richards snorting his daddy's ashes. I can beat that: I just smoked Johnny Cash, gentlepersons.
I'd scream all day for you, dear reader, to watch and re-watch this short gem. Unfortunately,
"I lost my voice asking for a raise."
EDITOR'S NOTE
All content published previously at www.kaplowitz.xyz; re-published herein with my express written consent.