A Plumbing We Will Go

Last updated
A Plumbing We Will Go
Plumbinglobbycard.jpg
Directed by Del Lord
Written by Elwood Ullman
Produced byDel Lord
Hugh McCollum
Starring Moe Howard
Larry Fine
Curly Howard
Bess Flowers
Dudley Dickerson
John Tyrrell
Bud Jamison
Monte Collins
Eddie Laughton
Wilson Benge
Cinematography Benjamin H. Kline
Edited by Art Seid
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • April 19, 1940 (1940-04-19)(U.S.)
Running time
17:31
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

A Plumbing We Will Go is a 1940 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 46th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Contents

Plot

The Stooges are destitute vagrants, engaged in larcenous activities as beggars. Subsequently, they face legal consequences and are brought to trial on charges of chicken theft. Following their acquittal, the trio endeavors to procure a live fish from an aquarium within a pet store. Officer Kelly intervenes, instigating a pursuit that compels the Stooges to adopt the guise of plumbers as a means to evade incarceration.

Assuming their roles as "plumbers", the Stooges secure a position in an opulent residence. Their ineptitude unfolds dramatically, resulting in the inadvertent destruction of the entire plumbing infrastructure within the residence. Curly, in attempting to address what he perceives as a bathroom leak, constructs a labyrinthine network of pipes, ensnaring himself. Simultaneously, Larry disrupts the front lawn in an unsuccessful quest for the water shutoff valve. Moe and Curly, in their misguided efforts, inadvertently connect a water pipe with another conduit containing electrical wires. This leads to water inundating every electrical appliance in the mansion, subjecting the perplexed chef to endless tribulations and frustration.

Upon the hostess' suggestion to view Niagara Falls on her newly acquired television set, an unexpected deluge occurs, soaking the entire assemblage at the precise moment the falls are depicted onscreen. The homeowner returns to witness the disarray in his residence, inadvertently undoing the Stooges' convoluted repair endeavors.

Much to their astonishment, the trio discovers that the homeowner is none other than the judge who had previously acquitted them of charges. Consequently, the Stooges hastily endeavor to flee the scene, pursued by the aggrieved judge, his butler, and the law enforcement officials, notably Officer Kelly, whom they had initially attempted to evade.

Production notes

A Plumbing We Will Go was filmed on December 13–18, 1939, the last Stooge film produced in the 1930s. [1] It was a remake of the Sidney and Murray short film, Plumbing for Gold (1934), and would be remade again with El Brendel and Shemp Howard as Pick a Peck of Plumbers (1944). The Stooges remade A Plumbing We Will Go as Vagabond Loafers (1949) and Scheming Schemers (1956) using stock footage. The original story in Plumbing for Gold involved searching for a lost ring which the Stooges did not use until Scheming Schemers. [2]

Curly recreated the maze-of-pipes gag several years later in Swing Parade of 1946 (1946). Shemp Howard attempted it as well in Vagabond Loafers and Scheming Schemers, while Joe DeRita also attempted the gag in Have Rocket, Will Travel (1959). [2] The chicken-stealing segment that opens the film was also reworked in Listen, Judge (1952). [2]

Aside from the aforementioned reworked films, footage from A Plumbing We Will Go also reappeared in the compilation feature film Stop! Look! and Laugh! (1960). [2]

Like A Ducking They Did Go (1939), the title is a play on the children's song, "A-Hunting We Will Go". [2]

Reception and influence

Curly's performance in A Plumbing We Will Go is generally considered by Three Stooges fans to be one of his best. [3] Curly himself considered A Plumbing We Will Go among his favorite Three Stooges shorts. [4]

Director Sam Raimi paid homage to A Plumbing We Will Go—specifically the gag in which a lightbulb fills with water—in the 1981 horror film The Evil Dead , with a scene featuring a lightbulb filling with blood, as well as blood pouring from wall sockets. [5] [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Three Stooges</span> American slapstick comedy trio

The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total Stooges appeared over the act's run ; Moe Howard and Larry Fine were mainstays throughout the ensemble's nearly 50-year run, while the "third stooge" was played in turn by Shemp Howard, Curly Howard, Shemp Howard again, Joe Besser, and "Curly Joe" DeRita.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moe Howard</span> American comedian and actor (1897–1975)

Moses Harry Horwitz, better known by his stage name Moe Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He is best known as the leader and straight man of the Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion pictures and television for four decades. That group initially started out as Ted Healy and His Stooges, an act that toured the vaudeville circuit. Moe's distinctive hairstyle came about when he was a boy and cut off his curls with a pair of scissors, producing an irregular shape approximating a bowl cut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shemp Howard</span> American comedian and actor (1895–1955)

Shemp Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He was called "Shemp" because "Sam" came out that way in his mother's thick Litvak accent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curly Howard</span> American comedian and actor (1903–1952)

Jerome Lester Horwitz, better known by his stage name Curly Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He was a member of the comedy team The Three Stooges, which also featured his elder brothers Moe and Shemp Howard, as well as actor Larry Fine. In early shorts, he was billed as Curley. Curly Howard was generally considered the most popular and recognizable of the Stooges.

<i>Kooks Tour</i> 1970 unreleased U.S. film by Norman Maurer

Kook's Tour is an American comedy television film produced in 1969. It was the final film to star the Three Stooges and was originally intended as the pilot for a television series. However, on January 9, 1970, before filming was completed, Larry Fine suffered a severe stroke, paralyzing the left side of his body. When it became clear that Fine was not expected to recover fully from the stroke, production of the series was cancelled and the Kook's Tour pilot film was shelved.

<i>Booty and the Beast</i> 1953 film by Jules White

Booty and the Beast is a 1953 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 145th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>Pop Goes the Easel</i> 1935 American short film by Del Lord

Pop Goes the Easel is a 1935 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the seventh entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>An Ache in Every Stake</i> 1941 American short film by Del Lord

An Ache in Every Stake is a 1941 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 57th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>Heavenly Daze</i> 1948 American film

Heavenly Daze is a 1948 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 109th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>Bedlam in Paradise</i> 1955 American short film by Jules White

Bedlam in Paradise is a 1955 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 162nd entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>They Stooge to Conga</i> 1943 American short film by Del Lord

They Stooge to Conga is a 1943 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 67th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>The Hot Scots</i> 1948 American short film by Edward Bernds

The Hot Scots is a 1948 short subject directed by Edward Bernds starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 108th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>Commotion on the Ocean</i> 1956 short film by Jules White

Commotion on the Ocean is a 1956 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges. It is the 174th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>Scheming Schemers</i> 1956 film by Jules White

Scheming Schemers is a 1956 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 173rd entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>G.I. Wanna Home</i> 1946 film by Jules White

G.I. Wanna Home is a 1946 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 94th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>Out West</i> (1947 film) 1947 American short film by Edward Bernds

Out West is a 1947 short subject directed by Edward Bernds starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 99th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>Vagabond Loafers</i> 1949 American short film by Edward Bernds

Vagabond Loafers is a 1949 short subject directed by Edward Bernds starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 118th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who appeared in 190 shorts at the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>Scrambled Brains</i> 1951 film by Jules White

Scrambled Brains is a 1951 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 132nd entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>Listen, Judge</i> 1952 American short film by Edward Bernds

Listen, Judge is a 1952 short subject directed by Edward Bernds starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 138th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>Pick a Peck of Plumbers</i> 1944 American film

Pick a Peck of Plumbers is an American comedy short produced and directed by Jules White. Released by Columbia Pictures on July 23, 1944, it stars El Brendel and Shemp Howard, both of whom receive top-billing in the short.

References

  1. ↑ Pauley, Jim (2012). The Three Stooges Hollywood Filming Locations. Solana Beach, California: Santa Monica Press, LLC. p. 209. ISBN   9781595800701.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Comedy III Productions, Inc. pp. 171–172. ISBN   0-9711868-0-4.
  3. ↑ Morlan, Don (2007). "A Pie in the Face: The Three Stooges' Antiaristocracy Theme in Depression-Era American Film". In Seely, Peter; Pieper, Gail W. (eds.). Stoogeology: Essays on the Three Stooges. McFarland & Company. p. 125. ISBN   978-0786429202.
  4. ↑ Howard Maurer, Joan; Jeff Lenburg; Greg Lenburg (2012) [1982]. The Three Stooges Scrapbook. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Review Press. p. 240. ISBN   978-1613740743.
  5. ↑ Konow, David (2012). Reel Terror: The Scary, Bloody, Gory, Hundred-Year History of Classic Horror Films. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 412. ISBN   978-0312668839.
  6. ↑ Raimi, Sam; Campbell, Bruce (October 15, 2015). Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell: Favorite Stooge Episode. YouTube. Event occurs at 1:22. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.