Scheming Schemers | |
---|---|
Directed by | Jules White Edward Bernds (stock footage) |
Screenplay by | Jack White |
Story by | Elwood Ullman |
Produced by | Jules White |
Starring | Moe Howard Larry Fine Shemp Howard Joe Palma Emil Sitka Kenneth MacDonald Christine McIntyre Symona Boniface Dudley Dickerson |
Cinematography | Ray Cory |
Edited by | Harold White |
Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 15:54 |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Scheming Schemers is a 1956 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Shemp Howard). 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.
The Stooges are novice plumbers tasked with the retrieval of a valuable ring lost within the labyrinthine confines of the drainage system at the opulent residence of the Norfleet family. Despite initial success in locating the ring, a calamitous mishap precipitated by Larry inadvertently propels the prized object back into the depths of the drain. Determined to rectify their blunder, the Stooges embark on a quest to navigate the subterranean infrastructure, endeavoring to halt the deluge wrought by the malfunctioning plumbing.
Larry's misguided efforts to locate the water cutoff result in a comically futile excavation of the lawn, exacerbating the chaos within the Norfleet domicile. Shemp's intuitive deduction of the underlying issue – the obstruction of the plumbing system by electrical wires – prompts a creative yet unorthodox solution: the removal of the electrical components to facilitate the restoration of water flow. The ensuing spectacle is then characterized by an inundation of water from unexpected sources.
Amidst the chaos, the theft of the prized Van Brocklin painting by party guests Mr. and Mrs. Allen further complicates the situation, escalating tensions within the Norfleet household. However, the Stooges, amidst a pie-fueled melee, emerge as unlikely heroes, successfully thwarting the art heist and reclaiming the stolen painting. Mr. Norfleet, duly impressed by their valor, elects to reward the Stooges for their valorous actions.
However, the whereabouts of Shemp remain shrouded in mystery until it is revealed that he remains ensnared in the tangled labyrinth of pipes.
Scheming Schemers is a remake of Vagabond Loafers , which in itself was a remake of A Plumbing We Will Go with former Stooge Curly Howard; additional pie fight footage was borrowed from Half-Wits Holiday . This makes Scheming Schemers the only Three Stooges short to use footage from three previous short subjects. This film is also the last to contain new footage with longtime Stooges supporting actor Kenneth MacDonald.
Shemp Howard died in 1955 after completing four Stooge comedies for that year, but Columbia was legally bound to deliver eight. So producer Jules White manufactured four more shorts "with Shemp" by using old footage of Howard and new footage of stand-in Joe Palma. [1] This method of using a body double to complete an unfinished film has become known as Fake Shemp, coined by producer Sam Raimi for his feature film The Evil Dead . [2]
For Scheming Schemers, Joe Palma appears for the shot of "Shemp" with his back to the camera, honking the horn of the Stooges' jeep. Palma then gathers several pipes, obstructing his face. Palma's one line of dialogue — "Hold yer horses, will ya?" — is Shemp's voice borrowed from the soundtrack of a recent Stooge short, Creeps (originally filmed in 1949 for The Ghost Talks ). This new footage was shot on January 16, 1956, only six weeks after Shemp's death. [3]
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. 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.
Moses Harry Horwitz, better known by his stage name Moe Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He is best known as the leader 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.
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.
Jerome Lester Horwitz, better known by his stage name Curly Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He was as 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.
A fake Shemp is a type of body double who appears in a film to replace another actor or person, usually when the original actor has died, or is unable or unwilling to reprise their role. Their appearance is disguised using methods such as heavy make-up, filming from the back, dubbing in audio and splicing in past footage from the original actor's previous work, using a sound-alike voice actor, or using partial shots of the actor.
Emil Sitka was an American actor who appeared in hundreds of movies, short films, and television shows, and who is best known for his numerous appearances with The Three Stooges. He was the unofficial "last Stooge", since he was tapped to be the new middle Stooge when Larry Fine suffered a stroke in 1970. He is one of only two actors to have worked with all six Stooges on film in the various incarnations of the group.
Half-Wits Holiday is a 1947 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges. It is the 97th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.
A Plumbing We Will Go is a 1940 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. 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.
Malice in the Palace is a 1949 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 117th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.
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.
Symona Ferner Boniface was an American film actress, most frequently seen in bit parts in comedy shorts, mostly at Columbia Pictures, particularly those of The Three Stooges. She appeared in 120 films between 1925 and 1950.
Squareheads of the Round Table is a 1948 short subject directed by Edward Bernds starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 106th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.
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.
Scotched in Scotland is a 1954 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 158th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.
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.
Joe Palma was an American film actor. Palma appeared in over 120 films between 1937 and 1968. He was well known as a supporting player for The Three Stooges and his brief tenure as a body double to member Shemp Howard for four shorts produced after Shemp's death, which led to the coining of the term "Fake Shemp".
Hot Stuff is a 1956 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 172nd entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.
Rumpus in the Harem is a 1956 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 171st entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who appeared in 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.
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.
For Crimin' Out Loud is a 1956 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 170th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.