Early Stooges short, a kind of Pygmalion affair with the Stooges hitting society as a result of a rich man's bet.The cultural gap between the UK and the US when it comes to the Stooges is bewildering- I don't know anyone else in the UK who has even seen a Stooges film (I'm talkig about intimate acquaintances here, I've not been out doing nationwide surveys or anything...), yet they seem part of the national heritage in the States. Which for me at least is a good thing, cos I'm coming to these things fresh. No baggage at all. And there's plenty here that's really funny. So do they still get regularly shown over there? Do schoolchildren know who they are? Important questions, important questions. In an odd way their casual violence, I'm sure, has been their undoing with regards to the UK (yeah, like they ever would have cared...)- however innocent, integral and cartoon-like, this kind of thing could never be sanctioned on our well-bred television screens! And you know what? That can make them seem a little bit dangerous even now.
The Pygmalion experiment fails of course- the flirtation with Society is a disaster. And yet perversely the best moment here is the outbreak of copycat Stooge violence that takes over the posh gathering as they make their final exit- the primal balance has been restored. The best moment, but perhaps not the funniest- that is surely the glorious scene where the Stooges are being lessoned in dance and their instructress falls victim to a wasp down her cleavage. This is the kind of silly slapstick that will always be a winner wherever it is shown.
I've seen about half a dozen Stooges films, all early ones, and like them all without coming close to loving them. This might have been the best of the batch so far. I still need to learn which Stooge is which though. British TV has left me down once again.
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