Studio: Universal. Runtime: 65 minutes. Production Number F8. Release Date: December 4, 1933. Director: Al Boasberg. Screenplay: Beatrice Banyard. Producers: Eddie Foy Jr., Bryan Foy. Executive Producer: Carl Laemmle. Cast: Myrtle Vail (Myrt Spear), Donna Damerel (Marge Minter), Eddie Foy Jr. (Eddie Hanley), Ted Healy (Mullins), Jerry "Curly" Howard, Larry Fine, Moe Howard (Themselves), Bonnie Bonnell (Suzannah), Ray Hedges (Clarence Tiffingtuffer), Thomas E. Jackson (Mr. Jackson), Grace Hayes (Grace), Jimmy Conlin (Comedian), J. Farrell MacDonald (Mr. Grady), Trixie Friganza (Mrs. Minter), Bo-Ling, Bo-Ching (Themselves), The Colenette Ballet (Dancers), Peter Lind Hayes (OGOK Announcer). Cinematographer: Joseph Valentine. Editor: Arthur Hilton. Art Director: Merrill Pye. Choreographer: Jack Haskell. Musical Director: Paul Van Loan. Songwriters: M. K. Jerome (music), Joan Jasmyn (lyrics).
Though nearly forgotten today the Myrt and Marge radio show was very popular in its day. First airing on November 2, 1931, the show was created by one of its stars Myrtle Vail (Born January 7, 1888, in Joliet, Illinois; passed away September 18, 1978, in Kansas City, Missouri), who also wrote many of the episodes. Myrtle had been a former vaudevillian and thought a radio show based on her life in vaudeville might be successful. The plot of the show had the older and more experienced Myrt (Myrtle) taking a younger vaudevillian Marge under her wing. To play the younger vaudevillian Myrtle chose her own daughter, Donna Damerel (born July 8, 1912, in Chicago, Illinois; passed away February 15, 1941, in Englewood, New Jersey). The show became one of radio's most popular soap operas and ran into 1942. However, tragedy struck in 1941 when Donna Damerel died giving birth to her third son. She was only 28. There was storyline in which Myrt had to hide out in the hills until a murder could be resolved, which would allow the character of Marge to be briefly written out. By the time this storyline was over Helen Mack (Born November 13, 1913, in Rock Island, Illinois; passed away August 13, 1986, in Beverly Hills, California) had been given the role of Marge. Helen Mack is best remembered today for her roles in the classic films His Girl Friday (1940) and Son of Kong (1933). Comedy fans might also know her for her role in the Harold Lloyd talkie, The Milky Way (1936). Even with Mack as the replacement the show would only last a few more months. However, in 1946 the series had a short revival, with new episodes starring Myrtle Vail and Helen Mack. Myrtle Vail would find a later career as a character actress. She is best remembered for the beloved low-budget horror films, A Bucket of Blood (1959) and The Little Shop of Horrors (1960), both of which were written by her grandson Charles B. Griffith (Born September 23, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois; passed away September 28, 2007, in San Diego, California).
With the success of this radio show, Universal decided to make a feature film version. In this film, Myrt (Myrtle Vail) knows she has a hit Broadway revue on her hands, yet she lacks the money to fund it. Selfish and predatory producer Mr. Jackson (Thomas E. Jackson) agrees to fund the show. However, what he is really interested in is the young actress, Marge (Donna Damerel).
Yet what makes this movie with watching are the comedy and musical numbers. Despite this being so early in their movie careers, Ted Healy and the Stooges get quite a bit of screen time here. They completely steal the show. Many of their scenes here are pure classic Stooges. I found myself constantly chuckling when they were onscreen. Bonnie Bonnell and Ray Hedges also supply some good laughs here. While the musical numbers may not be especially memorable, they are fun. The songs are very pleasant and enjoyable to listen to. All the performers do a great job with each of these songs, bring even more fun to them. Eddie Foy, Jr. is especially fun to watch, and it is easy to tell that he descended from vaudeville royalty. The final musical number is definitely a highlight with its Busby Berkley inspired visuals.
This movie also has a very charming ending, where the stars briefly step out of character to say goodbye to the audience.
Director Al Boasberg (born December 5, 1892, in Buffalo, New York; passed away June 18, 1937, in Los Angeles, California) had worked on some real comedy classics, mostly as a writer. For instance, he was a writer on Buster Keaton's silent masterpiece The General (1927), Harold Lloyd's Speedy (1928), Wheeler and Woosley's Cracked Nuts (1931) and The Marx Brothers' A Night at the Opera (1935). As well as his career on films he also worked with Jack Benny, Bob Hope and Burns and Allen on radio.
This is a rare major role for actor Thomas E. Johnson (born July 4, 1886, in New York City; passed away in Hollywood), who mostly played supporting character roles during his prolific movie career. Though he was rarely in leading roles Johnson had been in such beloved Hollywood classics as Little Caesar (1931), The Thin Man (1934), The Call of the Wild (1935), Angels With Dirty Faces (1938); Beau Geste (1939) and The Woman in the Window (1944).
J. Farrell MacDonald (born April 14, 1875, in Waterbury, Connecticut; passed away August 2, 1952, in Hollywood) was another actor with a very distinguished career, though mostly in supporting roles. His filmography includes such classics as The Iron Horse (1924), Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927), The Cat's-Paw (1934), Topper (1937), Meet John Doe (1941), Sullivan's Travels (1941), The Palm Beach Story (1942), My Darling Clementine (1946), It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and Superman and the Mole Men (1951).
Bo Ling (born November 15, 1908, in Alameda County, California; passed away March 18, 1999, in Granada Hills, California) and Bo Ching (born April 21, 1911, in Alameda County, California) were sisters born Berenice Park (Bo Ling) and Winnie Park (Bo Ching). The sisters had a stage act with performer Helen Wong Jean. The act was described as a "three-gal act, singing, dancing, and playing piano and accordion." Despite not being the same age, the sisters sometimes performed together on stage credited as "The Chinese Twins." They were the daughters of actors Edward and Florence Park, who both can be seen in some of the Charlie Chan films. These parents encouraged their daughters to sing, dance and play piano at an early age. They can be seen in such films as Golden Stairs (1929) and the madcap comedy masterpiece International House (1933). Bo-Ching would much later appear in the Star Terk the Next Generation episode, Violations (1992).
Universal Weekly, 1933
Here is a 1936 article from Radio Stars magazine about the Myrt and Marge radio show. If you have trouble reading it, click on the pages below and use your touch screen to zoom in.
Ray Hedges, who acts in this film, was also a regular on the radio show. Here is a 1935 article from Radio Mirror magazine that talks about him and the role he was known for. If you have trouble reading, click on the pages below and use your touch screen to zoom in.
If you want to watch this movie, you can do so below.
-Michael J. Ruhland'
Resources Used
The Three Stooges Scrapbook by Jeff Lenburg, Joan Howard Maurer and Greg Lenburg
Studio: MGM. Runtime: 20 minutes. Production Number 680. Release Date: October 14, 1933. Director: Jack Cummings. Story: Ted Healy. Screenplay: Matty Brooks. Cast: Ted Healy, Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard (Themselves), Bonnie Bonnell (Bonny), Kathryn Crawford, Geneva Mitchell, Mildred Dixon, Loretta Andrews, Mary Halsey, The Albertina Rasch Girls (Chorus Girls), Gus Arnheim and His Orchestra (Themselves), Matthew Betz (Airline Official in deleted scene). Songwriters: Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh. Choreographer: Busby Berkeley. Working Titles: Aviation Short; Around the World Backwards.
Plane Nuts is the fourth of five short films Ted Healy and his Stooges made for MGM and some Stooge fans consider it the best of the five. This also marked the fourth and final time the comedy team would be directed by Jack Cummings and the next to last time that Boonie Boswell would appear in a film with them.
A storyline is nearly non-existent in this short film. Instead, this film is a cinematic version of the team's vaudeville act, with some musical number spliced in.
As was the case with Hello Pop (1933), the musical numbers were not originally created for this film. Instead, they are reused footage from the MGM feature film, Flying High (1931). That movie was directed by Charles Reisner and starred Bert Lahr, Charlotte Greenwood, Pat O'Brien, Charles Winninger and Hedda Hopper.
This short is a real treat for any Stooge-phile. True it may not be one of the comedy team's funniest films, but it is the closest thing we will ever see to what Ted Healy and His Stooges were like on stage. Because of this regardless of whether one finds it funny or not any true Stooge love will find it a fascinating watch.
This film's main fault and its main virtue are exactly the same. This is that everything involving Ted and the Stooges is hopelessly stage bound. On one hand, this provides the film with great historical interest. One the other hand, confining the action to one place and lacking any cinematic touches, this short lacks the playful spirit and comedic freedom found in the Stooges' best work. There is also the sad truth that filmed stage acts rarely capture the magic of what is on stage. However, there are some funny gags in this short (especially involving the boys continually interrupting Ted trying to sing a song and the melodrama) and the Stooges and Healy are comedic performers who know perfectly how to deliver a gag.
Simply being clips from a feature film, the musical numbers are much more cinematic (They include some of the earliest work of the great Busby Berkley). These scenes are visually delightful. They are brilliantly shot in a way that is very cinematic, the costumes are wonderful, and the sets have a wonderfully abstract feel to them. It is a shame then that the songs themselves are instantly forgettable.
A deleted scene would have included Ted and the boys boarding a plane and flying around the world, only backwards. Photos of this scene appear in Moe's autobiography, Moe Howard and the Three Stooges (released posthumously in 1977). The scene is also discussed with production still shown in Leonard Maltin's television documentary The Lost Stooges (1990).
The following are exhibitors' reviews from The Motion Picture Herald.
"Plane Nuts: Ted Healy. Had a nice ensemble number and a few laughs. - Mayme P. Musselman, Princess Theatre, Lincoln, Kan. Small Town Patronage."
"PLANE NUTS: Ted Healy— If they like Ted Healy and His Stooges, it is a riot and our people do. Entitled to your best time. - C.L. Niles, Miles Theatre, Anamosa, Iowa. General Patronage."
"PLANE NUTS: Ted Healy. If this was a couple more reels in length, it could be run as a feature. Easily as good as the Marx Brothers. Just as silly and just as funny. Play this by all means and watch them roll in their seats. - Harry Pace, Broadway Theatre, Audubon, Iowa."
"PLANE NUTS: Ted Healy and his Stooges and pretty girls - Excellent musical revue (not in color). - D.E. Fitton, Lyric Theatre, Harrison, Ark. Small Town Patronage."
" PLANE NUTS: Ted Healy and Stooges— Lots of comedy in this one. MGM makes them right. Running time, 19 minutes. - A.H. Edwards, Orpheum Theatre, Orwigsburg, Pa. Small Town and Rural Patronage."
This film is available on the DVD set, Classic Shorts From the Dream Factory Volume 3. That set features all five of the shorts Ted Healy and his Stooges made for MGM as well as a short featuring Curly solo, Roast Beef and Movies (1934).
- Michael J. Ruhland
Resources Used
The Three Stooges Scrapbook by Jeff Lenburg, Joan Howard Maurer and Greg Lenburg
Studio: MGM. Runtime: 17 minutes. Production Number 696. Release Date: September 16, 1933. Director: Jack Cummings. Story: Ted Healy. Screenplay: Matty Brooks. Cast: Ted Healy, Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard (Themselves), Bonnie Bonnell (Bonny Latour), Henry Armetta (Italian musician), Edward Brophy (himself), Grace Hayes (herself), Jack 'Tiny' Lipson (strongman), The Albertina Rasch Girls (dancers), Lawrence Gray (I'm Sailing on a Sunbeam singer). Songwriters: Dimitri Tiomkin, Ballard MacDonald, Al Goodhart, Dave Dreyer. Working Titles: Back Stage; New Musical Short by Suber and Ted Healy Short.
Ted Healy and His Stooges' third short film for MGM is very much in the same vein as their first (Nertsery Rhymes (1933)). It is again a color film (the second they made), features Jack Cummings in the director's seat, is a musical revue film, features Bonnie Bonnell in a supporting role and even has the Stooges once again playing Ted Healy's sons.
In this short film, Ted Healy is a theatrical producer, who is attempting to put on his stage show, The Ted Healy Follies. However, his sons (Moe, Larry and Curly) cause much trouble for their father.
This is not a bad film, but one can't help but feel that it should be better. Many Stooge fans will be disappointed that this short never really allows Moe, Larry and Curly a chance to shine. They get a decent amount of screen time but each scene they are in is dominated by Healy. While Healy is a better comedian than many of his detractors give him credit for, this film hardly shows him to his best advantage. Most of the comedy simply comes from Ted getting more and more frustrated. However, nothing really funny is done with this mounting frustration. If he was trying to repress his rage in the style of Edgar Kenndy or if his anger was shown in an over-the-top comedic way, it might be funny. Simply having him get angry and frustrated though is not funny in and of itself. The only really funny moment here comes not from Ted Healy and his Stooges but rather from Grace Hayes. Still the two-stirp Technicolor has a real charm to it and the musical numbers are delightful.
Unlike the previous musical revue shorts featuring Ted Healy and his Stooges, the song numbers were not originally filmed for this short. I'm Sailing on a Sunbeam was originally from the MGM feature film, It's a Great Life (1929). The source of the Moon Ballet number is uncertain, but some sources believe that it is from an unreleased MGM feature film entitled The March of Time (1930).
I'm Sailing on a Sunbeam was written by Dave Dreyer (music) and Ballard MacDonald (lyrics). Dave Dryer wrote music for such songs as Me and My Shadow, There's a Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder and Back in Your Own Backyard. Ballard MacDonald wrote lyrics for such songs as On the Mississippi, The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (which many of you might know from Laurel and Hardy singing it in their feature film, Way Out West (1937)) and Three Wonderful Letters from Home.
Henry Armetta (born July 4, 1888; passed away October 21, 1945) plays an Italian musician in this film. Born in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, he stowed away to the United States at the age of 14. The immigration authorities were prepared to send him back, but he found an Italian family to sponsor him. He spent much of his young life working any menial jobs he could find. One day while working as a pants presser, he was noticed by actor/producer Raymond Hitchcock, who got him a job in the chorus of the play A Yankee Consul. In 1920 he hitchhiked to Hollywood. He went on to appear in a great number of films often played stereotyped Italians. His portrayal of these characters often was both comedic and empathetic at the same time. His filmography includes such movies as Street Angel (1928), The Passionate Plumber (1932), Speak Easily (1932), What! No Beer? (1933) (the previous three with Buster Keaton), Fra Diavolo (1933) (with Laurel and Hardy), The Black Cat (1934), Imitation of Life (1934), Magnificent Obsession (1935), The Big Store (1941) (with the Marx Brothers) and Anchors Aweigh (1945).
Lawerance Gray (born July 27, 1898; passed away February 2, 1970) appears in the reused scenes from It's a Great Life. Probably his best remembered movie role is as the playboy, who Marion Davies tries to get the attention of by impersonating movie stars in the silent classic The Patsy (1928). He would again co-star with Davies in Marianne (1929) and Marianne (1929). His other films include Kid Boots (1926), Pajamas (1927), Marriage by Contract (1928) and Sunny (1930).
Actress Grace Hayes (born August 23, 1896; passed away February 1, 1989) was born in Springfield, Missouri but moved to San Fransico at the age of ten. She began to sing at nightclubs at the age of fourteen. She married Joseph Lind in 1912, and they had a son, Peter Lind Hayes, in 1915. Her son would join an act with her at The Palace in New York. Starting in 1922 she began appearing in Broadway shows including The Bunch and Judy, The Merry World, A Night in Spain, Ballyhoo of 1930 and A Little Racketeer. Her screen work included such films as King of Jazz (1930), Myrt and Marge (1933) (which would also feature Ted Healy and his Stooges), Rainbow Over Broadway (1933), Babes in Arms (1939), Zis Boom Bah (1941) and Always Leave Them Laughing (1949). From 1939 to 1941 she would perform at various resorts in Las Vegas. Soon after she moved to Las Vegas and in 1947 she purchased the Red Rooster club. Changing the name to the Grace Hayes Lodge, she ran the nightclub until she sold it to Steve Wynn in 1960. She would remain in Las Vegas until her death.
In 1932, the year before this film was released, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle starred in a short with the same title. That would be Arbuckle's first film in front of the camera since 1921, when the infamous scandal (he was accused of raping and killing a young woman, though he would be acquitted) ruined his career.
The following are some exhibitor's reviews from the Motion Picture Herald.
"Hello Pop: Ted Healy - A good example of how to butcher a musical comedy with no material for the comedians. - Charles Bern, Elk Theatre, Prescott, Ariz. General Patronage."
"Hello Pop: Musical Revue - This is only fair entertainment with Ted Healy and his Stooges in the lead. In spite of the fact that it is in color, it does not add to the entertainment. Come on, Metro, give us good shorts or don't give us any. Running time, 20 minutes. - J.J. Medford, Orpheum Theatre, Oxford, N.C. General Patronage."
"HELLO, POP!: Ted Healy and his Boys— In color. Musical numbers great. Ted Healy and his boys try to be funny, but the Four Marx Brothers have got him beat for entertainment. Play it. Running time, 18 minutes. - Edmund M. Burke, Fort Plain Theatre, Fort Plain Theatre, N. Y., General Patronage."
"HELLO, POP!: Ted Healy— Color and music are good. The dancing is beautiful. The comedy is punk. - Harold C. Allision, Baldwin Theatre, Baldwin, Mich. Small Town Patronage."
You can watch this film below.
-Michael J. Ruhland
Resources Used
The Three Stooges Scrapbook by Jeff Lenburg, Joan Howard Maurer and Greg Lenburg
Studio: MGM. Runtime: 20 minutes. Production Number 690. Release Date: August 26, 1933. Director: Jack Cummings. Story: Ted Healy. Screenplay: Matty Brooks. Cast: Ted Healy, Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard (Themselves), Bonnie Bonnell (Bonny Latour), Edward Brophy (Theater manager), Fred Malatesta (Restaurant manager), Martin Sperzel, Al Teeter, Jack Smith (Singing bartenders). Music: Al Goodhart. Lyrics: Gus Kahn. Working title: Beer Gardens.
The Stooges second short film for MGM was very much in the same vein as their first. As with Nertsery Rhymes (1933), this film is a musical revue with Ted Healy and the Stooges providing bits of comedy between the musical numbers. It also features Bonnie Boswell (credited as Bonny) once again in a supporting role (with her own song number) and has Jack Cummings once again as the director. However, unlike Nertsery Rhymes this film is in black and white.
In this short film the boys are thrown out of the Happy Hour Theatre because of Ted's women chasing ways. As the boys get jobs as waiters, Ted promises to give up women, but this proves to be harder than he thought.
This is one of the better films that the Stooges made with Ted Healy. The Stooges are at the top of their game here. Not only do their characters already feel fully developed this early in their movie career but their humor is also quite well developed here as well. There are some truly laugh out loud moments with the Stooges here, each in the vein of the Stooges later films.
Meanwhile the musical numbers are fine. The songs are pleasant but not exactly memorable. They are filmed in a mostly basic fashion. However, the male dancing trio are a lot of fun to watch and the use lighting is very clever in these scenes.
One of the supporting players in this film is Edward Brophy, one of my favorite character actors. Born on February 27, 1895, in New York City, Brophy had a career that stretched from the 1920's until his death in 1960. He made his screen debut in Yes or No? (1920) staring Norma Talmage. Probably his best-known role of the silent era was as the big man sharing a changing room with Buster Keaton in The Cameraman (1928). Brophy would continue working with Keaton in the talkie era with such films as Doughboys (1930), Parlor, Bedroom and Bath (1931), Speak Easily (1932) and What! No Beer? (1933). His best-known film role though was as the voice of Timothy Mouse in Disney's Dumbo (1941). Over his career he would appear (mostly in supporting roles in such movie classics as The Champ (1931), Freaks (1932), The Thin Man (1934), You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939), All Through the Night (1942) and The Thin Man Goes Home (1944). He would also play a reoccurring character in the B-Movie series starring Tom Conway as the Falcon. He would appear with the Stooges again in Hello Pop! (1933) and Swing Parade of 1946 (1946). He passed away on May 27, 1960 in Pacific Palisades, California at the age of 65 during the production of John Ford's Two Rode Together (1961), which would end up being his last movie.
At one point in this film, the Stooges sing, "You'll never know, just what tears are..." They also sang this song in Soup to Nuts (1930), Dancing Lady (1933), Fugitive Lovers (1934), Horses' Collars (1935), Half Shot Shooters (1936) and A Ducking We Will Go (1939).
The title of this film is a play on a Universal Pictures musical released the same year. That movie was called Moonlight and Pretzels (1933) and starred Leo Carrillo and Mary Brian. Despite being directed by legendary cinematographer Karl Freund (who also directed Universal's The Mummy (1932)), this musical is surprisingly laughably bad. That movie had rested in obscurity and been hidden from public eyes for decades. However, it had its first public screening in decades at the 2025 TCM Film Festival, where it was introduced by Jeopardy host, Ken Jennings.
The lyricist for the songs in this film was Gus Kahn (born November 6, 1886, passed away October 8, 1941), a legend in the music world. Various songs he wrote the lyrics for include Ain't We Got Fun, It Had to Be You, Yes Sir, That's My Baby and Dream a Little Dream of Me to name just a few. Writing the music was Al Goodhart (born January 26, 1905, passed away November 30, 1955), who had written the music for such songs as I Apologize, Happy Go Lucky You and Broken-Hearted Me and Fit as a Fiddle (which can be heard in the classic movie musical, Singing in the Rain (1952)).
The following are some exhibitors' reviews from the Motion Picture Herald. " BEER AND PRETZELS: Ted Healy and Stooges — Very funny. Feature this, you won't regret it. Good dance trio in this subject. Healy and stooges are a great combination. Running time. 18 minutes. - Perry L. Lessley, Diamond Theatre, Philadelphia, Pa. Neighborhood patronage." "BEER AND PRETZELS: Ted Healy and Stooges — They listed it as a Colortone Review but there is no color in it. It is not up to the standard of MGM Colortones. Without the color it is rather overdone as to silly gags. Running time, 18 minutes. - C.A. Pratt, Texas Theatre, Smithville, Texas. Small Town Patronage." "BEER AND PRETZELS: Ted Healy & Stooges— This is only fair entertainment of the slapstick variety. There are a few laughs but as a whole it did not, please our patrons. Let's have better shorts in the future. Running time, 19 minutes. - J.J. Medford, Orpheum Theatre, Oxford, N.C., General Patronage."
Resources Used
The Three Stooges Scrapbook by Jeff Lenburg, Joan Howard Maurer and Greg Lenburg
Studio: MGM. Runtime: 20 minutes. Production Number 685. Release Date: July 6, 1933. Director: Jack Cummings. Script: Ted Healy, Moe Howard, Matty Brooks. Cast: Ted Healy, Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard (Themselves), Bonnie Bonnell (Fairy Princess), Ethelind Terry (Woman in the shoe), The Rounders (Woman in the Shoe quintet), The Dodge Twins (Turn of a Fan dancers), Lottice Howell (Turn of a Fan singer). Music and Lyrics: Nacio Herb Brown, Herbert Stothart, Arthur Freed, Clifford Grey. Chorographer: Sammy Lee. Working Title: Nursery Rhymes.
By the time Ted Healy and His Stooges made their return to the screen, it had been nearly three years since their first movie. In between these films, the team had been performing on stage. One major change though had occurred over this period though. Shemp had left the act and his young brother Jerry Howard (soon to be renamed Curly) had taken his place. At first Curly had long, wavy-brown hair and a mustache. Legend has it that Curly shaved his head and his mustache right after joining the team but photos of the team during this time had shown Curly with long hair and mustache. The salary structure of the team would also change with Curly getting $75 a week, Moe getting $140 and Larry getting $125. Moe would later remember that Ted was a first nervous about this change because Curly had limited stage experience. Moe would later state, "What Curly did for the first three weeks was just run across the stage in a bathing suit, carrying a little pail of water. That's all he did, run back and forth, until we gradually worked him into the act." Curly's trademark high-pitched voice came from jitters during his first stage appearance, but audiences loved it, and it soon became an accepted part of the act.
It was at a performance at the Club New Yorker in 1933 (they performed there from March 2nd to April 5th, 1933), when an MGM scout caught the team and signed them to a studio contract. This contract would have Ted Healy and His Stooges star in a series of musical comedy shorts as well as having supporting roles in feature films. From this moment on, the Stooges would rarely be off movie screens for the rest of their careers.
In this short film, the Stooges play Ted Healy's children. Ted is trying to get the boys to sleep but nothing seems to be working. Because of this Ted turns to a Fairy Princess (Bonnie Bonnell) for help. The Fairy Princess then puts on a musical revue show for the boys.
This is a charming little film. Though the Stooges aren't given a whole lot to do here, they are delightful. It is easy to see why they would soon become big movie stars. Most of their jokes here aren't up to par with those in their later shorts but the trio handles them well. In true Stooge fashion they make even the weakest gags kind of work. This is not to say every gag is weak though as the ending gag made me laugh out loud. This short is also a visually handsome one and I quite enjoy the storybook-like set for the Woman in the Shoe number as well as the use of early Technicolor. The musical numbers are very pleasant to listen to but are hardly memorable. The choreography is decent, but I did feel there was too much empty space on screen during some of the musical numbers. This helped add to the feel of a filmed stage play at times.
Despite these flaws, the Stooges, the sets, the use of color and to a lesser extent the songs make the film worth watching. However, no one will ever mistake this for one of the Stooges' best films.
Bonnie Bonnell (Born August 1, 1905, in Thomasville, Georgia; died March 14, 1964, in Santa Monica California (from liver failure)), who played the Fairy Princess, had an extremely short film career. She only appeared in a handful of films, most of them with Ted Healy and His Stooges. She did however work as a stage and vaudeville actress before her brief movie career. Many Stooge biographers believe that she was Ted Healy's girlfriend at time.
This film’s director was Jack Cummins. Born February 16, 1905, Cummins was the nephew of Louis B. Mayer. In the 1920’s Mayer hired him as an office boy with the intention of him working his way up. In 1934 he became a producer of B pictures, working his way up to more prestige movies. According to various accounts, he was a very capable and talented producer but due to his relation to Mayer, many people looked at him as just the boss’ kid and didn’t take him seriously in this role. This didn’t stop Cummins though as he personally made sure to supervise each department working on the films he produced. He passed away April 28, 1989. Films he produced include Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937), Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940), Go West (1940), I Dood It (1943), The Stratton Story (1949), Three Little Words (1950), Kiss Me Kate (1953), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956) and Viva La Vegas (1964).
Though the Stooges play children in this short, there is no attempt made to make them look like children, which of course just adds to the humor. With the childlike parts of these comedians' screen characters, it is perhaps no shock that this is not the only time they would play children. They would play Ted Healy's children again in the short film, Hello Pop! (1933). The trio would play their own children in Creeps (1956) and again in Outer Space Jitters (1957). The Stooges disguised themselves as children in All the World's a Stooge (1941) and Quiz Wizz (1958). When the Farrelly brothers made their own version of a Stooges film with the feature length movie, The Three Stooges (2012) (which featured different actors playing Moe, Larry and Curly), the film started off with scenes featuring the trio as kids.
However, the most fascinating example of the Stooges as kids came not from the movies or TV but rather comic books. After the Stooges long running comic book series came to an end in 1972, comic book artist and cartoon writer Norman Maurer (also Moe's son in-law) proposed a new series of comic books entitled The Little Stooges (which was picked up by Western/Gold Key Comics). This new comic book series would center around the Stooges' teenage sons, who were mostly younger versions of their famous fathers (though they would be dressed in hip 70's attire). The series would feature a line-up of new characters as well. One of these new characters was the villain Benedict Bogus Jr. When Maurer had worked on actual Three Stooges comic books, he had created a villain for the Stooges, a conman named Benedict Bogus. It was only natural to have the Little Stooges face off against this villain's teenage son. The Little Stooges would also have a trio of girlfriends Moon (a girl next door type), Pixie (the richest girl in town) and Lovely (a fun-loving girl, who shares Little Curly's love of chocolate sodas). Also featured here was their dog Moose. Moose was based on Maurer's own dog with the same name. The real Moose can be seen in the Stooge's last film, Kook's Tour (1970). Most of these stories were written Maurer himself and some were even written by his son, Jeff Maurer. The first issue was published in September 1972. Despite comic books fans considering this series to be some of the best Stooges comic book stories, the series only lasted seven issues. However, many comic book companies were having trouble at this time and this led to issues costing the ridiculously expensive price of 20 cents an issue. This series ended the Stooges long association with the Western comic book company.
In this short film, there is a gag in which the Stooges imitate a train. They would do so again in the short films You Nazty Spy! (1940), Nutty but Nice (1940), Sock-A-Bye Baby (1942), I Can Hardly Wait (1943), Gents Without Cents (1944) and Fiddler's Three (1948). Lou Costello does a similar bit in the Abbott and Costello movie Hold That Ghost (1941), which features Shemp in a small role.
The dialogue exchange about money that ends with "You don't know your arithmetic." "You don't know my father." This same exchange was later used in the Stooges shorts, Half-Wits Holiday (1947) and Pies and Guys (1958).
A 1933 issue of The New York State Exhibitor stated, "Metro has a two-reel Technicolor short, 'Nertsery Rhymes,' which should go a long way towards saving some weak feature. Ted Healy, his three stooges are featured along with a couple of extravaganza numbers that will send people out talking. Show has more appeal than a lot of features. Sell it as much as the feature."
The following are some exhibitor's reviews from the Motion Picture Herald.
"NERTSERY RHYMES: Colortone Musical Revues — Here is a comedy with music and color that stands out like a wart on a nose. The highlight is the singing, which will haunt you for weeks. Worth repeating. A distinct addition to any program. Running time, 19 minutes. - A.H. Edwards, Orpheum Theatre, Orwigsburg. Small Town and rural patronage."
"NERTSERY RHYMES: Ted Healy— Not up to the previous comedies of this series. The story is slow and there is very little singing and practically no dancing. The scenes are beautiful, but it takes more than good scenes to make good shorts."
"NERTSERY RHYMES: Musical Comedies— The best of the Colortone Reviews so far. This one is a riot of beauty and comedy. Give it your preferred time, and if you have not played it, go back and pick it up. Ted and his stooges furnish the comedy and the girls set the balance. - C.L. Niles, Niles Theatre, Anamosa, Iowa. General Patronage."
"NERTSERY RHYMES: Musical Comedies - This is one of the best musical comedy shorts, we have had the pleasure of witnessing 100 per cent entertainment. Running time, 18 minutes. - William Crute, Victoria Theatre, Vancouver, B.C. Neighborhood patronage."
This short can be watched on YouTube below.
Resources Used
The Three Stooges Scrapbook by Jeff Lenburg, Joan Howard Maurer and Greg Lenburg
