Three Pests in a Mess - Misplaced Pages

1945 film by Del Lord

Three Pests in a Mess

Directed by	Del Lord
Written by	Del Lord
Produced by	Hugh McCollum
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Curly Howard Christine McIntyre Brian O'Hara Robert Williams Vernon Dent Snub Pollard Victor Travers Heinie Conklin William Kelley Johnny Kascier Paul Kruger
Cinematography	Benjamin H. Kline
Edited by	Henry Batista
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	January 19, 1945 (1945-01-19) (U.S.)
Running time	15:19
Country	United States
Language	English

Three Pests in a Mess is a 1945 short subject written and directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 83rd entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

The Stooges endeavor to secure a patent for their fly-catching invention. Unbeknownst to them, their conversation regarding the need to capture 100,000 flies to obtain the patent is overheard by a group of nefarious individuals residing across the hallway.

Mistakenly believing that Curly possesses $100,000, one of the crooks, employing flirtatious tactics, attempts to coerce him into relinquishing the purported funds. However, upon discovering that the sum refers to flies rather than currency, she turns against them and mobilizes the crooks to pursue the Stooges.

Seeking refuge, the trio takes cover in a sporting goods store, where a series of mishaps ensue, reaching its zenith when Curly unintentionally shoots a mannequin, laboring under the erroneous belief that he has taken a human life. Fueled by their misconception, the Stooges embark on a burial expedition for the mannequin, unaware of its true nature, in a nearby pet cemetery.

Their efforts to conceal their imagined crime are thwarted when the cemetery's night watchman observes their activities and alerts the owner, Philip Black. Attending a masquerade party with his associates, Black arrives at the cemetery in a spooky guise, encountering the Stooges in the midst of their burial attempt. Amidst the chaos that ensues, involving the Stooges attempting to dispose of the mannequin, the cemetery's inhabitants unexpectedly emerge from their resting places, prompting the Stooges to flee in terror.

Cast

Credited

Curly Howard as Curly
Larry Fine as Larry
Moe Howard as Moe
Brian O'Hara as I. Cheatham
Christine McIntyre as con woman
Vernon Dent as Philip Black

Uncredited

Victor Travers as Patent Office man
Robert Williams as I. Cheatham's partner
Heinie Conklin as man in Devil costume (Philip Black's assistant)
William Kelley as man in Skeleton costume (Philip Black's other assistant)
Snub Pollard as cemetery guard
Johnny Kascier as man in window
Paul Kruger as Cop

Production notes

Three Pests in a Mess was filmed on June 22–26, 1944. It is a partial remake of the 1933 Paramount Pictures short film Sailors Beware! (also directed by Del Lord) and 1941 Columbia short film Ready, Willing But Unable. The concept of men trolling through a cemetery with a dead body dates back to Laurel and Hardy's 1928 silent film Habeas Corpus.

The syncopated, jazz-tinged version of "Three Blind Mice", first heard in Gents Without Cents, makes its return with this film. This version would be used for the next two releases, as well as Three Loan Wolves, before being retired permanently. This version is played in the key of F major, while the key of G major was previously utilized.

This is the ninth of sixteen Stooge shorts with the word "three" in the title.

Curly's "Call for Philip Black" mimics the popular 'Call for Philip Morris' cigarette advertisements of the period.

A prop man dug a hole and covered it with rubber to achieve the effect of Larry sliding under the door at the cemetery. They quickly pulled him under, and filmed the shot as a speed shot.

The math is wrong: they calculate a penny a fly, and since they need $100, 10,000 flies would be needed, and not 100,000 as stated.

Several publications erroneously list the running time of this film as 17:41.

In popular culture

Three Pests in a Mess was one of four Stooge films included in the TBS 1992 Halloween special Three Stooges Fright Night. It was replaced by Spooks! and The Hot Scots in its 1995 airing.

References

"Three Pests in a Mess". imdb.org. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
^ Three Pests in a Mess at threestooges.net
^ Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Comedy III Productions, Inc. p. 257. ISBN 0-9711868-0-4.
Lenburg, Jeff; Howard Maurer, Joan; Lenburg, Greg; (1982). The Three Stooges Scrapbook, p. 246, Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-0946-5
http://www.rarehalloweenvideos.blogspot.com/2012/20/1992-1995-three-stooges-fright-night.html

External links

v t e The Three Stooges
Moe Howard Larry Fine Curly Howard Shemp Howard Joe Besser Curly Joe DeRita
Works	The Three Stooges filmography The Three Stooges Collection Jerks of All Trades The New 3 Stooges The Three Stooges Scrapbook Kook's Tour Moe Howard and the Three Stooges
Related topics	List of supporting actors in Three Stooges films Yogi Bear and the Three Stooges Meet the Mad, Mad, Mad Dr. No-No The Robonic Stooges Stoogemania "Swingin' the Alphabet" "The Curly Shuffle" 1984 arcade game 1987 video game 2000 TV biopic 2012 feature film C3 Entertainment
Associated people	Felix Adler Edward Bernds Tiny Brauer Clyde Bruckman Charley Chase Paul Garner Ted Healy Rich Koz Del Lord Norman Maurer Hugh McCollum Christine McIntyre Frank Mitchell Joe Palma/Fake Shemp Fred Sanborn Emil Sitka Greta Thyssen Elwood Ullman Jack White Jules White
Category

v t e The Three Stooges filmography (1934–1946)
1934	Woman Haters Punch Drunks Men in Black Three Little Pigskins
1935	Horses' Collars Restless Knights Pop Goes the Easel Uncivil Warriors Pardon My Scotch Hoi Polloi Three Little Beers
1936	Ants in the Pantry Movie Maniacs Half Shot Shooters Disorder in the Court A Pain in the Pullman False Alarms Whoops, I'm an Indian! Slippery Silks
1937	Grips, Grunts and Groans Dizzy Doctors 3 Dumb Clucks Back to the Woods Goofs and Saddles Cash and Carry Playing the Ponies The Sitter Downers
1938	Termites of 1938 Wee Wee Monsieur Tassels in the Air Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb Violent Is the Word for Curly Three Missing Links Mutts to You Flat Foot Stooges
1939	Three Little Sew and Sews We Want Our Mummy A Ducking They Did Go Yes, We Have No Bonanza Saved by the Belle Calling All Curs Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise Three Sappy People
1940	You Nazty Spy! Rockin' thru the Rockies A Plumbing We Will Go Nutty but Nice How High Is Up? From Nurse to Worse No Census, No Feeling Cookoo Cavaliers Boobs in Arms
1941	So Long, Mr. Chumps Dutiful But Dumb All the World's a Stooge I'll Never Heil Again An Ache in Every Stake In the Sweet Pie and Pie Some More of Samoa
1942	Loco Boy Makes Good Cactus Makes Perfect What's the Matador? Matri-Phony Three Smart Saps Even as IOU Sock-a-Bye Baby
1943	They Stooge to Conga Dizzy Detectives Spook Louder Back From the Front Three Little Twirps Higher Than a Kite I Can Hardly Wait Dizzy Pilots Phony Express A Gem of a Jam
1944	Crash Goes the Hash Busy Buddies The Yoke's on Me Idle Roomers Gents Without Cents No Dough Boys
1945	Three Pests in a Mess Booby Dupes Idiots Deluxe If a Body Meets a Body Micro-Phonies
1946	Beer Barrel Polecats A Bird in the Head Uncivil War Birds The Three Troubledoers Monkey Businessmen Three Loan Wolves G.I. Wanna Home Rhythm and Weep Three Little Pirates
1947	Half-Wits Holiday
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