Scheming Schemers

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	October 4, 1956 (1956-10-04) (U.S.)
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.

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Plot

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.

Cast

Credited

Moe Howard as Moe
Larry Fine as Larry
Shemp Howard as Shemp (stock footage, filmed in 1949)
- Joe Palma as Shemp (body double, filmed in 1956)
Emil Sitka as Walter Norfleet
Kenneth MacDonald as Mr. Allen
Christine McIntyre as Mrs. Allen (stock footage, filmed in 1949)
- Connie Cezon as Mrs. Allen (body double, filmed in 1956)
Dudley Dickerson as Chef (stock footage, filmed in 1940 and 1949)

Uncredited

Symona Boniface as Mrs. Norfleet (stock footage, filmed in 1949)
Herbert Evans as Wilkes, butler (stock footage, filmed in 1949)
Helen Dickson as indignant party guest (stock footage, filmed in 1946)
Victor Travers as sleeping party guest (stock footage, filmed in 1946)
Al Thompson as party guest (stock footage, filmed in 1946)
Judy Malcolm as party guest (stock footage, filmed in 1946)

Production notes

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.

"Fake Shemp"

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]

References

^ Solomon, Jon. (2002) The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion, p. 481; Comedy III Productions, Inc., ISBN 0-9711868-0-4
^ Germain, David. "Should the Stooges get a little brighter?" Toronto Star, Aug. 10, 2004, p. D.08.
^ Lenburg, Jeff; Howard Maurer, Joan; Lenburg, Greg; (1982). The Three Stooges Scrapbook, p. 263, Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-0946-5

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
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This page was last edited on 3 March 2024, at 23:57

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