All Gummed Up

Viewers gain a different perspective on one particular Three Stooges sequence once they find out what the prop was to blow bubbles in their last released movie of 1947, "All Gummed Up." The finale shows the three baking a Jumbo Cake for Cerina (Christine McIntyre) to celebrate her sudden transformation to young womanhood after drinking the Stooges' miraculous 'Fountain of Youth' formula. Moe accidentally mixes the marshmallows with bits of bubble gum to top off the cake. All four swallow the gum, resulting in an orgy of blowing bubbles, especially Shemp whose ears have bubbles emerging from their canals. The prop department used condoms, whose material the technicians found to be the best to blow bubbles.

The Stooges are owners of a drug store in "All Gummed Up," whose landlord, Amos Flint (Emil Sitka), is kicking them out for a higher paying renter. To stave off eviction, they mix several absolutely horribly-tasting drugs into a boot to come up with a cocktail mix to make people young again, using old Mrs. Flint (Florence Lake) as their guinea pig. Remarkably it works. Actress Lake, 52, who played Mrs. Flint, was the sister of Arthur Lake, famous for bringing Dagwood Bumstead to the screen in the "Blondie" movies. Florence, who made her film debut in 1929, played alongside comic Edgar Kennedy as his wife in his popular short films. As a well-known character actress, Lake appeared in more Lassie shows on TV, all ten years of the "farm seasons," than any other actor as telephone operator Jenny. She's well known for being the blind date for Lou Grant in a TV 'The Mary Tyler Show' episode titled 'Lou's First Date.' "All Gummed Up" is known for the excessive number of slaps dished out-an astronomical 73.

The first five minutes of this Three Stooges short has a lot of laughs, more than the next dozen minutes (which was okay, but nothing that great.).

Of course, I've always loved Emil Sitka, who usually plays a crotchety old man who gives-and-takes abuse. He's hilarious in here as "Amos Flint" the owner of a drug store run by The Stooges. He not only plans to kick out the boys but kick out his wife, too, because "she's an ugly, old hag." The Boys give her a room in the back and try to discover a concoction for the "fountain of youth" to help the old woman and make money for themselves.

The rest of the short is basically two long skits - making the formula and then - tacked on after the main story was over a bubblegum skit which was kind of lame.

The Three Stooges has always been some of the many actors that I have loved. I love just about every one of the shorts that they have made. I love all six of the Stooges (Curly, Shemp, Moe, Larry, Joe, and Curly Joe)! All of the shorts are hilarious and also star many other great actors and actresses which a lot of them was in many of the shorts! In My opinion The Three Stooges is some of the greatest actors ever and is the all time funniest comedy team!

One of the most different Three Stooges shorts is All Gummed Up. In this short are Christine McIntyre, Emil Sitka, Symona Boniface, Florence Lake, Cy Schindell, Al Thompson, and Victor Travers. The acting by these actors are good especially by McIntyre and Sitka. There are many funny scenes here that I think most Three Stooges fans will love! In My opinion this one of the most different Three Stooges shorts. There is another similar Three Stooges called Bubble Trouble. I recommend both of these shorts!

Larry, Moe, and Shemp run the Cut Throat Drug Store. They invent a youth formula for the pitiful wife of the elderly building owner Amos Flint. The guys turn her into a youthful beauty. Desperate to have the fountain of youth himself, Amos gives the guys the store. Only it goes too far.

This is a pretty good Shemp Stooges short. Most of it goes quite well. In fact, Shemp and even Mrs Flint seems to be doing a little bit of Curly impersonation. There is a bubble gum closing that isn't very connected to the main story. At first, I thought it would be a children's birthday party for Amos Flint. That would connect better. Overall, this is generally good low level fun.

This short was great, seeing the stooges having to eat their own horrible mixtures of stuff is hilarious! The only thing that prevents this short from becoming a classic is that the ending seemed tacked on and this was fixed in the remake "Bubble Trouble" which isn't nearly as good as this.

Grade: A-