The Big Idea

In the Big Idea (1934), this time, the beginning title card says, Ted Healy and His Three Stooges (Howard, Fine and Howard), complete with Bonnie Bonnel. Their final short together. After this film, the Three Stooges took off, on their own and the rest is history. The Three Stooges were on their way to Columbia Pictures, for their famous, 25 year, career run, in the cinemas. They had to finish this fifth installment, of a five film contract with Healy and MGM. They didn't wait for the film's release and never looked back too. Moe, Larry and Curly were ready to take off. If you look close, it does look, like the Stooges are bidding farewell to Healy. Ted is an idea guy, who's company is disrupted by different kinds of crazy people, popping in and out of the office. The Stooges just come in, every now and then and do the classic spray bottle bit, but this time, with different wind instruments, shooting water all over Healy. It's not the greatest swan-song, for the last bow in a series of films and looks every bit like a farewell.

Just like the other four MGM shorts, the Big Idea (1934), is full blown vaudeville, with the girls, gags and jokes. They also have the dancing numbers, that were lifted from other movies and used as stock footage, to fill out the episode, in-between the stuff with Healy and the boys. It was just a way to recycle and repurpose footage, instead of spending huge budgets on these films. It didn't impact the quality of these films though. They do have a certain charm, as much as, being artifacts of film history. The Big Idea (1934), at least, has different sets, camera angles and creates a story of sorts, compared to the other four shorts. Three other dudes, in the Big Idea (1934), are filmed doing an Amos & Andy radio show scene, for no reason. One of the guys does a Bing Crosby impersonation, albeit with a comedic lilt. These performers, also looked like, they were inserted into this film too, from other movies' stock footage. Whatever can be said about Moe, Larry and Curly, during their theatrical tun with Ted Healy, these film artifacts were good, strong precursors to great things to come.

5.7 (D MyGrade) = 6 IMDB.

Big Idea, The (1934)

1/2 (out of 4)

Incredibly bad MGM short has Ted Healy and His Stooges (future Three Stooges) working at the "Big Idea Company" where they come up with new ideas while people wait in the office. I had to read the IMDb listing to come up with a plot because I couldn't spot one while watching the film. There isn't a single laugh anywhere in the film and that includes the Stooges who come off really, really bad. A really horrible film with an awful dance sequence.

Plane Nuts (1933)

** (out of 4)

Ted Healy and Howard, Fine and Howard (future Three Stooges) put on one of their acts here but I've gotta think the act was funnier in person than this is. The film has a couple musical numbers, which are very big and quite impressive. The actual comedy show has a fair share of laughs but this early version of the Stooges isn't nearly as good as when they moved to Columbia. I think one of the biggest differences are the sound effects, which were added to the Columbia shorts.

This is inevitable bearing in mind that this is an MGM short and they didn't really know what to do with the boys.There are a lot of nasty comments about Healey,but he did bring the group together and the boys were cut up when he died or was killed.

Ted Healy is having trouble explaining exactly what The Big Idea is that he is having. All the constant interruptions, not the least of which come from three gentleman known as Moe, Larry and Curly showing their versatility playing Marching Through Georgia on several instruments. At the time they were billed as Ted Healy's Three Stooges and there was no doubt he was the top banana.

It was for that reason that after this short subject the Three Stooges headed off to Columbia Pictures where Harry Cohn loved them because they worked quick and cheap. And of course they would be doing their own material and getting their place in the comedy sun.

Also in this short are the Three Radio Rogues who appeared in a few MGM films doing some pretty good imitations of various radio stars. In this you can hear them imitate Bing Crosby, Amos&Andy, and Arthur Tracy.

It's a good short subject and a bit of historical trivia.

For those who hate The Three Stooges, this short film from their MGM days is about the worst thing they ever did and makes you long for the "sophistication" of their later days with Columbia Pictures! If you are a big fan, than unless you are insane, then this film will be a major disappointment, as the Stooges' humor isn't evident and the film is jam-packed full of stupid and awful dance numbers like you'd expect from Busby Berkely as well as a funny and very offensive impersonation of an "AMOS AND ANDY" radio broadcast.

Now understand that until late in 1934, The Stooges were under contract at MGM and the studio had no idea what to do with them or their front man, Ted Healey. Oddly, they are cast as supporting players in the Gable-Crawford musical DANCING LADY (and Larry is cast as a piano player) and this short was an attempt to market them to the public. Unfortunately, the film is very limp and unfunny, though seeing the cleaning lady throwing paper about and hearing the guy do an entire Amos and Andy radio show alone was interesting (and offensive). And when the Stooges are in the film, they are totally out of their element and are about as funny as cancer.

By the way, Healey was, according to books I have read, a huge jerk who insisted on top billing above HIS Stooges. He also supposedly treated them like they were replaceable and gave them a very small cut of the profits. If this is so, this would explain why they soon split and signed on at Columbia without him. Considering how annoying Healey was as a contract player through the 1930s after the breakup, I think Moe, Curly and Larry made an excellent move.