Scheming Schemers

This is the first "Shempless Shemp Short" that I've had the chance to see. I must say that, if I didn't know beforehand -- and hadn't previously seen "A Plumbing We Will Go", "Half Wit's Holiday" and "Vagabond Loafers" -- I wouldn't have guessed that this was comprised of scenes shot at 4 different dates over a 16-year period.

While this short is fairly enjoyable in its own right, it has the additional, rather backhanded benefit of the games you can play while watching it. Spot the 1940 "Plumbing" footage. Spot the 1947 "Holiday" footage. Spot the 1949 "Vagabond" footage. Spot the new footage (in which Larry & Moe, sadly, have to talk about the deceased Shemp as if he were still there). Spot the fake Shemp (in just a shot or two). Spot the old dialog dubbed over new footage (Shemp's voice, in a fake Shemp scene). Spot the new dialog dubbed over old footage (references to the "ring" added to "Vagabond" footage).

It loses points for being a remake of a remake, for the "lost ring" plot not fitting naturally with some of the old footage, for trying too hard to compensate for Shemp's absence in new footage by saying his name more times than necessary, and for having previously unseen characters unaccountably show up (from the "Holiday" footage) so they can get hit with pies. But it gains points for managing to be as smooth and coherent as it is for such an unlikely hodgepodge.

This was actually the first Shemp short I saw and I thought it was pretty decent, but when I heard that they didn't have the actual "Shemp" in it, I got disappointed. Joe Palma does good standing in for Shemp, but I don't think they had to remake about 7 good Shemp shorts after Shemp's unfortunate death.

The 3 Stooges are plumbers being called around 9:00 at night to find a ring that was accidentally dropped down a sink drain. Moe and Larry leave Shemp behind because Larry dropped from the upstairs bedroom into the Jeep and forced Moe to drive away. Shemp catches up to them and does say one line that was dubbed in, "Hold your horses, will ya." I thought the first version was better. This one doesn't really have anything to do with Shemp. So many questions can be asked about this one. Did they really have to do this one over again?

This film has possibly, the worst title for a stooge short ever dreamed up. Somewhat fitting, given the actual fifteen minute content.

I can do without any of the "Shemp A.D." stuff, but I will admit to having a few LOL moments from the two-man comedy offered by Moe and Larry in some of the new footage (and kudos to those guys for trying to give it their all, considering the position they were forced into in even making these dogs).

Another bright spot to this and the last A.D. debacle "Commotion on the Ocean" is the decided lack of screen time for Joe Palma and the back of his head. No attempts to have him speak or flap his arms like a chicken(see "Hot Stuff"), may be worth an extra rating point.

2/10

SCHEMING SCHEMERS (1956) is one of my favorite Three Stooges shorts ever. It's not too bad for a remake after Shemp's death. Shemp's double is covered with pipes in one scene and they dubbed in a voice of Shemp saying, "Hold your horses!"

This is the only short the Stooges made taking footage from three older films. There's mostly footage of VAGABOND LOAFERS (1949), which includes all the footage of the real Shemp.

There's some stock footage of A-PLUMBING WE WILL GO (1940) which includes Dudley Dickerson as a cook, and Larry digging a hole looking for a place to shut the water off.

There are a few scenes from the pie fight from HALF-WITS HOLIDAY (1947) which was inserted so Moe and Larry could catch the Kenneth MacDonald, trying to steal a valuable painting.

There's some new footage of Moe and Larry searching for a valuable ring that fell down the sink drain, which is why the stooges are at the house, and them starting a pie fight in the dining room.

I think it's interesting to see how all these shorts are edited together. I think it's a mixture of three good shorts. I'd say this is the best remake from 1953 to 1956. Very entertaining to watch.

Rating: A+

When Shemp Howard died of a sudden heart attack in November 1955, Moe and Larry were forced to include longtime supporting actor Joe Palma as a double for Shemp for the last four shorts before their contract renewal. However, one of those shorts, Scheming Schemers, flows along nicely thanks to its use of archive footage from previous shorts. There's even a nice pie fight for the film's climax. However, one can wonder what was going through Moe's head when he asked the surreal question, "Hey, where is that pudding head Shemp?"