As the second year of The Three Stooges' independence from manager and sidekick Ted Healy rolled around, the trio were establishing new ground that would remain with them for the rest of their career. In March 1935's "Pop Goes the Easel," the most important element for the Stooges was the hiring of former Keystone film director, Del Lord, by Columbia Pictures to handle the studio's shorts, most importantly the Moe, Larry and Curly films.
Lord had been one of Keystone Cops characters early in the Mack Sennett studio days, appearing as the squad's driver. Once the Depression shut down the Sennett facility, Lord worked for producer Hal Roach before he saw himself employed at a relative's used car dealership. Producer Jules White talked with Lord who was showing him a Buick when he realized who the salesman was. He had Columbia hire him to work with the Stooges. Lord shaped many aspects of the trio's on-screen antics, which lasted until he moved onto other projects in 1948.
"Pop Goes the Easel," a takeoff of the Stooges' earlier "Pop Goes the Weasel" short, finds the Stooges chased by a police detective who mistakes them for broom thieves. The three seek refuge in an art class, where they pose as French art students. Cornered in the studio, Curly dresses for the first time as a woman, a disguise he adopts in several future episodes (Moe and Larry also are seen in drag). Moe debuts his fist maneuver as he presents his clutch hand in front of Curly, asking "See this?" Curly hits the fist by exclaiming "Yeah," only to have Moe swing his arm broadly before he bops Curly on top of the head. In another stroke of genius, Moe commands Curly to pick two fingers. He innocently selects the index and middle finger, only to see Moe poke him in the eyes.
In another scene that rarely has Moe slapping others besides his two sidekicks, a circle of art students surrounds the three as clay is flung in every direction. Moe asks, "Who started this?" Larry responsed, "You did!" Moe's reaction is to yell "Oh Yeah?" which he proceeded to whip his open-hand around, slapping several bystanders in the face.
The highlight of "Pop Goes the Easel," however, is the clay fight involving everyone in the room and those who are entering. On a variation of the classic pie fights seen in earlier comedy shorts, clay is seen in abundance in the studio since it's used mostly for the student sculptors. Larry shows that clay, which is used for sculpturing, can also be made into a three dimensional painting by throwing a clump onto the canvas. He misses, hitting one of the Stooges, setting off a madcap scene where everyone throws clay everywhere.
In an earlier scene, while the Stooges are being chased by the detective on the city sidewalks, two girls are playing hopscotch. One is Larry's daughter, Phyllis, and the other was Jean, Moe's daughter. Jean Howard Maurer was seven at the time of filming and became a character actress who wrote two books on the Three Stooges and co-authored three more. Living to 94, she was the last living person to appear alongside her uncle Curly on screen. Jean died in September 2021.
