In the Sweet Pie and Pie

Can you believe it!? Everyone's favorite stooges (that's Curly, Larry and Moe) are actually in prison (waiting execution) for their apparent involvement with the notoriously ruthless Mushroom Murder Gang.

Well, before you go and shed any tears for these boys, you can be rest assured that their wrongful accusation has promptly been given a full pardon from the governor.

And, so now our guilt-free guys can fly to the open arms of their newly wedded wives, Tiska, Taska, and Baska Jones where (before the night is over) you can be certain that some real zany, over-the-top shenanigans is gonna get well underway when the stooges try to toe-the-line and transform themselves into proper gentlemen of high-society living. (Nyuck! Nyuck! Nyuck!)

In the Sweet Pie and Pie (1941)

*** (out of 4)

At times hilarious short finds The Three Stooges in prison about to be put to death for a crime they didn't commit. A lawyer learns about their hanging and talks his three female clients into marrying the boys so that they can collect an inheritance but sure enough after the marriage the boys are set free. IN THE SWEET PIE AND PIE has a few weeks spots but for the most part this is classic Stooges as the boys go through some hilarious situations including a terrific pie fight that closes the film. The first portion of the movie packs quite a few laughs as the boys are trying to figure out a way to get out of prison not knowing that Curly has had saws the entire time. The second portion of the film is much better as the boys find themselves trying to fit into society and this includes a very funny dance sequence as well as the before mentioned pie fight. Speaking of the pie fight, I will admit that when they happen I usually don't laugh and it seems like this is something that the Stooges used every few shorts. Even though I normally don't laugh that certainly wasn't the case here because I thought the entire fight was hilarious and especially all of the reactions given by Moe. Just look at his covered up face when he first gets hit with the cake as it's very funny. While watching this rather long sequence I wondered how many takes they would have to do just to make sure all of the pies hit their targets perfectly.

If you ever have an opportunity to introduce The Three Stooges to someone, consider watching this 2-reeler. Great writing and direction, some of the best supporting character actors (Symona Boniface's laugh is infectious), and without a doubt, the best Stooges pie fight.

"In the Sweet Pie and Pie" is a classic Three Stooges short. Here's the plot (not that plot matters much for the Stooges): Three wealthy sisters can only receive their inheritance if they get married by a certain night. With their boyfriends out of town, they decide to marry some convicts who are about to be hanged the next day. Enter Moe, Larry, and Curley. And enter big laughs.

I daresay this is one of the funniest Stooges shorts I've ever seen. It has it all: silly one-liners, plenty of slapping and poking, and of course, a magnificent pie-throwing battle. If you're a fan of the Three Stooges, you will certainly enjoy this insane work of comedic art.

Who had better pie fights than the Three Stooges? If you want to see one of their best, this is the film to see as the last three minutes are nothing but people throwing and mashing pies into each other's faces. No matter how many times I see Animal House-scenes like this over many years - and I've seen this more times and for more years than I want to admit - I still laugh.

It all began when Tiska, Taska and Baska Jones - three scheming sisters - are bummed out because they might have just lost out on their $10 million inheritance clause which insists they be married by tomorrow to collect. (This theme was used in several Three Stooges films and the greedy people always got what was coming to them!) Anyway, when the guys the women lined up for matrimony - Tom, Dick and Harry - are shipped out to Honolulu, the women are in desperate straits.

Their lawyer, however, has an idea: marry these three convicts (Curly, Larry and Moe, shown on the front page of the day's newspaper) today before they are going to be hanged tomorrow and then collect and be rid of them when they die!

So, the girls head out to the jail where the boys, of course, marry them instantly. (If all of the above sounds like a corny and weird, well, that's our beloved Three Stooges, many times corny and stupid but almost always funny and entertaining.)

The humor was mostly slapstick with poor Curly and Larry gets hammered by merciless Moe. You also get a lot of puns and outrageous things like a saw losing all its teeth after meeting up with Curly's noggin. Curly can be honest, though. "I'm too young and too handsome to die," he wails. Then he looks in a mirror, says "Yuck!!!" and says, "Well, I'm too young, anyway."

Another outrageous scene, in addition to the pie fight at the end, is the hanging scene inside the jail. It is incredible dark humor, even for the Stooges. There is an announcer gleefully giving us the details, a necktie company sponsoring the radio broadcast, guys selling programs, peanuts and popcorn to the rest of the inmates, etc., etc.

All of this leads to the Stooges getting back with those woman and the girls deciding that to get a good reason for a divorce, they'd throw a high-society party and let their husbands make fools of themselves. Apparently, that would be grounds for divorce!

This is a true classic Three Stooges film, complete with all the sight gags, slapstick and corny lines you'd ever want to hear.