In the Sweet Pie and Pie

In the Three Stooges' October 1941's "In The Sweet Pie and Pie," their 58th in the series, the 17-minute short is divided into two different locales. Its opening sees our heroes in jail about to be hanged for a murder they didn't commit. A lawyer played by actor Richard Fiske recommends to his three female clients who stand to inherit a large fortune if they marry before midnight to get hitched to the three since they'll be dead by execution the next day. They do, but a wrench in the women's plans is when the Stooges are found innocent after the real murderers have confessed.

In a sharp turn in scenery, the now married women realize they need a quick divorce. The best way is to show to their hoity-toity friends how barbaric their new husbands are at a formal function. Once the Stooges arrive, the gathering quickly dissolves into one of cinema's wildest pie fights "In The Sweet Pie and Pie" contains several things rarely seen in film. Usually capital executions are somber events. Here as the Stooges are led into the gallows it's celebrated as a sporting event, complete with cheering inmates as spectators and a radio "jerk-by-jerk" broadcast of the execution. The radio announcer 'Bill Stein' resembles the real-life sportscaster Bill Stern, one of media's most famous broadcasters at the time who handled the play-by-play of television's first baseball game in May 1939 and who appeared as himself in 1942's "The Pride of the Yankees." Another scene in "In The Sweet Pie and Pie" is a previous clip of one of the Stooges' more famous sequences where actress Geneva Mitchell in 1935's "How Polloi" is teaching the Stooges how to dance. While demonstrating a dance move, she finds a bee flying into the back of her dress, causing her and her three students who were asked to follow her every move to wiggle and prance before jumping out of the window. The Stooges' training sessions lead up to the 'coming out' high society party where among the guests is a United States Senator (Vernon Dent). The gathering ends in a disaster, complete with an audacious pie-throwing confrontation. What's different here from other food fights is all the pies contain crusts, a departure from Hollywood's normal thrown pies where shaving cream is simply sprayed into pie plates. Sadly, this was the final Stooges' movie for actor Richard Fiske, a regular in several of their shorts. He's the lawyer who comes up with all these ideas for his female clients. Fiske was drafted into the Army early 1942 and was killed in action in the Normandy France region in August 1944 at 29. He's buried at Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial, Basse-Normandie, France.

Larry, Curly, and Moe are innocent convicts facing execution in 24 hours. Tiska, Taska, and Baska are society girls who have to marry soon for their inheritance but their boyfriends are stuck at sea. Their lawyer comes up with a foolproof plan to marry the Stooges before their executions. After their quickie marriage, the real Mushroom Murder Mob is found and the Stooges are pardoned. Now the girls are stuck with the idiots and they scheme to get rid of them.

I really don't like the Curly stunt double but I must admit that he's too old to do that. There is also a bit of recycling as often happens with the Stooges. The pie fight is pretty standard although the Stooges make it fun. All in all, this is ridiculous fun from the Stooges and it's rather standard.

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.

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!

This is one of My favorite Three Stooges shorts of all time! The Stooges are extremely funny! I was amazing how Mary Ainslee and Ethelreda Leopold really looked like sisters and how Richard Fiske acted so differently. Vernon Dent, Symona Boniface, Dorothy Appleby, Eddie Laughton, Geneva Mitchell, Al Thompson, and Lynton Brent are also in this one. I saw some of this at one of My large theaters which has a huge screen and it was something else to see this one on the big screen! There are so many hilarious scenes! This is a great Three Stooges short!