Plane Nuts

Thanks, craigbhill. it is indeed Busby Berkeley's work. In fact, clips of the musical numbers used in this short are from "Flying High" (1931), as documented in the compilation film "That's Dancing!" (1985).

Through the years, I've seen stills and miscellaneous data about this one, and I thought it was "lost", but came upon it in a Stooges video package a few days ago. This is not the stereotypical "3 Stooges", but Howard, Fine & Howard doing pure vaudeville on film! The slapstick is primitive and crude with no added sound effects, the acting is purely stage wooden. But the pleasant highlight of the film is the excellent pre-Busby Berkely choreography done by the Albertina Rasch Dancers who take up the bulk of the film's length. For purposes of comparison with the Stooges comedies we all know, the three on stage with Ted Healy and Bonny Bonnell (Ted's 1st wife) gives us a glimpse of their beginnings. Even with Healy slapping them around, (not funny but rather cruel), we can see their individual characters beginning to form.

For anyone interested in what the Stooges looked like before the Columbia shorts, this is one to watch! Catch it if you can, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Plane Nuts (1933), is straight-up vaudeville stage show, complete with the curtain in the background and people walking on, from off-stage, while Healy and the boys, tear things up. It's bits and gags, bits and gags, with the Stooges, in-between Healy singing, a somewhat, lame song. Plane Nuts (1933), however is saved, by Moe, Larry and Curly. Larry seems to have a bigger part in this one. However, the finale is pretty cool, with dancers, dressed as planes (yes planes), doing a big finale, with an epic dance performance, at the end of the film. The bits were good, but the thing just seemed like a recording of a stage-play. This was the fourth of five films, produced at MGM. It definitely looks like the least expensive title, of the MGM, "Ted Healy and His Stooges", shorts. It wasn't very creative. But is a fairly good attempt to fill the five film contract.

5.5 (D- MyGrade) = 6 IMDB.

It's hard to sit through this miserable MGM short wherein THE THREE STOOGES go through their paces with TED HEALY acting as a sort of master of ceremonies in an act that falls flat before the first two minutes are over.

At least the Stooges get into their slapstick routine of face slapping nonsense with their usual aplomb, but Healy is neither charismatic as a performer nor much of a singer, given the songs he attempts to sing here.

The only bit of inspiration comes from the dance routines that a bevy of chorus girls do, twirling propellers around and photographed from above in Busby Berkeley manner for some eye catching formations simulating planes.

This is the kind of act that must have killed vaudeville. I found myself impatiently waiting for the twenty minute short to conclude. Not soon enough for me. Agonizingly bad stuff, dated and cornball from start to finish and a bit crude in the style of humor.

It is Ted Healy and the Three Stooges in a series of MGM shorts. The boys are billed as "Howard, Fine and Howard." They are doing a series of sketches in front of a stage curtain. This is really Ted Healy's show with the guys as his sidekicks. I don't get the numbers skit although the last joke from Curly is hilarious. They are doing the jokes in quick talk with some slapstick in between. It's hard to understand a lot of these vaudevillian style skits. They are more chaotic than comedic. It is all about trying to be wacky without a story. This also includes a couple of Busby Berkeley musical numbers.