Who Done It?

What can you say about this one? One of the all-time greats and in my top 5 of Shemp films. Every stooge is on top of his game here and Shemp & Christine McIntyre make a fabulous duo. Their on screen chemistry is amazing.

The detective themed episodes with Shemp were almost always classics and this is the best. Highlights include Shemp's camera that gets distracted by Christine's finer assets (the niece is nice), Larry's smile at the camera, the poisoning scene, the chase from the goon and of course the "light to dark" fight sequence at the end. This short is stooge heaven.

Definitely one of the best Shemp short films you can come by.

An ultra-nervous old man, "Mr. Goodrich," terrorized by the news that a gang is stalking the city and prominent citizens are disappearing, really panics when someone throws a rock through his window with a message tied to it, saying "You will be next!"

He calls the detective agency wondering where are the guys he asked for earlier. Of course, it's the Stooges, who couldn't respond because had come into the office, robbed them and tied them up. Some detectives! The moment poor Mr. Goodrich hangs up the phone and says, "I feel safer already," a monster-type goon named "Nico" appears out of a secret panel in the room and chokes him unconscious. We next find out that his trusted employees are anything but that. Now these crooks have to deal with the "detectives" that are coming by the house for Mr. Goodrich.

Some of the gags, like Moe and Larry's wrinkles, are getting a bit old, but some of them will provoke laughs if I see them 100 times. I always laugh at Shemp trying to be a flirt, as he does here with Mr. Goodrich's niece, in a classic routine with a long, accordion-like camera lens. The act he puts on when he's poisoned is always funny, too. Shemp was so good that I didn't mind he was taking the great Curly's place.

Larry, Moe, Curly/Shemp were always great in the chase scenes, in which monsters or crooks or both are chasing them around a house. That's the last six minutes in here. At times, such as this film,

The radio announces that The Phantom Gang has stuck once again. Wealthy Mr. Goodrich fears being next and calls upon the Alert Detective Agency which consists of Larry, Moe, and Shemp. Goodrich's niece, his butler, and monstrous goon Nikko are actually part of the Phantom Gang. They knock him out and take him captive to take his money. Then the Stooges show up.

The setup is a little clunky. I'm not sure the Stooges should be tied up or that The Phantom Gang makes sense. Being tied up leads to one functional joke but the start could be much smarter. Why would The Phantom Gang give a warning to Goodrich? I do have to say that this is probably the best Shemp so far. I like the drink switcheroo turning into a Curly bit. I like picture bit. This is basically a Scooby mystery if it's all Shaggy and Scooby.

One the best Shemp's episode, Moe, Larry and Shemp as private detective has a hard assignment to protect a millionaire Mr. Goodrich played by the clumsy Emil Sitka, the man disappears, the trio now try out makes a fully investigation to reach in some clue, helped by Goodrich's niece as always Christina McIntyre, one the most funny sequence when Shemp is analyzing thru the camera on the table he lifts and finds Moe's face, what scene, between the physical humor oriented, a slapstick comedy, many weird and funny situations spreading all around including the famous blackout scene, my heroes are still funny than never!!

Resume:

First watch: 1972 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-DVD-R / Rating: 7.5

This is apparently one of Shemp's first shorts with the Stooges. (This excludes his much earlier vaudeville years with the team). But the threesome's comedic timing is at its honed best here. Aside from the intense slapstick scenes, there are others more subtle, but just as funny. Watch Larry when Shemp asks him to look at the camera for a snapshot. Or watch the real object prompting Moe's exclamation, "Oh...highly polished mahogany!"

Emil Sitka is at his bewildered goofiest. And the goon may look scary, but he's somehow funny. He seems as frustrated and perplexed with the Stooges as are "regular" people in other shorts.

For Shemp aficionados, this is a must have episode. It won't disappoint.