I think this short is unsurpassed for consistency in keeping the gags coming—and good ones, too. With the possible exception of the opening sequence of the Stooges taking their "car" to the Bell house, which is arguably stretched thin, it has no dull stretches. Though people have remarked that the short overall seems too short, it contains what must be one of the longest continuous gag sequences, which starts with Larry accidentally hitting Moe in the butt and knocking him over and ends with the attempt to revive Dorabelle. One could say that there are two distinct sequences, Moe's campaign against Larry and the blasting of Curly into the tree, but they overlap and are directly connected: Moe's pursuit of Larry causes him to send the keg of nails flying through the air that hits Curly on the head and leaves him wearing cement overshoes, which (of course) must be removed by blasting. The sequence lasts from 7:35 to 14:35, so it takes up nearly half of the entire short (7 minutes out of 15:42—or 15:25 if one sets aside the opening and closing materials). I don't know if there is a gag sequence of equal or greater length in another short.
The bit in which Florabelle tries to hit the Stooges with a plank and hits her sisters in the back, then puts the blame on the boys ("Hit me, would you? You brute!") must have taken more than a few practice runs: the coordination and timing are remarkable!
I did not know that the actress playing Dorabelle was the sister of Ted Healy. She surely has the most God-awful authentic proletarian New York accent of any female in a Stooge short: her line "Get down outta theah, Tahzun!" is a highlight that I eagerly await on every viewing. (Curly's "lantsman" from Toity-toid Street in
Wee Wee Monsieur does not compare, as she is clearly assuming the accent in accordance with the script; Marcia Healy, by contrast, is clearly just doing what comes naturally, as her accent is consistently awful throughout the short.)
I don't know why the postman would deliver mail to a window and not to the front door, but that may be imposing real-world logic on a Stooges short.
My understanding of what is going on there has always been that the postman delivers mail addressed to the Sit-Down Suitors directly to them because they get so much of it, while the mail for the Bell household is delivered separately and in the conventional fashion (through the mail slot or in a mail box).
