Topic: Pleased to Mitt You (1940) - David Durand, Shemp Howard, and Guinn Williams

[Paul Pain]

https://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/273
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0132189/

Stoogeon General's WARNING:: Watching the following short has been show to cause irreversible nerve damage, kill you, induce psychotic episodes, generate mass hysteria, and cause cancer.  This short may also cause vomiting, diarrhea, immense human suffering, brain damage, and heart failure.

I have watched copious amounts of non-Three Stooges and non-Buster Keaton Columbia pictures material.  This may be, in my opinion, the single worst short that the Columbia Shorts Department ever produced.  This is an absolute dumpster fire in every way imaginable.  I have nothing good to say about this one except that Shemp Howard and Doris Vaughan do well as the lone good actors in this mess.  It's a lousy plot that is performed in a lousy way by lousy actors.

"Professor Whiz" is the same person that played the announcer broadcasting the hanging scene in IN THE SWEET PIE AND PIE.

This short can... BURN IN HELL^TM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1/10

[Umbrella Sam]

Kitty: Isn’t this funny?
Diggins: It’s corny.

This should have been the tag line for the Glove Slingers series. I don’t share the same hatred towards this short that Paul does...but it’s still not a good short.

On the positive side, Shemp has a few funny scenes, mainly in the kitchen, and his and the other students’ comments on how terrible the cake was also got a laugh out of me. But otherwise, it’s very clichéd, the “coughing up feathers” gag is very awkwardly paced (despite the funny comments), and the acting is a step down from the first one. Give the first one credit, at least it tried to go in a different direction than usual for White, but here, with a Columbia stock gag taking up a good portion of the short, you get the sense that White is now trying to play it safe. It baffles me that this series continued for so long.

3 out of 10

"Professor Whiz" is the same person that played the announcer broadcasting the hanging scene in IN THE SWEET PIE AND PIE.

Also the voice of Mickey Mouse on Disney’s weekly radio series (ironic considering I just switched my profile picture to Mickey).

[Paul Pain]

On the positive side, Shemp has a few funny scenes, mainly in the kitchen, and his and the other students’ comments on how terrible the cake was also got a laugh out of me. But otherwise, it’s very clichéd, the “coughing up feathers” gag is very awkwardly paced (despite the funny comments), and the acting is a step down from the first one. Give the first one credit, at least it tried to go in a different direction than usual for White, but here, with a Columbia stock gag taking up a good portion of the short, you get the sense that White is now trying to play it safe. It baffles me that this series continued for so long.

Ironic because I thought the "coughing up feathers" bit was the absolute worst part.  I actually thought, while watching it, "bad actors doing a bad job with a bad gag."  Shemp, however, is funny in his few solo bits, so on account of that I am giving this short a poke boost.

[Umbrella Sam]

Ironic because I thought the "coughing up feathers" bit was the absolute worst part.  I actually thought, while watching it, "bad actors doing a bad job with a bad gag."  Shemp, however, is funny in his few solo bits, so on account of that I am giving this short a poke boost.

I definitely agree the “coughing up feathers” bit was awful, it was just those few comments about the cake that I thought were funny. Generally, I don’t find this to be a particularly good gag, but if I recall correctly the Stooges were able to do it well at least a few times.

[Paul Pain]

I definitely agree the “coughing up feathers” bit was awful, it was just those few comments about the cake that I thought were funny. Generally, I don’t find this to be a particularly good gag, but if I recall correctly the Stooges were able to do it well at least a few times.

The Stooges did it in UNCIVIL WARRIORS and THREE HAMS ON RYE, with the two versions having some differences between them.  I personally like the latter better, but that's just me.

[metaldams]

I think I can just chalk it down to this Glove Slingers series not being for me.  It’s just too many characters, most of them somewhat straight, shoved into 15 minutes.  Shemp is good to see but wasted like he is in the majority of his non Stooge roles.  The Vitalhone shorts are the exception....and I still have not seen the comedy team Monogram features in the forties, which I need to check out.  But Glove Slingers - not for me.

[Paul Pain]

I think I can just chalk it down to this Glove Slingers series not being for me.  It’s just too many characters, most of them somewhat straight, shoved into 15 minutes.  Shemp is good to see but wasted like he is in the majority of his non Stooge roles.  The Vitaphone shorts are the exception....and I still have not seen the comedy team Monogram features in the forties, which I need to check out.  But Glove Slingers - not for me.

Don't worry, metaldams.  This is the end of our nightmarish journey through the Glove Slingers series.  I only wanted to shed a little light on these lesser-known Shemp Howard ventures.  Next review will be a short I think we all will enjoy because of the starring actor.

[I. Cheatam]

There is a funny, unscripted moment where Shemp pretends to have cut his finger while slicing a potato, causing Guinn Williams to laugh directly at the camera.