There's one funny verbal joke regarding El Brendel being accused of stealing a pair of shoes and saying something about his soul only to prove himself guilty by showing his sole. Along with the comedy team of Tom Kennedy and Dudley Dickerson, he's hired to pick up two crates and deliver them to a museum late at night (during a wind storm, sound effects thanks to an obvious wind machine), and end up involved with criminals who smuggled themselves inside the crates. A few wacky gags almost resulted in me laughing, bit not quite. I'll give El Brendel credit for this one that he's only moderately annoying rather than extremely. Monte Collins, Kennedy's regular partner, has a small part in this one. Dickerson suffers the same indignities as other black comics of the time. The bone crunching sound effect is way overdone.
5 Reviews
If the sound of bones breaking is funny to you, then by all means enjoy.
mark.waltz10 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Did The Three Stooges Turn This Down As Too High-Brow?
boblipton2 November 2023
Tom Kennedy, El Brendel, and Dudley Dickerson are a moving company. After they destroy all of Monte Collins' possessions and break the cast on his foot, they are hired in the wee hours to move stuff into a museum. Actually it's a plan to smuggle thieves in in packing crates. Things go wrong.
This is not the first time I've seen Jules White's short-comedy division at Columbia try to replicate a Three Stooges movie. He often reused scripts, and anyway, the Stooges were his most popular series, so this tale of three nitwits who continually set themselves on fire and have pianos dropped on their heads is familiar enough, even if I can't identity the Stooges movie.
This is not the first time I've seen Jules White's short-comedy division at Columbia try to replicate a Three Stooges movie. He often reused scripts, and anyway, the Stooges were his most popular series, so this tale of three nitwits who continually set themselves on fire and have pianos dropped on their heads is familiar enough, even if I can't identity the Stooges movie.
Very funny; well worth a look
pmsusana19 May 2001
This obscure but lively slapstick comedy was probably intended by Columbia for The Three Stooges, but is quite funny as it is. Dudley Dickerson (who appeared in more Stooges shorts than any other black actor) easily steals the show; the sequence where he attempts to catch a mouse in the kitchen is priceless.
Funny, but violent Columbia two-reeler
therealkylemcelravy29 February 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Swedish dialect comic El Brendel made a number of comedy shorts for Columbia from 1936-1945 (his final two-reelers shared star billing with an ailing Harry Langdon) and this is considered to be a rather violent two-reeler, despite it being directed by Harry Edwards and produced by Del Lord and Hugh McCollum. I agree THEY STOOGE TO CONGA was more violent than this, thanks to a gruesome climbing spike sequence. Makes me sort of wonder why Jules White didn't direct CRONIES.
El and his partner Tom Kennedy work for the Astoria Transfer Company, with their bookkeeper Petty Larsen (Dudley Dickerson) acting more like a third assistant. The first half mainly revolves around the disastrous attempt at moving valuable antiques from a collector's home (played to the hilt by Monte Collins) and poor Monte gets his foot caught in a stepladder, gets dishes pummeled on him and even gets his broken foot crushed by a grand piano.
The short's second half turns into a standard scare comedy as El, Tom, and Dudley deliver crates to a spooky museum late at night. The crates supposedly contain artifacts, but one contains a crook who is trying to steal a priceless Buddha with his partner. Scares abound as the hapless movers get chased by the crooks wielding swords and the short's final scene has them running off when a cannon finds itself tied to El's back as they make a hasty retreat.
I can't recommend this short enough as it has knockabout slapstick and funny gags. Though I sort of wonder why it was never considered for the Stooges themselves.
El and his partner Tom Kennedy work for the Astoria Transfer Company, with their bookkeeper Petty Larsen (Dudley Dickerson) acting more like a third assistant. The first half mainly revolves around the disastrous attempt at moving valuable antiques from a collector's home (played to the hilt by Monte Collins) and poor Monte gets his foot caught in a stepladder, gets dishes pummeled on him and even gets his broken foot crushed by a grand piano.
The short's second half turns into a standard scare comedy as El, Tom, and Dudley deliver crates to a spooky museum late at night. The crates supposedly contain artifacts, but one contains a crook who is trying to steal a priceless Buddha with his partner. Scares abound as the hapless movers get chased by the crooks wielding swords and the short's final scene has them running off when a cannon finds itself tied to El's back as they make a hasty retreat.
I can't recommend this short enough as it has knockabout slapstick and funny gags. Though I sort of wonder why it was never considered for the Stooges themselves.
Fast-Paced and Very Funny
abbazabakyleman-9883421 June 2019
Swedish dialect comedian El Brendel had made a number of Columbia two-reelers from 1936-1945 and this one knocks it out of the park with slapstick comedy and the funny teaming of Brendel and the burly Tom Kennedy. They play movers for a transfer company who are hired to deliver a set of crates to a spooky museum after hours and wind up getting chased by crooks with swords. Dudley Dickerson also steals the show as their bookkeeper/third partner and Monte Collins as a fussy client.
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