Tassels in the Air (1938)

Director:

Charley Chase

Writers:

Al Giebler (story)
Elwood Ullman (story)

Release Date:

1 April 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Short

Plot:

The stooges are janitors in an office building. They stencil the wrong names on all the offices, causing a rich lady to mistakes Moe for "Omay"...

Plot Keywords:

Society Matron | Society Woman | Interior Decorator | The Three Stooges | Pig Latin

Cast

Curly Howard	...	Curly (as Curly)
Larry Fine	...	Larry (as Larry)
Moe Howard	...	Moe (as Moe)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Symona Boniface	...	Mrs. Smirch's Card-playing Friend (uncredited)
Vernon Dent	...	Building Superintendent (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Maggie Smirch (uncredited)
Bud Jamison	...	Thaddeus Smirch (uncredited)
Victor Travers	...	Man Exiting Elevator (uncredited)

Directed by
Charley Chase

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Al Giebler		story and screenplay
Elwood Ullman		story and screenplay

Produced by
Charley Chase	....	associate producer
Hugh McCollum	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
Allen G. Siegler

Film Editing by
Art Seid		(as Arthur Seid)

Music Department
Louis Silvers	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Screen Gems (1958) (USA) (TV)

Runtime:

17 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Goofs:

Continuity: The pipe in Thaddeus Smirch's mouth disappears in between shots when he's telling his wife that he once was a letter carrier.

Quotes:

Thaddeus Smirch: Gosh, I'd sure like to help. You know, I haven't had a paintbrush in my hand for years.
Moe: Sure, you can help. Go on out there and mix us a batch of spotted paint.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in A Snitch in Time (1950)

The Stooges in their prime

This is one of the better Stooge shorts--not as good as the fabulous "Micro-Phonies," but close--and a good example of the boys in their prime. Curly is absolutely hilarious as a janitor-turned-artist who calls himself, in Pig Latin, "Umday" and is driven to a frenzy by the sight of tassels. Comedian Charley Chase directed this and several other Stooge shorts, and he did a first-rate job here. It's very well-paced, unlike some of the Stooge shorts of that period, which tended to be a little ragged--slow spots interrupted by the boys' slapstick bursts. This one starts out well, and progresses nicely to the typical frenetic Stooge ending. Stooge fans will be thoroughly satisfied.