An Ache in Every Stake (1941)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Del Lord

Writers:

Lloyd French (screenplay)
Lloyd French (story)

Release Date:

22 August 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Comedy | Family

Plot:

The stooges are icemen who, while delivering ice to a house on the top of a high hill, destroy several...

Plot Keywords:

The Three Stooges | Slapstick

Cast

Curly Howard	...	Curly (as Curly)
Larry Fine	...	Larry (as Larry)
Moe Howard	...	Moe (as Moe)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Wilson Benge	...	Butler (uncredited)
Symona Boniface	...	Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Gino Corrado	...	The Cook (uncredited)
Vernon Dent	...	Poindexter Lawrence (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Mrs. Lawrence (uncredited)
Bud Jamison	...	The Baker (uncredited)
Blanche Payson	...	(uncredited)
Larry Steers	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Victor Travers	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Del Lord

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Lloyd French		screenplay (as Lloyd A. French)
Lloyd French		story (as Lloyd A. French)

Produced by
Del Lord	....	producer
Hugh McCollum	....	producer

Cinematography by
Philip Tannura

Film Editing by
Burton Kramer

Music Department
Ben Oakland	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1941) (USA) (theatrical)
• Screen Gems (1958-1974) (USA) (TV) (original syndication release)
• Columbia Pictures Television (1974-1996) (USA) (TV)
• Columbia TriStar Domestic Television (1996-2001) (USA) (TV)
• Sony Pictures Television (2002-) (USA) (all media)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Runtime:

18 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Filming Locations:

Steps between 2257 & 2258 Fair Oak Terrace, Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Contrary to common belief, the long staircase in this film is NOT the same one used in Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy's Oscar-winning short, The Music Box (1932). It is, however, in the same Silver Lake district of Los Angeles, about two miles away.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: You can see the split in the ice block before it breaks over Curly's head.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Listen, Judge (1952)

Some Classic Gags, With Curly In His Best Form

There are some classic sight gags in this Three Stooges flick, one of better ones the boys did, even though some of jokes were familiar, like the cooking scenes. Nonetheless, who can forget that long line of stairs up to the house where Curly and his mates try to bring a woman a big block of ice? The ice truck scenes, complete with big blocks and tongs to carry them, are really a look at ancient history, as that was the way people obtained ice for their homes.

Vernon Dent is the main "victim" in this Three Stooges a short. He's a poor guy whose just trying to celebrate his birthday but every time he tries to bring home the birthday cake for himself and party guests, the Stooges give him a face full of it.

The boys wind up catering his party - don't ask how - and we get more memorable scenes, such as Curly's having a sofa spring stuck to the seat of his pants.....and what happens every time he tries to dance, or Curly pretending he's a barber shaving a block of ice - and talking to it! It was funny material decades ago, and it's still funny.

Moe and Larry also contribute in their customary entertaining fashion, but this really highlight's Curly in his prime.