Oh yes, it
is that time of the year again when all the Knuckleheads gather to watch four
classic Stooges shorts, raffle off some cool prizes, and watch the best Curly
Shufflers do their thing on the stage of the classic Palace Theater in beautiful
downtown Canton Ohio.
The
shindig took place on a Friday night. So, I worked all day with one eye on the
clock. Even at my advanced age I get very excited about these events. Heck it
makes me feel like a kid again. When I got out of work I jumped in the car and
headed out to the theater. Sadly, I was flying solo because all of my friends
suck! And some of them had to work… I arrived at the Palace, purchased my
ticket, found a good seat, and settled in for the fun.
The first
short was Grips, Grunts, and Groans. This was a Curly short and follows the
boys as they end up in a real pickle. Tasked with keeping a wrestler sober and
ready to fight they of course screw it up. The gamblers who hired them aren’t
happy, so the boys decide to substitute Curly in. He is a terrible wrestler,
until he smells a certain type of perfume and then he goes all “Woo Woo Woo”.
Much mayhem ensues. The second short was Dizzy Doctors. Here the boys are given
an ultimatum by their wives to get jobs or get out! They stumble upon salesmen
jobs hawking Brighto. Is it a shoe polish? Maybe a spot remover? Nope it is
medicine, but they don’t find out until some hilarious accidents happen.
After the
second short it was time for intermission. Picked up some candy, watched the
Curly Shuffle contest, and didn’t win anything at the raffle. Though that is
okay since it all goes to support the Palace Theater. I really do love this
place. The lights dimmed again, and the last two shorts of the night started.
Short
number three was Three Dumb Clucks. This time the Stooges are locked up in
prison and get a letter from their mother. Their dear old Dad has divorced her
and is going to marry a young chickadee who is after his money. They break out
to stop him and of course goofy things happen. Here Curly pulls double duty as
both one of the brothers and their father. This leads to an awesome bit of
mistaken identity that is one of the greatest gags I’ve ever seen them do
involving an elevator and some stairs. The last one of the night was Back to
the Woods. In olden days, aka. Pilgrims, the boys are banished from England for
crimes and sent to the colonies to defend them from the savages. This means
they end up doing battle with the Indians while trying to hunt for food. By
battle I mean a lot of people get hit on the noggin’ with clubs.
Four Curly
shorts and no Shemp? That is kind of a bummer. While I’m a much bigger fan of
Curly I do like a Shemp short now and again. I also realized that they played
these in the order they were made as they are twenty thru twenty-three. That
makes sense why they all featured Curly. I think I’d rather they be more random
in the selections, but beggars can’t be choosers and some Stooges is better
than no Stooges. If you get the chance to check out one of the events at the Canton Palace Theater do so. It is well worth your time.
© Copyright 2018 John Shatzer
No comments:
Post a Comment