Dunked in the Deep
| Dunked in the Deep | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Jules White |
| Produced by | Jules White |
| Written by | Felix Adler |
| Starring |
Moe Howard Larry Fine Shemp Howard Gene Roth |
| Cinematography | Vincent J. Farrar |
| Edited by | Edwin H. Bryant |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates | November 3, 1949 (U.S.) |
Running time | 16' 46" |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Dunked in the Deep is the 119th short subject starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1959.
Plot
The Stooges are tricked into becoming stowaways by their neighbor Mr. Borscht (Gene Roth), a spy for a fictitious USSR-like country. Stranded on a freighter on the high seas, and sustained by eating salami, they discover that their 'friend' has concealed stolen microfilm in watermelons. After a wild chase, the boys overtake Borscht and recover the microfilm.
Production notes
Dunked in the Deep was reworked in 1956 as Commotion on the Ocean using ample stock footage.[1]
The voice heard on the radio broadcast is Moe; Shemp Howard accidentally cut his hand on the lock when he rushes to the door in an effort to open it.[1]
Hiding microfilm in watermelons is an allusion to an actual event from the previous year. In 1948, Time managing editor Whittaker Chambers, a former Communist spy-turned government informer, accused Alger Hiss of being a member of the Communist Party and a spy for the Soviet Union. In presenting evidence against Hiss, Chambers produced the Pumpkin Papers: four rolls of microfilm of State Department documents, which Chambers had concealed in a hollowed-out pumpkin on his Maryland farm.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Comedy III Productions, Inc. ISBN 0-9711868-0-4.
- ↑ Chambers, Whittaker (1952). Witness. Random House. pp. 751–755. ISBN 0-89526-571-0.
