Pies and Guys

Pies and Guys
Directed by Jules White
Produced by Jules White
Written by Jack White
Starring Moe Howard
Larry Fine
Joe Besser
Greta Thyssen
Milton Frome
Gene Roth
Emil Sitka
Harriette Tarler
Helen Dickson
Cinematography Irving Lippman
Edited by Harold White
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release dates
  • June 12, 1958
Running time
 16' 09"
Country United States
Language English

Pies and Guys is the 185th 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

In the third Stooge adaptation of Pygmalion, the trio are repairmen who make a scene in the presence of two psychologists, Professors Quackenbush (Milton Frome) and Sedletz (Gene Roth). Quackenbush makes a bet with Sedletz that he can turn the boys into gentlemen through environment. Training is slow and painful for the professor, who pulls his hair out in disgust. However, the Stooges do have the opportunity to flirt with the professor's assistant (Greta Thyssen), while learning table etiquette. Finally, the Stooges will decide the wager by their behavior at a fancy society party.

Naturally, the party goes awry. Joe greets the Countess Spritzwasser (Harriette Tarler) by kissing her hand, and biting off the diamond in her ring. Realizing this, Moe and Larry take Joe to a secluded area to lecture him, only to find he has swiped a load of silverware.

Joe then grabs a pie from a pastry table, and tries to eat it whole. Moe sees this, swipes the pie, and pushes Joe out of the way. Seeing another guest, Mrs. Smythe-Smythe (Symona Boniface, in archival footage), approaching, Moe tosses the pie straight up — to which it attaches itself to the ceiling. Seeing that he can barely get a sentence out, she sympathetically comments, "young man, you act as if you have the Sword of Damocles hanging over your head." Moe replies that Mrs. Smythe-Smythe is a psychic and flees, to which the pie comes crashing down on the society matron. This sparks off a massive pie melee that takes no prisoners.

The pies go flying in Pies and Guys

Production notes

Pies and Guys is a scene-for-scene remake of 1947's Half-Wits Holiday, using minimal stock footage from the original. Half-Wits Holiday in itself was a reworking of 1935's Hoi Polloi. New footage was shot in two days in early May 1957.[1]

References

  1. ↑ Solomon, Jon. (2002) The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion, p. 506; Comedy III Productions, Inc., ISBN 0-9711868-0-4

External links