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In the Sweet Pie and Pie

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In the Sweet Pie and Pie
Directed byJules White
Screenplay byClyde Bruckman
Story byEwart Adamson
Produced byJules White
StarringMoe Howard
Larry Fine
Curly Howard
Dorothy Appleby
Mary Ainslee
Ethelreda Leopold
Richard Fiske
Vernon Dent
Symona Boniface
Eddie Laughton
John Tyrrell
Geneva Mitchell
CinematographyGeorge Meehan
Edited byJerome Thoms
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • October 16, 1941 (1941-10-16) (U.S.)
Running time
17:28
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

In the Sweet Pie and Pie is a 1941 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 58th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

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Tiska, Taska, and Baska Jones, three assertive society women, find themselves the recipients of a substantial inheritance contingent upon their marital status by a specified deadline. However, their intended fiancés are unable to comply due to their deployment to Honolulu with the Fleet. Advised by their astute lawyer, Diggins, the women devise a scheme to secure their inheritance by marrying three condemned inmates known as the Mushroom Murder Gang, portrayed by the Stooges. Upon marriage to the convicts, the women anticipate collecting their inheritance, following which the inmates will be executed, allowing the women to proceed with their original engagements.

The Stooges, now wed to the Jones sisters, face an imminent execution by hanging at Hang-em'-all Prison. However, a last-minute reprieve arrives, absolving them of guilt in the Mushroom murders, thereby securing their freedom. As the Jones sisters revel in their newfound status as widows, the Stooges assert their presence in the women's household, much to the dismay of the sisters.

Subsequently, the Jones sisters endeavor to manipulate their new husbands into conforming to high society norms, believing the Stooges to be ill-equipped for such refinement. Yet, the Stooges, recognizing the jeopardy of their marital status, diligently strive to meet the expectations imposed upon them. Despite the sisters' efforts, their social gathering is marred by chaos orchestrated by the Stooges, with Diggins's attempt to discredit Moe backfiring.

Facing Diggins's threat of annulment, the Jones sisters defy his influence and choose to retain their marriages to the Stooges. In a display of solidarity, the guests, along with the Stooges, retaliate against Diggins by subjecting him to a pie-filled retribution.

Production notes

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In the Sweet Pie and Pie was filmed between April 30 and May 3, 1941.[1] The film makes references to several popular songs/series' of the era:

  • Moe's comment "I am The Shadow" parodies the 1940 Columbia radio serial The Shadow.[2]
  • "Bill Stein," who broadcasts a "jerk-by-jerk" description of the hanging of the Mushroom Murder Mob, is a parody of real-life sportscaster Bill Stern.[2]
  • The title In the Sweet Pie and Pie is a play on the old song, "In the Sweet By and By";[2] the names of the sisters, Tiska, Taska, and Baska, were a play on the song, "A-Tisket, A-Tasket"; Curly's comment to Moe "I hear a rhipsody" parodies the 1940 song "I Hear a Rhapsody".[2]
  • The sisters' fiancés are named Tom, Dick and Harry, a reference to the famous phrase.

Footage was borrowed from earlier shorts and reused for In the Sweet Pie and Pie:

In the Sweet Pie and Pie marked the final appearance of supporting actor Richard Fiske. A perfect foil for the Stooges, Fiske's promising career was cut short when he was killed in action during World War II.[2]

Pie fights

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Larry Fine recalled that the most grueling scenes in In the Sweet Pie and Pie involved pies:

Sometimes we would run out of pies, so the prop man would sweep up the pie goop off the floor, complete with nails, splinters, and tacks. Another problem was pretending you didn't know a pie was coming your way. To solve this, Jules would tell me 'Now Larry, Moe is going to smack you with a pie on the count of three.' Then Jules would tell Moe, 'Hit Larry on the count of two!' So when it came time to count, I never got to three, because Moe crowned me with a pie![3]

References

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  1. ^ In the Sweet Pie and Pie at threestooges.net
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Comedy III Productions, Inc. p. 193. ISBN 0-9711868-0-4.
  3. ^ Maurer, Joan Howard; Jeff Lenburg; Greg Lenburg (2012) [1982]. The Three Stooges Scrapbook. Citadel Press. p. 285. ISBN 978-1-61374-074-3.
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