Dreadfully Boring

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

We well remember hearing about this film and seeing one particular still from it; but for years, that was about it. It was found in lists of stooge filmography; where it provided us with yet another puzzling fact. It was listed as SOUP TO NUTS (FOX, 1930). FOX was a film company that was bought by Darryl F. Zanuck's upstart 20th Century Film Corporation, forming, oddly enough, the 20th CENTURY-FOX Film Corporation! But, being loyal 3 Stooges fans, we knew that their Home Studio was, is and forever be Harry Cohn's Columbia Pictures Corporation. We had been conditioned by the famous Lady Columbia's opening all their films; as well as the tack-on TV openings of "Screen Gems, Television Subsidiary of Columbia Pictures Corporation." And then, just who is this Ted Healy guy, where'd he come from? Why does he seem to boss Shemp, Larry, "Harry" and this Fred Sandborn character? And just who or what is a Fred Sandborn, anyway? Our family was lucky, as our parents, Clem Ryan (1914-1974) and his Bride, Bertha (nee Fuerst, 1917-Still going strong at 91!) were great believers in sharing all knowledge, no matter how seemingly insignificant as this. They clued us in that it originally had been "Ted Healy and His Stooges", although the Stooges broke away from the ego maniacal, tyrannical and alcoholic Healy and were fairly successful, too! SOUP TO NUTS was not only the Stooges first movie, but was an adaptation of a Rube Goldberg novel. Mr. Goldberg was arguably America's pre-eminent cartoonist; becoming famous world-wide for his intricately designed, yet singularly functioned "inventions". As cartoonists of this day were highly regarded as celebs, they often appeared in films; such as this one, in which Mr. Goldberg made an appearance as Rube Goldberg, himself! The film uses the back drop of the old Fire House. Long a favourite in literature, the movies and comic strips, the job of the Fireman has long had status as both the Heroic for what they do when applying their trade and humorous for those down time, between fires stretches (if your referring to a House located in a quiet area). Films such as LIFE OF AN American FIREMAN (Edison Co., 1903), A TITLE UNK. And believed lost Sound Serial (Universal, ca. 1931), FIREHOUSE (TV movie, Metromedia Prod./ABC, 1973), "FIREHOUSE" TV Series (Metromedia/ABC, 1974) and more recently screened projects like BACKDRAFT! (Image Films/Trilogy Entertainment/Universal Pictures, 1991) and John Travolta's LADDER 49 (Touchstone/Beacon/Casey Silver/Fantail/Buena Vista, 2004), all are good examples.On the humorous front, we had the comic strip SMOKEY STOVER by Bill Holman (Chicago Tribune-New York News Syndicate, 1935-1973). It featured Smokey, the Fire Chief Cash U. Nutt, Smokey's Cat, Spooky and the bizarre 2 wheeled Fireengine, the "Foomobile". In addition, Mr. Holman injected all manner of puns and 'unusual' occurrences such a little hitch-hiker character inquiring, "Nov shmooz kapop?"and framed wall 'licenses' reading 'Notary Sojac'! And Now, Back To SOUP TO NUTS, presented without any commercial interruptions! As for the humor of the film, which at times seems rather scarce to modern viewers, it is episodic, even so very brief and unconnected to other events in the film. In that sense there is a strong resemblance to a 3 or 4 panel comic strip. (Gee, I wonder why!) And one thing we, perhaps, forget that every picture constantly tests the waters for what is funny. It is our perspective of hind-sight, we sometime forget that even standard bits such as Stan Laurel's opposite extremes of Laughing and Crying routines, Oliver Hardy's recurring plunging head deep into the deepest puddle and Buster Keaton's "Great Stone Face" on screen, were all the results of trial & error.Though not hardly a typical Stooges film, there were embryonic signs of what would be later considered to be "Stooges' Standards". As an example of such a routine seen in this movie is their rendition of "You'll never know….", in the format of a Barber Shop Quartet. This was heard so many times in future Producer Jules White's Columbia shorts.Yeah, there's really not a lot here; and it was at one time thought to be lost. But, thanks to UCLA's Motion Picture Archives' preservation program and the formerly great American Film Classics, the world got to see it once again. And, please, Schultz, correct me if this "Old Redhead" is wrong; but I believe that AMC's telecast of ca. 1994-96, during their film preservation week, was the picture's TV Premier.Get it, if for no other reason, as an Historical Curio of both the early "Talkies", as well as the Stooges Historical movie launching pad.

048: Soup to Nuts (1930) - released 9/28/1930; viewed 5/8/06.The National Socialists win 107 seats in the German parliament.BIRTHS: Warren Buffett, Ray Charles, Shel Silverstein.DOUG: And I thought the Marx Brothers' act was rough and unrefined in 1930. Okay, we watched Another Fine Mess with Laurel & Hardy, and I started reading about them and the other comedy teams from the 30s and 40s, like the Three Stooges. I soon found that their first movie, the Rube Goldberg-penned Soup to Nuts was released in 1930, and was out on DVD. Thus, this eleventh-hour addition squeezes its way in just before we close out 1930 for good. I found this movie to be mostly sub-par with the exception of a couple scenes near the end where Moe, Larry (looking a lot like Ringo Starr here), and Shemp really get to cut loose ("It's the Elevator Dance! It has no steps!"). Although it's advertised these days as a Stooges movie, they're just part of an ensemble, and mostly function as a foil for Ted Healy (as they would do for several more movies before ditching Ted and striking out on their own). I found most of the humor to be derivative of the Marx Brothers: Healy is Groucho, the Stooges are all Chico, Fred Sanborn (eyebrows!) is Harpo, and Stan Smith is Zeppo, complete with romantic subplot. It seems in these old slapstick comedies, the two characters who fall in love invariably turn out to be the most boring characters in the movie. I thought most of the gags to be decent at best and predictable most of the time. Much of the supporting cast is lackluster, although Frances McCoy steals the show as the chatterbox phone secretary Queenie.KEVIN: Before we wrap up 1930, we first have this little Rube Goldberg-penned comedy featuring Ted Healy and the Three Stooges. As one would expect, the Stooges were not even close to hitting their stride here in their first full-length feature, back when it was Moe, Larry, and Shemp, who are credited as nameless Firemen. They're not even the main players, as they're primarily a three-man foil for lead Ted Healy. Mostly, it felt as though they were ripping off the Marx brothers, with Ted as Groucho, all the Stooges as Chico, and silent Fred Sanborn as Harpo. There were a few very funny moments, mostly when the story stops and Ted and the Stooges take center stage, and when Otto explains his Rube Goldberg anti-burglar system (the explanation was funnier than the execution). I also enjoyed the scene-stealing loudmouth Frances McCoy, who was a special treat considering we'll never see her again. And Goldberg should stick to his day job (which is cartooning, not inventing. That's his night job).Last film viewed: The Jazz Singer (1927). Last film chronologically: Animal Crackers (1930). Next film viewed: Little Caesar (1931). Next film chronologically: The Big Trail (1930).

The film is tedious and clunky. (Howard J. Green, credited as continuity director, should never have worked in film again.) But one single scene redeems everything else (on the DVD, No. 18, Three Charming Boys). Here the film's storyline (thankfully) comes to a complete halt. In a stationary, medium shot filmed in one take, Ted Healy, Moe, Larry and Shemp recreate a vaudeville routine that is as close to seeing the Stooges live on stage as exists anywhere (unless there's still a 100-year-old audience member still alive and kicking somewhere). When Healy calls his Stoooges into the shot, he takes an instinctive step to his right, as he undoubtedly had done night after night on the live stage. The routine is more rehearsed than anything else in the film (for obvious reasons), illustrated best when Healy reads a letter Shemp has written and Shemp mouths the contents of the letter along with Healy. Stooge aficionados will be particularly interested to note that Shemp, not Moe functions as the boss Stooge.

Sure, there are some things about Soup To Nuts that aren't really great, but the fact that the Stooges are in it...THAT's great. It's not necessarily based on them, but their appearance every now and then is always funny. And it's worth sitting through the rest of the movie to get to the end. Moe, Larry and Shemp put on a classic Stooge performance. They're firefighters trying to save people, put out the fire, and smack each other around all at the same time. It's excellent. All Three Stooges fans should see it. I could care less about Ted Healy and the other cast members. I just want to see the Stooges!