Shivering Sherlocks
Encyclopedia
Shivering Sherlocks is the 104th 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.
), an attractive curly-haired blonde and the kind owner of the Elite Cafe, vouches for them. When the Stooges discover Gladys is having financial problems, much of which is due to the Stooges not paying their cheques, they immediately volunteer to work for free. The Stooges are later questioned by Captain Mullens (Vernon Dent
) and later identify "Lefty" Loomis (Kenneth MacDonald
) from a photograph as the ringleader of the armored car robbers.
Gladys receives an offer for her old country homestead and is anxioux to accept as she needs the money but the Stooges, thinking sometime might be trying to swindle her, decide to inspect it first before letting Gladys sell the property. After a long drive they reach the decrepit and abandoned farmhouse, which unknown to them is the hideout for the bank robbers. Lefty and his partner are angry their clean getaway was ruined are discussing how to find and eliminate the Stooges when they hear Gladys and the Stooges arrive at the front door. Gladys tries the key but cannot unlock the door so the Stooges fan out to find a way in, leaving Gladys all alone at the front door. The crooks aim a shotgun outside a peephole but Shemp stumbles across the gun barrel which he mistakes for a length of pipe and tries to grab it, ensuing in a tug-of-war. While the Stooges are distracted Gladys is kidnapped and taken prisoner by the robbers. Returning to the front door the Stooges realize Gladys has disappeared and finally manage to enter the house in search of her.
Lefty decides to send Angel, a mutated hunchback (Duke York
) to finish off the Stooges. While wandering through the house in search of the intruders, Angel enters a cluttered and darkened storage room in the back of the house. Angel then discovers Gladys tightly bound and gagged, thick ropes securing her to a heavy armchair. Struggling to escape Gladys hears an ominous grunting behind her, and when she gets a good look at Angel she frantically tries to call for help but her muffled whimperings go unheard.
Angel raises his machete but before he can strike he hears the Stooges and leaves with Gladys still tied up and watching helplessly. In the hallway Angel chases the Stooges. Moe and Larry run through a back hallway, and when Angel follows he is bombed by a barrel dropped from the top of the doorway by Shemp. Lefty and his partner give chase blasting away but are also captured by Shemp. Gladys has freed herself and watches as the criminals, still trapped in their barrels, crash through a window and are arrested by the police. Moe and Larry are bombed by Shemp's last barrel and covered in flour.
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
starring American slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
comedy team the Three Stooges
Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. Their hallmark was physical farce and extreme slapstick. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: "Moe, Larry, and Curly" and "Moe,...
. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
between 1934 and 1959.
Plot
The Stooges are accused of robbing an armored car and interrogated by the police, but their good friend Gladys Harmon (Christine McIntyreChristine McIntyre
Christine Cecilia McIntyre was an actress who appeared in many movies in the 1930s and 1940s but is mainly known as the beautiful blonde actress who appeared in many Three Stooges shorts produced by Columbia Pictures....
), an attractive curly-haired blonde and the kind owner of the Elite Cafe, vouches for them. When the Stooges discover Gladys is having financial problems, much of which is due to the Stooges not paying their cheques, they immediately volunteer to work for free. The Stooges are later questioned by Captain Mullens (Vernon Dent
Vernon Dent
Vernon Bruce Dent was a comic actor who appeared in over 400 films in his career. He co-starred in many short films for Columbia Pictures, frequently as the foil to the Three Stooges.-Early career:...
) and later identify "Lefty" Loomis (Kenneth MacDonald
Kenneth MacDonald (American actor)
Kenneth MacDonald was an American film actor. Born in Portland, Indiana, MacDonald made more than 220 film and television appearances between 1931 and 1970.-Career:...
) from a photograph as the ringleader of the armored car robbers.
Gladys receives an offer for her old country homestead and is anxioux to accept as she needs the money but the Stooges, thinking sometime might be trying to swindle her, decide to inspect it first before letting Gladys sell the property. After a long drive they reach the decrepit and abandoned farmhouse, which unknown to them is the hideout for the bank robbers. Lefty and his partner are angry their clean getaway was ruined are discussing how to find and eliminate the Stooges when they hear Gladys and the Stooges arrive at the front door. Gladys tries the key but cannot unlock the door so the Stooges fan out to find a way in, leaving Gladys all alone at the front door. The crooks aim a shotgun outside a peephole but Shemp stumbles across the gun barrel which he mistakes for a length of pipe and tries to grab it, ensuing in a tug-of-war. While the Stooges are distracted Gladys is kidnapped and taken prisoner by the robbers. Returning to the front door the Stooges realize Gladys has disappeared and finally manage to enter the house in search of her.
Lefty decides to send Angel, a mutated hunchback (Duke York
Duke York
Duke York was an American film actor. Born in Danby, New York, York was born Charles Everest Sinsabaugh...
) to finish off the Stooges. While wandering through the house in search of the intruders, Angel enters a cluttered and darkened storage room in the back of the house. Angel then discovers Gladys tightly bound and gagged, thick ropes securing her to a heavy armchair. Struggling to escape Gladys hears an ominous grunting behind her, and when she gets a good look at Angel she frantically tries to call for help but her muffled whimperings go unheard.
Angel raises his machete but before he can strike he hears the Stooges and leaves with Gladys still tied up and watching helplessly. In the hallway Angel chases the Stooges. Moe and Larry run through a back hallway, and when Angel follows he is bombed by a barrel dropped from the top of the doorway by Shemp. Lefty and his partner give chase blasting away but are also captured by Shemp. Gladys has freed herself and watches as the criminals, still trapped in their barrels, crash through a window and are arrested by the police. Moe and Larry are bombed by Shemp's last barrel and covered in flour.