My Episode Review on The Three Stooges: Ants in the Pantry (Plus, a Bonus) · 1:44am Mar 19th, 2022
Yo, what's up, Kemosabes?
This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, I'm gonna give you guys my take of the Three Stooges's "Ants in the Pantry".
Here's the rundown of it:
The Three Stooges are pest exterminators who've been having some very slow workdays as of late. The lack of business is much to the frustration of their boss, A. Mouser, who decides that if they don't find a house to get rid of pests from he'll fire them.
At Mouser's suggestion, they unleash a variety of pests from containers in an upscale mansion. The mansion in question is owned by Mrs. Beulah Burlap, who is hosting a dinner party for various fox hunters.
However, what the Stooges failed to realize is...it's easier to let mice, ants, and moths in the house, but it's harder to get them out of it.
Prior to reviewing "Hoi Polloi" last year, "Ants in the Pantry" was one out of many Three Stooges shorts I had in mind to analyze next for a boatload of reasons.
In my early days as a Three Stooges fan, I watched "Ants in the Pantry" more than I can possibly count, and I'm still fond of it today. I also chose this Three Stooges short based on it being among the Curly Howard installments to be given a direct remake starring Shemp Howard, so that made "Ants in the Pantry" an all-the-more tempting choice.
Having finally saw the short again earlier today, I really must say that "Ants in the Pantry" is still as enjoyable as I remembered it being!
For instance, the direction by Preston Black, and the story and screenplay by All Giebler, were marvelously well-done.
Considering the fact that this was Black's directorial debut in the Three Stooges filmography, I really must say that Black certainly knew how to start his collaboration with the trio right. He showed right away that he understood the Stooges formula, and he was clearly wanting to go to great lengths in ensuring "Ants in the Pantry" actually felt like a Three Stooges short. The comedy throughout the entire short was hysterical beyond compare, and the story as a whole was far from predictable. Black's passion for helming this installment is what I'd like to call the biggest credit for why it was so fun to watch.
The acting and characters were terrific as well.
Whether Curly ever got to do any improvising is something I don't know, but Black's understanding of who Curly is as a Stooge clearly provided the latter with enough inspiration for how he could showcase a great performance while sticking to the script. Plus, Moe and Larry each showcased one of their best performances in the series. Each of the three performers also gave brilliant comedic-timings, and the developments their characters had throughout the short helped them be instantly three-dimensional.
The supporting performers and characters were fun too.
Despite not appearing in any scenes after the beginning, Harrison Greene was quite a showstopper in his performance as A. Mouser. Clara Kimball Young was also enjoyable in the role of Mrs. Beulah Burlap, and Beulah herself had wonderful development.
In conclusion, "Ants in the Pantry" is another Three Stooges installment that I'm proud to have revisited. Everything about it was just incredibly spot-on, and you can instantly tell that Black and the Three Stooges were born to work together.
So, I rate "Ants in the Pantry" a solid five out of five stars.
Before I conclude this post, I'd like to share with you guys one of my latest paint-by-numbers:
This painting was completed from December 28, 2021 to March 3rd, 2022. One thing's for sure, it was definitely one of the most complex paintings I've worked on.
So, what do you guys think? Of this review? And the painting I made?
What happened to updating that three stooges fanfiction you were writing?
5644691
Sorry about the delay. I'm still struggling with the writer's block that's been persisting, and there were other things in life that required my focus.
Whatever they do, the Stooges never 'pester' us.
One moment I live from this short is when after Moe lays down a deck of cards on the table, he tells Curly to "cut the cards." Then Curly reaches under the table, brings out a giant cleaver and slices the entire deck in half! LOL