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Columbia Shorts 1945

87. MICRO-PHONIES

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Rl. Nov. 15 / Prod. No. 4044 / 17 m / p Hugh McCollum / d st scr Del Lord / ph Glen Gano / e Henry Batista / a Charles Clague / C: Christine McIntyre (Alice Bixby), Gino Corrado (Signor Spumoni), Symona Boniface (Mrs. Bixby), Sam Flint (Mr. Bixby), Fred Kelsey (Boss Dugan), Chester Conklin (Drunk Pianist), Bess Flowers (Party Guest), Lynton Brent (Don Allen) and Ted Lorch (Masters)

SYN: Working as janitors, the Stooge get themselves into some hot water when Curly mimes a girl's recording of "Voices of Spring" at a local radio station, by putting in a record and lip-synching to it. Mrs. Bixby, a wealthy dowager, observes his antics and signs Moe, Larry and Curly to perform on her Krispy Krunchies radio program (Bixby really thinks that Curly is singing). Bixby has no idea that the demonstration record is her own daughter Alice's voice. The woman is so impressed, in fact, that she asks the boys to perform at her own personal party. That evening at the party, the boys are reunited with Signor Spumoni, whom the Stooges antagonized earlier at the radio station. The Stooges are also spotted by Alice Bixby, the real singer of "Voices of Spring." When Moe accidentally smashes the demo record, Alice offers to sing for the boys behind a curtain. At the conclusion of their song, however, Spumoni (who is totally on to them) exposes their fake set-up as the Stooges make a hasty exit, and Alice is asked to appear at her mothers party instead.

Quick Hits:

- In this short, Edward Bernds makes his writing/directing debut with the Stooges. Bernds went on to write and direct some of the best of the team's comedies in the Shemp series.

 

FN: Footage reused in Stop! Look! and Laugh! (7/60). The flipping cherries into an opera singer's mouth gag (changed to grapes) was also used in Pardon My Scotch (8/1/35). Plot was also used in Hot Sports (1929), with Monty Collins and directed by Jules White.