How High is Up? is a 1940 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 48th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.
| How High Is Up? | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Del Lord |
| Written by | Elwood Ullman |
| Produced by | Del Lord Hugh McCollum |
| Starring | Moe Howard Larry Fine Curly Howard Vernon Dent Cy Schindell Duke York Bert Young Bruce Bennett Edmund Cobb |
| Cinematography | Allen G. Siegler |
| Edited by | Art Seid |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 16:26 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editThe Stooges engage in mendicant activities at a construction site, initially attracting business by puncturing holes in the lunch boxes of workers and offering to repair the damage. However, their deceit is soon uncovered, leading to a pursuit onto the site where they blend into a crowd of job seekers. Despite their lack of experience, they are assigned to work on the precarious 97th floor, with Curly's acrophobia presenting a significant challenge.
During their riveting duties, Larry multitasks by heating sausages for his companions, leading to inadvertent confusion between rivets and food items. Despite their best efforts, the trio's incompetence leads to a structural collapse when the head foreman, Mr. Blake, inadvertently leans against a beam. Angered by the mishap, Mr. Blake and his team pursue and subsequently dismiss the Stooges from the construction site.
The Stooges quickly deploy parachutes from the building, landing safely in their wagon below, which is fortuitously covered by the chute tarp.
Cast
editCredited
edit- Moe Howard as Moe
- Larry Fine as Larry
- Curly Howard as Curly
Uncredited
edit- Bruce Bennett as Workman with Lunch Box
- Edmund Cobb as Construction Foreman
- Vernon Dent as Mr. Blake
- Marjorie Kane as Woman on Street
- Frank Mills as Street Workman
- Cy Schindell as Construction Supervisor
- Victor Travers as Man on Street
- Frank Pharr as Workman
- Charlie Phillips as Workman
- Bert Young as Workman
- George Lloyd as Workman
- Chet Brandenburg as Workman
- Ed Brandenburg as Workman
- Sam Lufkin as Workman on Lunch Break
Production notes
editFilming for How High is Up? was completed May 7–11, 1940.[1] The aerial shots of the scene, straight down from the building the Stooges are working on, are from the then newly built Empire State Building in New York City.[2]
The sweater removal scene is considered one of the finest examples of the Stooges' tendencies to use unorthodox methods to get the simplest job done. Since Moe and Larry cannot pull the sweater off of Curly, they figure the only way to do so is through the use of tools, such as mallets, chisels, and eventually a pair of scissors.[2] Larry can be seen breaking character and laughing, particularly when Curly yells, "Don't mind me, don't mind me!!"[2]
References
edit- ^ Pauley, Jim (2012). The Three Stooges Hollywood Filming Locations. Solana Beach, California: Santa Monica Press, LLC. p. 147. ISBN 9781595800701.
- ^ a b c Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Glendale, California: Comedy III Productions, Inc. pp. 174–175. ISBN 0-9711868-0-4.