A Plumbing We Will Go 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 46th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.
| A Plumbing We Will Go | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Del Lord |
| Written by | Elwood Ullman |
| Produced by | Del Lord Hugh McCollum |
| Starring | Moe Howard Larry Fine Curly Howard Bess Flowers Dudley Dickerson John Tyrrell Bud Jamison Monte Collins Eddie Laughton Wilson Benge |
| Cinematography | Benjamin H. Kline |
| Edited by | Art Seid |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 17:31 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
editThe Stooges are destitute vagrants, engaged in larcenous activities as beggars. Subsequently, they face legal consequences and are brought to trial on charges of chicken theft. Following their acquittal, the trio endeavors to procure a live fish from an aquarium within a pet store. Officer Kelly intervenes, instigating a pursuit that compels the Stooges to adopt the guise of plumbers as a means to evade incarceration.
Assuming their roles as "plumbers", the Stooges secure a position in an opulent residence. Their ineptitude unfolds dramatically, resulting in the inadvertent destruction of the entire plumbing infrastructure within the residence. Curly, in attempting to address what he perceives as a bathroom leak, constructs a labyrinthine network of pipes, ensnaring himself. Simultaneously, Larry disrupts the front lawn in an unsuccessful quest for the water shutoff valve. Moe and Curly, in their misguided efforts, inadvertently connect a water pipe with another conduit containing electrical wires. This leads to water inundating every electrical appliance in the mansion, subjecting the perplexed chef to endless tribulations and frustration.
Upon the hostess' suggestion to view Niagara Falls on her newly acquired television set, an unexpected deluge occurs, soaking the entire assemblage at the precise moment the falls are depicted onscreen. The homeowner returns to witness the disarray in his residence, inadvertently undoing the Stooges' convoluted repair endeavors.
Much to their astonishment, the trio discovers that the homeowner is none other than the judge who had previously acquitted them of charges. Consequently, the Stooges hastily endeavor to flee the scene, pursued by the aggrieved judge, his butler, and the law enforcement officials, notably Officer Kelly, whom they had initially attempted to evade.
Production notes
editA Plumbing We Will Go was filmed on December 13–18, 1939, the last Stooge film produced in the 1930s.[1] It was a remake of the Sidney and Murray short film, Plumbing for Gold (1934), and would be remade again with El Brendel and Shemp Howard as Pick a Peck of Plumbers (1944). The Stooges remade A Plumbing We Will Go as Vagabond Loafers (1949) and Scheming Schemers (1956) using stock footage. The original story in Plumbing for Gold involved searching for a lost ring which the Stooges did not use until Scheming Schemers.[2]
Curly recreated the maze-of-pipes gag several years later in Swing Parade of 1946 (1946). Shemp Howard attempted it as well in Vagabond Loafers and Scheming Schemers, while Joe DeRita also attempted the gag in Have Rocket, Will Travel (1959).[2] The chicken-stealing segment that opens the film was also reworked in Listen, Judge (1952).[2]
Aside from the aforementioned reworked films, footage from A Plumbing We Will Go also reappeared in the compilation feature film Stop! Look! and Laugh! (1960).[2]
Like A Ducking They Did Go (1939), the title is a play on the children's song, "A-Hunting We Will Go".[2]
Reception and influence
editCurly's performance in A Plumbing We Will Go is generally considered by Three Stooges fans to be one of his best.[3] Curly himself considered A Plumbing We Will Go among his favorite Three Stooges shorts.[4]
Director Sam Raimi paid homage to A Plumbing We Will Go—specifically the gag in which a lightbulb fills with water—in the 1981 horror film The Evil Dead, with a scene featuring a lightbulb filling with blood, as well as blood pouring from wall sockets.[5][6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Pauley, Jim (2012). The Three Stooges Hollywood Filming Locations. Solana Beach, California: Santa Monica Press, LLC. p. 209. ISBN 9781595800701.
- ^ a b c d e Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Comedy III Productions, Inc. pp. 171–172. ISBN 0-9711868-0-4.
- ^ Morlan, Don (2007). "A Pie in the Face: The Three Stooges' Antiaristocracy Theme in Depression-Era American Film". In Seely, Peter; Pieper, Gail W. (eds.). Stoogeology: Essays on the Three Stooges. McFarland & Company. p. 125. ISBN 978-0786429202.
- ^ Howard Maurer, Joan; Jeff Lenburg; Greg Lenburg (2012) [1982]. The Three Stooges Scrapbook. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Review Press. p. 240. ISBN 978-1613740743.
- ^ Konow, David (2012). Reel Terror: The Scary, Bloody, Gory, Hundred-Year History of Classic Horror Films. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 412. ISBN 978-0312668839.
- ^ Raimi, Sam; Campbell, Bruce (October 15, 2015). Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell: Favorite Stooge Episode. YouTube. Event occurs at 1:22. Retrieved November 28, 2023.