Raças e Graças

Something happened here. This was made right at the very pinnacle of their careers and yet if falls sort of flat. Excellent director in Charley Chase. He was by this time a real veteran of the two reel comedy format. He had making films for about twenty years by this time. The writers? Well, they used to steal bits and gags that were done about twenty years earlier and rework them for the Stooges. However, this particular short just doesn't have that spark, that Stooge zaniness that appears in most of their work. It does have it's moments though such as when they attempt to smuggle the baby into their apartment against the landlords' "no babies allowed" rule. That's a real funny bit with Larry concealing an inflated balloon under his vest and after inquiry by the landlord, tells him it must have been something he ate. The landlord immediately fixes him up with a mega dose of bicarbonate and has him drink it down. All the time Moe is attempting to "hide" an ice cream cone in his pants pocket, while standing next to an overactive steam radiator. Or during the obligatory chase scene with Curly and the baby in a laundry hamper being dragged by Moe and Larry. A cop suspects it's "the kidnappers" but Moe and Larry are disguised as Chinese laundry men and when he questions Larry, he answers him in Yiddish. The cop asks Moe for a translation and Moe answers, "Oh. He from China, east side!" Overall though, despite lacking the usual frantic fast pace, this is a generally good short.