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Income Tax Sappy

  • 1954
  • Approved
  • 17m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
417
YOUR RATING
Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Shemp Howard in Income Tax Sappy (1954)
SlapstickComedyShort

Tax cheats Moe, Larry, and Shemp decide they're so good at cheating the government, that they start a business as crooked tax advisors. They become rich, but an undercover agent from the IRS... Read allTax cheats Moe, Larry, and Shemp decide they're so good at cheating the government, that they start a business as crooked tax advisors. They become rich, but an undercover agent from the IRS gets the goods on them, and it's off to jail for the Stooges.Tax cheats Moe, Larry, and Shemp decide they're so good at cheating the government, that they start a business as crooked tax advisors. They become rich, but an undercover agent from the IRS gets the goods on them, and it's off to jail for the Stooges.

  • Director
    • Jules White
  • Writer
    • Felix Adler
  • Stars
    • Moe Howard
    • Larry Fine
    • Shemp Howard
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    417
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jules White
    • Writer
      • Felix Adler
    • Stars
      • Moe Howard
      • Larry Fine
      • Shemp Howard
    • 13User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos8

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    Top cast8

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    Moe Howard
    Moe Howard
    • Moe
    • (as Moe)
    Larry Fine
    Larry Fine
    • Larry
    • (as Larry)
    Shemp Howard
    Shemp Howard
    • Shemp
    • (as Shemp)
    Margie Liszt
    • Sis
    Benny Rubin
    Benny Rubin
    • Mr. Cash
    Nanette Bordeaux
    • Mrs. Cash
    Vernon Dent
    Vernon Dent
    • IRS Agent
    • (uncredited)
    Joe Palma
    • 2nd IRS Agent
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Jules White
    • Writer
      • Felix Adler
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews13

    7.0417
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    Featured reviews

    holme-1

    Classic stooge short

    This is a classic. Even though Shemp doesn't get as much screen time as many would hope, Benny Rubin as Mr. Cash, Moe, and Larry make up for it big time. In the scenes Shemp is in, he shines. It confuses me why Shemp doesn't get that much screen time. Even though he had a stroke in 1952, he recovered within weeks of it. I guess director Jules White and writer Abner Singer wanted Moe and Larry to shine more for once. There are so many classic lines and exchanges in this and Moe is especially hot tempered. This short is a must-have for any stooge fan who likes Shemp or the episodes he was in.

    Grade: A+
    angus_dei

    He might want a little mustard.

    Larry prepares a foot long hot dog for Moe. He slathers it with a liter of mustard and says to himself, "and I knoooooooow he's gonna like that!". As he takes the hot dog to serve to Moe, he grabs the jar of mustard as he reminds himself, "He might want a little mustard!" Welcome to "Income Tax Sappy," where cheating on their income tax has made the Stooges into millionaires (the national economy must have been very strong in the early 1950's). The IRS, of course, gets wise. They send over Benny Rubin in a phony beard and a phonier German accent, and the sting operation is on. Shemp displays his ardent love for mashed potatoes and gravy ("I looooooooves gravy!") by shoveling copious quantities of each onto his dickey, which amuses the maid. The jig is up for the Stooges right after Herr Rubin gets the predictable face full of those very same mashed potatoes and gravy. It's good to see Vernon Dent as one of the T-men who come after the Stooges. All in all, there's food fighting, mayhem, and a good dose of Moe handing out the physical abuse to Shemp and Larry. Alas, if only Shemp had not claimed those 14 bartenders as dependents on his W-1040.
    crusefamily

    Only one short better than this one!

    The only Three Stooges short I like better than INCOME TAX SAPPY is HEAVENLY DAZE. INCOME TAX SAPPY is my second favorite of all Three Stooges shorts. The plot is funny and not all about income taxes. I love this short! The only part that I didn't like, which was kind of gross, as a scene where Larry has a zipper on his stomach. But otherwise a VERY enjoyable short. The funniest part is when the stooges run into the kitchen and throw a pie at the IRS agents.

    **** out of 4 stars.
    9Raine-8

    The Stooges in a lot of hot water...

    "Income Tax Sappy" is a gem of a short. Everybody's performance in this is as great as ever and almost all the gags are top notch. The premise: The stooges decide they can cheat on their income tax in ingenious ways and conclude that if they can do it, they can teach others to do it too. With this new "tax-cheating" establishment, the Stooges become rich culminating in a VERY fancy dinner party which their guest, Mr. Cash (played by the wonderful Benny Rubin) attends much to his eventual consternation (it is not wise to cut off your dinner guest's beloved beard). Among the funniest gags: Shemp doing the old "Human adding machine" bit, Moe tangling with a foot-long sandwich which suddenly develops a mind of its own and bites back, and all the Stooges' attempts to appease Mr. Cash (not to mention conceal the fact that they have given him a close shave) who finally reveals himself to be an undercover man from the IRS! If you love the Stooges, this short will leave you in stitches!
    7kosmasp

    Pay up

    No pun intended - I don't want to be too negative and it had been a while since I watched the Stooges (the movie that was made a decade or so ago aside, that sort of was telling their story) ... and now I watched three in a row, in a Columbia disc set. This one felt like the weakest - and it may have to do that Curly was not around anymore. He was dead and replaced by someone else. Not sure if there is a good documentary about the Stooges but there needs to be one ... they are too good or were too good to ignore.

    Back to this and the theme is taxes ... well tax evasion. Of course: don't try this at home. Especially when you have bread that tries to eat you alive (if you have questions about that, imagine me having twice as many - none of which are answered). There is silly and there is outright ... well out there (no pun intended). There are other jokes that work better ... and if you love food fights ... you will be satisfied (no pun intended again)

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    Related interests

    Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
    Slapstick
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)
    Short

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Shemp Howard did not slick back his long hair in this film. This was because he had begun dying his hair by this time and, initially, could not use pomade.
    • Goofs
      When Shemp is standing up after smashing a half of bowling ball over Moe's head, he accidentally hits his head on a nearby table lamp and almost tips it over.
    • Quotes

      Shemp: [after Moe had crunched Larry's nose with scissors] Looks like a V8!

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 4, 1954 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • YouTube - Video
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Tax Saps
    • Production company
      • Columbia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 17m
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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