Jerks of All Trades

I first read of this Three Stooges-Moe, Larry, and Shemp-rarity in a book from the late '80s called "The Stooges' Lost Episodes". The authors of that book didn't like this TV pilot they made though they did like Larry's performance since he rarely rehearsed meaning his spontaneous take appealed to them more than Shemp's "tired robot-like manner" or Moe being "stiff, overbearing, and screechy, more so than usual". But having gotten used to seeing them being that way during their shorts, I laughed heartily most of the time when just watching this again on YouTube. Also appearing were Stooges patsies Emil Sitka and Symona Boniface who'd pass away not long after this. It's true their film performances, where they have more space either on location or in backlots as opposed to being on a limited stage, are better than this early TV one. Still, much of the material was funny enough to me. So on that note, I recommend Jerks of All Trades for anyone interested in all things Stooges.

The Three Stooges has always been some of the many actors that I have loved. I love just about every one of the shorts that they have made. I love all six of the Stooges (Curly, Shemp, Moe, Larry, Joe, and Curly Joe)! All of the shorts are hilarious and also star many other great actors and actresses which a lot of them was in many of the shorts! In My opinion The Three Stooges is some of the greatest actors ever and is the all time funniest comedy team!

One of the most hilarious Three Stooges shorts is Jerks of All Trades. In this short are Emil Sitka and Symona Boniface! The acting by these actors are good especially. There are many funny scenes here that I think most Three Stooges fans will love! In My opinion this one of the most different Three Stooges shorts. I recommend this one to all!

I noticed that one reviewer gave this one a 10. Well, based on my 2, it's obvious that there are some very divergent views on this failed TV pilot. As for me, I thought it was dreadful--tedious and completely unfunny in every way.

This show has a VERY broad sort of plot--in fact, very little plot. The three are house painters and wallpaperers. When they are hired to work on a house, they make a mess of things. There really is no other plot. Now although this may sound VERY familiar for the Three Stooges, there were three fundamental problems. First, as Curly was no longer a member of the group, Shemp is the 'point-man'. He wasn't terrible but was no Curly. Any true Stooge fan would agree that Curly was best. Second, there were no jokes--none. Much of this is because the trio were restricted to a very small set and had very few props--as the budget and size limitations of early TV were severe. Third, the timing and chemistry was off. The boys were fine on film--here they just looked out of place and awkward--and often they missed their cues. As a result of these factors, it's painful to watch and terribly unfunny. I can easily see why this show was shelved and never aired over the air.

By the way, the pilot is an early kinescope--a type of recording system that preserved the images for rebroadcast but, frankly, is pretty ugly. While it's less than ideal, at the time it was about the only way to preserve the footage. You cannot blame the filmmakers for doing this--just make some allowances when you watch. In addition, it was shot in front of a live audience (the norm for 1949)--but this is a problem as there is one person in the audience who seems to laugh very loudly at the least provocation. Again, I don't blame the filmmakers--but it is bothersome.

The jokes and gags are old and recycled. For example, when they go to paint the table, the three of them continuously paint on each others faces, hands..etc. The Stooges' lines seem forced somewhat in comparison to the earlier shorts. I can't put my finger on what makes me feel that way though. The delivery of their lines are not smooth and connected with each other. Another strange thing about this is the laughter. It does seem like they are filming it in front of a live audience, but I could definitely be wrong about that. In their shorts previous to this pilot, they do not have any laughter which makes their jokes and gags run much smoother.

Although I really do not enjoy this pilot, it definitely has a lot of historical significance in my collection. It is only for the die-hard Stooges fans out there. It's definitely not for someone just getting introduced to the Three Stooges films. My overall grade for this pilot is 2 out of 10.

Pretty stilted attempt from Stooges in the infant days of T.V. Worth a look from die hard fans....that's about it