Ants in the Pantry
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Ants in the Pantry
Plot
The Three Stooges play slap-happy exterminators in this comic short. The Lightning Pest Control Company is having trouble staying afloat. "This rat-catching business is going to the dogs!" moans manager A. Mouser. He calls for his three workers -- Moe, Larry and Curly -- and tells them to go out and drum up some jobs. Their first stop is at a mansion where a matron (former silent star Clara Kimball Young) is entertaining a large group of guests who are preparing for a fox hunt. The boys secretly release ants on the food, mice on the curtains and moths in the closet. When they finally ring the doorbell, the butler is more than happy to see them. The matron insists on putting them in jodhpurs so that her guests won't know that her home is infested with vermin. So attired as equestrians, the Stooges create mayhem amongst the society folk -- mice pop up in the most curious places and Curly tries eating a poppy seed cake (the seeds are actually the ants), much to Moe's consternation. At the matron's insistence, they've hidden the cats they've brought in the piano, which causes serious problems when a certain Mr. Repulso tries to play a song. The piano winds up smashed on the floor, covered in Stooges. As it turns out, the guests think they're entertainers and congratulate the matron on finding them. The Stooges are invited to the hunt, but before they can even begin, Curly -- whose nose is stuffed up from a cold -- finds the fox. But it's not a fox, it's a skunk. Moe, Larry and one of the horses faint from the smell. ~ Janiss Garza, RoviCast
Lynton Brent - Bit Role; Phyllis Crane - Debutante; Larry Fine - Larry; Douglas Gerrard - Lord Stoke Pogis; Harrison Greene - Herman Mouser; Althea Henley - Bit Role; Curly Howard - Curly; Moe Howard - Moe; Bud Jamison - Professor Repulso; James C. Morton - Bit Role; Vesey O'Davoren - Gawkins (Butler); Anne O'Neal - Matron; Arthur Thalasso - Bit Role; Clara Kimball Young - Mrs. Burlap; Robert Burns - Bit Role; Al Thompson - Dignified Man; Charles Dorety - Bit Role; Stella LeSaint - Bit Role; Ron Wilson - Bit RoleCredit
Del Lord - Director, William Lyon - Editor, Ben Kline - Cinematographer, Jules White - Producer| Ants in the Mouth (2005 Film), Ants in His Pants (1940 Film) | |
| Antti Puuhaara (1977 Film), Antwone Fisher (2002 Film) |
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Ants in the Pantry
| Ants in the Pantry | |
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| Directed by | Preston Black |
| Produced by | Jules White |
| Written by | Al Giebler |
| Starring | Moe Howard Larry Fine Curly Howard Clara Kimball Young Bud Jamison James C. Morton Douglas Gerrard Lew Davis Harrison Greene Isabelle LaMal Anne O'Neal Vesey O'Davoren Althea Henley |
| Cinematography | Benjamin H. Kline |
| Editing by | William Lyon |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | February 6, 1936 |
| Running time | 17' 39' |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Ants in the Pantry is the 12th short subject starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1959.
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Contents
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Plot
The Stooges are pest exterminators who are forced to drum up business by planting mice, moths, and ants in an unsuspecting house under the threat of being fired if they cannot. They select a fancy mansion where a high society dinner party is being held. After successfully infesting the house with vermin, the trio are predictably hired to clean up their own mess, without interrupting the party, dressed as guests.
One highlight is the piano recital of Johann Strauss II's "Blue Danube Waltz." A chorus of cats in the piano responds, bewildering both the audience and the pianist. The chaos is compounded when a mouse enters the upright piano, agitating the cats. The Stooges are forced to get the offending pest and the cats out of the piano, destroying it in the process. To prevent the hostess from being socially humiliated, the guests are told the boys are the entertainment and find their antics absolutely hilarious.
The short ends with the Stooges on a fox hunt. Curly, who has developed a cold, mistakes a skunk for a fox, the stench of which knocks out the other two Stooges and a horse.
Notes and Production
- The title Ants in the Pantry is a pun on the phrase "ants in the pants."[1] This seemed appropriate, as Moe Howard later recalled that a nest of ants actually worked their way in his pants:
There was a scene where we were having trouble selling our services, so we complain to our boss, who tells us, 'If they don't have any bugs, give them some.' We got the idea and went from house to house throwing moths in with minks, mice on the floor, and ants in the pantry. During the shooting, I hadn't noticed that a small container of red ants had broken apart in my pocket and the little devils were crawling down my back, in my hair, and into my pants. It was insane. All through the scene I was scratching and squirming and slapping myself on the neck and face and on the seat of my pants. Elated, director Preston Black shouted, 'Great Moe. Keep up that squirming!' It was very funny—to everyone but me.[2]
- Ants in the Pantry was reworked in 1951 as Pest Man Wins.[1]
References
- ^ a b Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Comedy III Productions, Inc.. p. 77. ISBN 0-9711868-0-4. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0971186804.
- ^ Howard, Moe (1977, rev. 1979). Moe Howard and the Three Stooges. Citadel Press. p. 81. ISBN 0-8065-0723-3. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0806507233.
External links
- Ants in the Pantry at the Internet Movie Database
- Ants in the Pantry at AllRovi
- Ants in the Pantry at threestooges.net
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Mentioned in
Douglas Gerrard
(Director, Actor, Drama/Romance)
Harrison Greene
(Actor, Comedy/Drama)
The Pest Man Wins
(1951 Film)
Clara Kimball Young
(Actor, Drama/Romance)
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