Hoi Polloi (1935 Film)
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''Hoi Polloi'' is a 1935
slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...
comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
short subject A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film or ...
directed by
Del Lord Delmer "Del" Lord (October 7, 1894March 23, 1970) was a Canadians, Canadian film director and actor best known as a director of Three Stooges films. Career Delmer Lord was born in the small town of Grimsby, Ontario, Canada. Interested in the the ...
starring American
slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...
comedy team
The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total ...
(
Moe Howard Moses Harry Horwitz (June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975), better known by his stage name Moe Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He is best known as the leader and straight man of the Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion ...
,
Larry Fine Louis Feinberg (October 4, 1902 – January 24, 1975), better known by his stage name Larry Fine, was an American actor, comedian and musician. He is best known as a member of the comedy act the Three Stooges and was often called "The Middle St ...
and
Curly Howard Jerome Lester Horwitz (October 22, 1903 – January 18, 1952), better known by his stage name Curly Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He was a member of The Three Stooges comedy team, which also featured his elder brothers Moe and ...
). It is the tenth entry in the series released by
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.


Plot

In a cinematic adaptation of
George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...
's 1913 play, '' Pygmalion'', Professor Richmond champions the belief that social behavior is predominantly shaped by environmental factors rather than inherent traits. Engaging in a high-stakes wager with his colleague, Professor Nichols, Richmond asserts his ability to refine a common individual into a gentleman through meticulous training and exposure to refined surroundings. Nichols, however, counters with the proposition to refine three common individuals, thereby testing the limits of Richmond's theory. The unwitting subjects of this experiment happen to be the Stooges, initially employed as garbage men. Despite earnest efforts to instill proper etiquette and refinement, the Stooges continually falter in their assimilation to high society. At a lavish society party hosted by Richmond, the Stooges' comportment descends into chaos, marked by a series of comical mishaps and social blunders. These include sartorial hijinks, inelegant dancing, and a cascade of faux pas involving grooming, culinary decorum, and surreptitious theft. The culmination of their antics leads to a chaotic fracas, wherein the assembled guests unwittingly mimic the Stooges' behavior, sparking a cascade of slapstick mayhem. Acknowledging defeat, Professor Richmond concedes the wager and presents a check to Professor Nichols. However, the attempt to smooth over the disruption with an apology to Mrs. Richmond backfires, leading to a slapstick exchange of physical retribution among the guests. Disillusioned by the superficiality and absurdity of high society, the Stooges opt to depart, only to be subjected to one final comedic blow from The Butler, Richmond and Nichols.


Production notes

The idea for ''Hoi Polloi'' came from Moe Howard's wife, Helen, who was offered either screen credit or money (she took the latter). Moe later stated that the plot of ''Hoi Polloi'' was so good that it bore repeating. The Stooges reworked the film twice more, as ''
Half-Wits Holiday ''Half-Wits Holiday'' is a 1947 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges ( Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard in his final starring role). It is the 97th entry in the series released by ...
'' in 1947 (Curly's final starring role) and ''
Pies and Guys ''Pies and Guys'' is a 1958 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges ( Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Joe Besser). It is the 185th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the ...
'' in 1958. Filming for ''Hoi Polloi'' was completed May 2–6, 1935. In the first street scene where the Stooges are rubbish sanitation workers, the original "
Hollywoodland ''Hollywoodland'' is a 2006 American mystery drama film directed by Allen Coulter and written by Paul Bernbaum. The story presents a fictionalized account of the circumstances surrounding the death of actor George Reeves ( Ben Affleck), the ...
" sign is visible in the distance. On the street is a marquee advertising the film ''
Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
'' featuring
Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...
. Coincidentally, this film also co-stars
Fred Kohler Fredrick Louis Kohler (April 20, 1888 – October 28, 1938) was an American actor. Career Fred Kohler was born in Kansas City, Missouri or in Dubuque, Iowa. As a teen, he began to pursue a career in vaudeville, but worked other jobs to suppor ...
who portrayed Double Deal Decker in the short ''
Horses' Collars ''Horses' Collars'' is a 1935 short subject directed by Clyde Bruckman and starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the fifth entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures s ...
'' released the same year. The movie theater mentioned above was the Larchmont Theatre at 149 North Larchmont Blvd in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. In the ''Three Stooges 75th Anniversary Special'', hosted by
Woody Harrelson Woodrow Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American actor. He first became known for his role as bartender Woody Boyd on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1985–1993), for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in ...
, the dancing scene with Geneva Mitchell was voted by the fans as their favorite Stooge moment of all time. The dancing sequence footage would be reused in 1941's '' In the Sweet Pie and Pie''. This is the first of three shorts in which Curly gets a sofa spring attached to his back. The spring gag would be used again in ''
Three Little Sew and Sews ''Three Little Sew and Sews'' is a 1939 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 36th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures star ...
'', ''
An Ache in Every Stake ''An Ache in Every Stake'' is a 1941 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 57th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starri ...
'', with
Shemp Howard Shemp Howard (born Samuel Horwitz; March 11, 1895 – November 22, 1955) was an American comedian and actor. He is best known as the third Stooge in The Three Stooges, a role he played when the act began in the early 1920s (1923–1932), while i ...
in ''
Hugs and Mugs ''Hugs and Mugs'' is a 1950 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Shemp Howard). It is the 121st entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring th ...
'' and Curly-Joe DeRita in ''
Have Rocket, Will Travel ''Have Rocket, Will Travel'' is a 1959 American science-fiction comedy film released by Columbia Pictures and starring the Three Stooges, consisting of Moe Howard, Larry Fine and new addition Joe DeRita ("Curly Joe"). The film was produced to c ...
''. During the dance sequence, Larry loses his shoe. At one point actress Phyllis Crane, dancing with Moe, trips on the shoe and falls down, visibly striking her head on the floor; this was not scripted. A
colorized Film colorization (American English; or colourisation/colorisation [both British English], or colourization [Canadian English and Oxford English]) is any process that adds color to black-and-white, sepia, or other monochrome m ...
version of this film was released in 2006. It was not released on a Stooge DVD, but rather as a hastily added DVD bonus feature for the
Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. Known for his work in both the screen and music industries, his accolades include an Academy Award, a Grammy Award ...
movie ''
Breakin' All the Rules ''Breakin' All the Rules'' is a 2004 American comedy film. It was directed and written by Daniel Taplitz. It stars Jamie Foxx, Morris Chestnut, Jennifer Esposito, Peter MacNicol and Gabrielle Union. Plot Quincy Watson (Jamie Foxx) is unceremonio ...
''.


References


External links

*
''Hoi Polloi'' at threestooges.net
*
Hoi Polloi
' a
threestoogespictures.info
{{Pygmalion 1935 films 1935 comedy films American black-and-white films Films based on Pygmalion (play) Films directed by Del Lord The Three Stooges films Columbia Pictures short films American slapstick comedy films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films