''Sock-a-Bye Baby'' is a 1942

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

Jules White Jules White (born Julius Weiss; 17 September 1900 – 30 April 1985) was an American film director and producer best known for his short-subject comedies starring The Three Stooges. Early years White began working in motion pictures in 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 66th 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

The Stooges are awaken in the middle of the night to find themselves unexpectedly confronted with the responsibility of caring for an abandoned infant left on their doorstep. Accompanying this infant is a poignant letter from the distressed mother, elucidating the circumstances of the abandonment and beseeching the Stooges' compassion for the child, identified as baby Jimmy. Moved by compassion and a sense of paternal duty, the Stooges undertake the task of nurturing the infant, providing sustenance and tender care in their makeshift role as surrogate fathers. However, their nascent familial bonds are soon tested when Larry discovers a newspaper article detailing a recent child kidnapping, prompting speculation that Jimmy may indeed be the abducted child and the letter merely a ruse. Amidst the unfolding drama, the mother and two motorcycle police officers arrive to reclaim the infant, revealing the true identity of the child's parents. In a frenetic sequence of events, the Stooges, unaware that Jimmy has stealthily accompanied them, hastily vacate their premises with the infant in tow. Pursued by the vigilant police officers on motorcycles, the Stooges navigate a series of escapades before the child is safely reunited with his parents.

Production notes

Filming for ''Sock-a-Bye Baby'' commenced between April 28 and May 1, 1942. The film title is a parody of the lullaby " Rock-a-bye Baby," a motif influenced by the similarly named

Popeye Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.Fleischer Studios Fleischer Studios () was an American animation studio founded in 1929 by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer, who ran the pioneering company from its inception until its acquisition by Paramount Pictures in 1942, the parent company and the distri ...

, a precedent dating back eight years.Solomon, Jon. (2002) ''The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion'', p. 217; Comedy III Productions, Inc., Footage was reused in the 1960 compilation feature film '' Stop! Look! and Laugh!'' ''Sock-a-Bye Baby'' deviates from conventional comedic tropes with its inclusion of explicit racial humor, a rarity within the Stooges' repertoire. Specifically, a scene involving Curly singing a song with derogatory references to Japanese individuals reflects the prevailing

jingoistic Jingoism is nationalism in the form of aggressive and proactive foreign policy, such as a country's advocacy for the use of threats or actual force, as opposed to peaceful relations, in efforts to safeguard what it perceives as its national inter ...

sentiments prevalent in the media during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, a period characterized by heightened nationalistic fervor and

xenophobic Xenophobia (from (), 'strange, foreign, or alien', and (), 'fear') is the fear or dislike of anything that is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression that is based on the perception that a conflict exists between an in-gr ...

attitudes. ''Sock-a-Bye Baby'' also features a memorable musical interlude wherein Curly, engaged in the preparation of Jimmy's meal, serenades the audience with an a cappella rendition of a whimsical song, envisioning himself as a Brazilian coffee bean: "I was a boy in Brazil and I grew on a tree. / When they shook the tree then I fell down. / Then they put me in a bag / and they fastened on a tag / and they shipped me off to New York town."

References

External links

*
''Sock-a-Bye Baby'' at threestooges.net
{{Authority control 1942 films 1942 comedy films The Three Stooges films American black-and-white films Films directed by Jules White Columbia Pictures short films American slapstick comedy films Films about babies 1940s English-language films 1940s American films