Item: The Misses Stooge
Rating: 6.4
Author: Archivist John

Is it worth the 20 minutes?

Honestly, yes. If you like old-school slapstick where people just yell and fall over things, you'll have a good time.

If you hate high-pitched screaming or 1930s comedy tropes, you should probably stay far away. It is loud.

I watched this on a Tuesday morning with a cold cup of coffee. It felt like the right vibe.

The whole thing is basically about a magician named The Great Vidmar. Herman Bing plays him with this thick accent that gets more garbled the angrier he gets.

Patsy Kelly is his assistant. She looks like she’d rather be literally anywhere else, maybe getting a root canal or doing taxes.

Thelma Todd is the 'plant' in the audience. She’s supposed to act surprised when he 'picks' her, but she’s about as subtle as a brick to the face.

The Magic (or lack of it)

The movie really gets going once they get on stage. The tricks are supposed to be professional, but Patsy just keeps breaking things.

There is this one bit with a bird cage. I think it was supposed to be a parakeet? Anyway, Patsy handles it like she’s tossing out the trash.

The way she looks at the camera sometimes is great. It’s like she’s asking the audience to help her escape this job.

It reminds me a bit of the energy in Bigger and Better Blondes. Just that chaotic 'blonde and brunette' duo energy that Hal Roach loved so much.

Thelma Todd is wearing this outfit that is supposed to make her look incognito. It doesn't work. She stands out like a sore thumb because she’s, well, Thelma Todd.

She keeps trying to 'help' from the front row. It’s painful to watch in a way that makes you giggle despite yourself.

"I don't know much about magic, but I know when a rabbit isn't supposed to be in a hat like that."

The pacing is kind of weird. It starts slow and then suddenly everyone is running around and screaming. It’s high energy, maybe too high.

I noticed a guy in the back of the audience who looks like he’s actually asleep. Like, for real. He doesn't move for three straight shots.

Maybe he was a real extra who just had a long night? I kept looking for him in every wide shot after that.

Small things I liked:

Patsy Kelly’s shoes. They look sensible but also impossible to do magic in.
The way the curtains wobbled every time someone walked past them. The set was definitely made of cardboard and hope.
Herman Bing’s facial expressions. He looks like his head might actually pop off.
The sound of the audience clapping. It sounds like the same three-second loop over and over.

There’s a moment where a sword goes into a box. I won't spoil it, but the way Patsy reacts to 'stabbing' someone is just... very dark if you think about it too much. But she makes it funny because she’s so bored.

It’s not as polished as something like Rented Trouble. It feels a bit more rushed, maybe?

The ending comes out of nowhere. It just sort of... stops? Like they ran out of film or the director wanted to go to lunch.

I’ve seen a lot of these shorts. Some of them, like The Sea Squawk, have these long drawn-out sequences that feel like they'll never end. This one doesn't have that problem.

It moves fast. It hits the jokes. It gets out.

I think Thelma Todd was a better comedian than people give her credit for. She’s usually just the 'pretty one,' but her timing here is actually really sharp.

She does this thing with her eyes when she’s trying to be 'hidden' that is genuinely funny. She looks like a nervous squirrel.