An Ache in Every Stake
Encyclopedia
An Ache in Every Stake is the 57th 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.
), whose cakes they had previously wrecked earlier in the day. When the birthday cake they prepared is finished, it was accidentally pierced, and it deflates in the process. The cake is "re-inflated" using town gas
through the gas stove's connection.
During the party, the Stooges sing a "Happy Birthday" song to the tune of "London Bridge is Falling Down
"; when Mr. Lawrence blows the out candles, the gas-filled cake explodes. Mr. Lawrence angrily realizes who the new ‘help’ are, and the Stooges are forced to leave in a hurry-sliding down the steps.
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
starring American slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
comedy team the Three Stooges
Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. Their hallmark was physical farce and extreme slapstick. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: "Moe, Larry, and Curly" and "Moe,...
. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
between 1934 and 1959.
Plot
The Stooges are icemen making a delivery at a house atop a long, high staircase — so high that every time they go up, the ice melts to a cube. When their antics cause the servants at their customer's house to quit, the Stooges are hired to replace them and prepare dinner for her husband's birthday party. Unknown to them, the man she refers to is Mr. Lawrence (Vernon DentVernon Dent
Vernon Bruce Dent was a comic actor who appeared in over 400 films in his career. He co-starred in many short films for Columbia Pictures, frequently as the foil to the Three Stooges.-Early career:...
), whose cakes they had previously wrecked earlier in the day. When the birthday cake they prepared is finished, it was accidentally pierced, and it deflates in the process. The cake is "re-inflated" using town gas
Coal gas
Coal gas is a flammable gaseous fuel made by the destructive distillation of coal containing a variety of calorific gases including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and volatile hydrocarbons together with small quantities of non-calorific gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen...
through the gas stove's connection.
London Bridge is Falling Down
"London Bridge Is Falling Down" is a well-known traditional nursery rhyme and singing game, which is found in different versions all over the world. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 502.-Lyrics:...
"; when Mr. Lawrence blows the out candles, the gas-filled cake explodes. Mr. Lawrence angrily realizes who the new ‘help’ are, and the Stooges are forced to leave in a hurry-sliding down the steps.