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Hoi Polloi (1935 film)
Encyclopedia
Hoi Polloi is the tenth short film starring American slapstick
comedy team the Three Stooges
. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures
between 1934 and 1959.
In a Stooge adaptation of Pygmalion
, Professor Richmond (Harry Holman
), certain that environment and not heredity dictates social behavior, bets one of his peers, Professor Nichols (Robert Graves
) $10,000 that he can take a common man and through environment and proper training turn him into a gentleman. Naturally, the Stooges, who are garbage men, are discovered and made the subjects of the wager. After many attempts to teach them proper etiquette (including a dance class punctuated by an errant bee
), the Stooges will decide the wager by their behavior at a fancy society party.
The party does not go well: Curly pulls Moe's jacket threads until it splits. Moe then hijacks Curly's oversized jacket. Larry and Moe dance with stomped feet and bumps galore. Curly, as usual, gets most of the faux pas
: he shaves in front of a guest; he gets stuck on a spittoon
; he picks a “maraschino” cherry from a punch bowl; he hides a bottle of champagne, which Moe sees. Frustrated, Moe butt-kicks Curly, resulting in the champagne popping open and spraying a guest.
Eventually, Professor Richmond loses the bet and gives the $10,000 dollars to Professor Nichols. Nichols in turn makes a comment to a lady guest concerning being pestered by a bunch of “rowdies”. The remark does not go over well with her, and she slaps him in the face. Professor Richmond laughs, and the unfortunate fellow slaps him in turn. In quick succession, guests laugh at other guests' misfortunes, and slaps and gouges fly until the party becomes a melee of Stooge-born slapstick. The Stooges, disgusted by it all, realize that this is what they get for "associating themselves with the hoi polloi!" and decide to leave, but Rickmond and Nichols get the last laugh on them via champaign bottles crashed onto their heads.
'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
in 1946 (Curly's final starring role) and Pies and Guys
in 1958.
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
Pygmalion (play)
Pygmalion: A Romance in Five Acts is a play by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. Professor of phonetics Henry Higgins makes a bet that he can train a bedraggled Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, to pass for a duchess at an ambassador's garden party by teaching her to assume a veneer of...
, Professor Richmond (Harry Holman
Harry Holman
Harry Holman was an American character actor. He appeared in approximately 130 films between 1923 and 1947....
), certain that environment and not heredity dictates social behavior, bets one of his peers, Professor Nichols (Robert Graves
Robert Graves
Robert von Ranke Graves 24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985 was an English poet, translator and novelist. During his long life he produced more than 140 works...
) $10,000 that he can take a common man and through environment and proper training turn him into a gentleman. Naturally, the Stooges, who are garbage men, are discovered and made the subjects of the wager. After many attempts to teach them proper etiquette (including a dance class punctuated by an errant bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
), the Stooges will decide the wager by their behavior at a fancy society party.
The party does not go well: Curly pulls Moe's jacket threads until it splits. Moe then hijacks Curly's oversized jacket. Larry and Moe dance with stomped feet and bumps galore. Curly, as usual, gets most of the faux pas
Faux pas
A faux pas is a violation of accepted social norms . Faux pas vary widely from culture to culture, and what is considered good manners in one culture can be considered a faux pas in another...
: he shaves in front of a guest; he gets stuck on a spittoon
Spittoon
A spittoon is a receptacle made for spitting into, especially by users of chewing and dipping tobacco. It is also known as a cuspidor , although that term is also used for a type of spitting sink used in dentistry."Spittoon" can also be slang American English...
; he picks a “maraschino” cherry from a punch bowl; he hides a bottle of champagne, which Moe sees. Frustrated, Moe butt-kicks Curly, resulting in the champagne popping open and spraying a guest.
Eventually, Professor Richmond loses the bet and gives the $10,000 dollars to Professor Nichols. Nichols in turn makes a comment to a lady guest concerning being pestered by a bunch of “rowdies”. The remark does not go over well with her, and she slaps him in the face. Professor Richmond laughs, and the unfortunate fellow slaps him in turn. In quick succession, guests laugh at other guests' misfortunes, and slaps and gouges fly until the party becomes a melee of Stooge-born slapstick. The Stooges, disgusted by it all, realize that this is what they get for "associating themselves with the hoi polloi!" and decide to leave, but Rickmond and Nichols get the last laugh on them via champaign bottles crashed onto their heads.
Birth of an idea
The idea for Hoi Polloi came from Moe HowardMoe Howard
Moses Harry Horwitz , known professionally as Moe Howard, was an American actor and comedian best known as the leader of The Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion pictures and television for four decades...
'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
Half-Wits Holiday is the 97th 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.-Plot:...
in 1946 (Curly's final starring role) and Pies and Guys
Pies and Guys
Pies and Guys is the 185th 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.-Plot:...
in 1958.