Bubble Trouble (film)

Bubble Trouble
Directed by Jules White
Produced by Jules White
Written by Jack White
Felix Adler
Starring Moe Howard
Larry Fine
Shemp Howard
Emil Sitka
Christine McIntyre
Cinematography Ray Cory
Edited by Edwin Bryant
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • October 8, 1953 (1953-10-08) (U.S.)
Running time
16:30
Country United States
Language English

Bubble Trouble is the 151st short film released by Columbia Pictures in 1953 starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Shemp Howard). The comedians released 190 short films for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

The Stooges operate a local drug store whose landlord, the cantankerous Amos Flint (Emil Sitka), informs them their lease is about to expire. Larry protests that the trio have had their establishment for a decade, and do not want to leave. As the four bicker, Flint's elderly wife Cerina (Christine McIntyre) enters the store, only to be berated by Flint for being an old hag. "25 years is enough," he coldly confirms. After he storms off, the boys take to the frail Cerina, who begins to weep that ever since she lost her beauty, Amos had threatened to leave. Both saddened and incensed, the Stooges offer Cerina their spare room in the back. Shemp, seeing this, hatches a plan to invent a "Fountain of Youth" to restore Cerina to her stunning beauty. Deeming the idea "tremendous, colossal and putrid," the Stooges flee to their pharmaceutical lab and mix a powerful serum.

After several false tries, the trio give Cerina a taste of their Fountain of Youth, and she transforms into a fetching beauty right before their eyes. To celebrate her return to youth, Cerina prepares a Marshmallow Jumbo layer cake. Shemp is assigned to get some marshmallows, but inadvertently retrieves bubble gum. The resulting celebration then finds the Stooges and Cerina blowing bubbles after every bite, with Shemp getting two bubbles out of his ears.

Several days later, Amos comes storming into the Stooges' drug store only to see the youthful Cerina flaunting her newfound beauty. Amos quickly reneges on his threat to evict the Stooges, and requests a dose of the youthful serum himself. However, Amos overdoses on the potent stuff, and transforms into a gorilla instead. Realizing this, he attacks the Stooges in anger. Once subdued, the Stooges get the idea to put Amos in a cage and make a mint off a traveling show involving the only talking gorilla in captivity. Moe adds that two talking gorillas would be even better and tries to get Shemp to take some of the concoction. Shemp knocks the spoon into Moe’s mouth, and the film ends with Moe acting like a gorilla.

Production notes

Bubble Trouble is a remake of All Gummed Up, using ample stock footage. The new footage was filmed on October 13, 1952, nearly one year before the film's release.[1] Critics and fans alike have observed that this film has a significantly better plot structure than the original, All Gummed Up. In the original, the climax occurs approximately four minutes before the end of the film, leaving room for a bubblegum cake scene. In Bubble Trouble, however, the bubblegum cake scene comes before the climax of the film. Both the original and the remake were directed by Jules White.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Comedy III Productions, Inc. p. 429. ISBN 0-9711868-0-4.
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