Heavenly Daze

Heavenly Daze
Directed by	Jules White
Written by	Zion Myers
Produced by	Jules White
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Curly Howard Vernon Dent Sam McDaniel Victor Travers Symona Boniface Marti Sheldon Judy Malcolm
Cinematography	Allen Siegler
Edited by	Edwin Bryant
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release dates	September 2, 1948
Running time	16 min.
Language	English

Heavenly Daze (1948) is the 109th of Columbia Pictures' 190 short subjects starring the comedy team of the Three Stooges.

Plot

The short begins in what looks like a cloud filled Heaven. Shemp's Uncle Mortimer (an impressive Moe Howard) is on the telephone to check on Shemp's (both are dressed in white shrouds and angel type wings) status as to whether he will remain in Heaven or go elsewhere. Uncle Mortimer who had previously deceased Shemp informs Shemp that he and his two cousins have been bad boys. He asks Shemp if he's brought asbestos clothing with him. Shemp (who has been ogling an attractive heavenly secretary and having his wings rise in erection) rises and tells Uncle Mortimer to give him his red union suit and a pitchfork. Uncle Mortimer gives Shemp a chance; if he can reform Moe and Larry from their evil ways he will gain entry to Heaven, but no one on Earth will be able to see or hear him. Shemp says he will reform Moe and Larry if it kills him but then realises that he is already dead.

Shemp thanks Uncle Mortimer and departs for "The Heavenly Express" announced (again by Moe) of leaving for "The Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, Earth, Mars, Venus, Cucamonga. Anaheim and all points south leaving from Cloud 49". Shemp crashes into a passing rain cloud and is knocked down and sprayed with rain. He ogles two more female angels and gets a lightning bolt in his backside to remind him of his mission.

Shemp comes to Earth to the office of "I. Fleecem" (Vernon Dent) attorney who is reading Shemp's will to cousins Moe and Larry who are crying so much their tears fill a vase and make a plant grow. Shemp has left all his worldly possessions of $140 in a sock that is to be divided equally between them. Moe and Larry forget their grief and grab the money. Moe pulls out the wad of bills and feels something else that he reaches in for and finds it is a pair of false teeth that bite his hand. Larry laughs and Moe sticks the teeth on his nose telling him to laugh that off.

As Moe divides the money he cheats Larry. Shemp begins his work by blowing the money into two equal piles. As Moe blames and hits Larry Shemp says he's been picking on him long enough and bashes Moe. The attorney takes the entire amount as his fee. After they pay the attorney he laughs that any other attorney would take the case for $20. As he pockets the money Shemp pickpockets him and places two equal piles of money in Moe and Larry's pocket. As Larry reaches for an air mail stamp to sell to make their way home he feels the money. Moe takes the money from Larry as Shemp pickpockets Moe and puts his portion into Larry's pocket. Larry notices the money and suggests that Shemp is haunting them. The idea is proved once Shemp shows he is present by hitting the two of them and making a painting of a cowboy fire his six guns.

Moe and Larry rent a luxury apartment with butler (Sam McDaniel) and dress in dinner jackets with their inheritence in order "look elegant" so they can con a rich couple, the DePeyser's into buying a fountain pen that will write under whipped cream for $50,000. As Moe smokes two cigars simultanously with a clip and Larry smokes a cigarette with an enoromous holder, Larry asks why anyone would want a fountain pen that would write under whipped cream. Moe responds that people might be in a desert where they wouldn't be able to write under water. This refers to the first ball point pen being introduced by Milton Reynolds in 1945 that was a best seller. It was sold for $10 with the slogan "It writes under water"

Shemp enters the luxurious apartment and terrorises Spiffington the Butler (Sam McDaniel, brother of Hattie McDaniel) into leaving by ringing the doorbell, putting his hat and coat on Spiffington's hands and other methods. Shemp also smacks Moe and Larry to let them know he is there. Though their butler has ran off, Moe and Larry remain.

The wealthy Mr and Mrs DePeyser (Victor Travers and Symona Boniface in her penultimate appearance in the Stooges shorts) arrive. Moe and Larry prepare a mixer with the pen attached to it in a bowl of cream. Shemp turns the mixer to high sending dollops of cream in everyone's face with Larry getting the pen stuck in his forehead. The mixer machine catches fire with the heat and Shemp begins screaming. We see that Shemp is in a burning bed dreaming having fallen asleep whilst smoking in bed. Moe and Larry who are eating at a table put the fire out in some slapstick with a bucket of water that Shemp throws on the floor and sits in. After the fire is out Shemp tells Moe and Larry about his dream of a fountain pen that writes under whipped cream. Moe hits him in the face with their pie that they were having to eat, "Here's your cream" and hands him a pen. Larry gives him a piece of paper and says "Write yourself a letter" . Shemp dips it in the cream and writes "Dear Mom".

Production

In the 1940's the supernatural was a popular film genre of the departed coming back to assist the living such as Here Comes Mr Jordan and A Matter of Life and Death and recently, Columbia's sequal to the former Down to Earth (1947). Carousel (musical) that had been based on a 1909 play of Lilliom had opened on Broadway in 1945 and ran for 890 performances. Like Carousel Shemp is given a chance to return to Earth to do a good deed, and like Down to Earth the other world is filled with beautiful women, Shemp saying "this proves I must be dead if I wanted to leave here".

Bedlam in Paradise

Bedlam in Paradise
Directed by	Jules White
Written by	Zion Myers Felix Adler
Produced by	Jules White
Starring	as above with Philip Van Zandt Sylvia Lewis
Cinematography	Ray Cory Allen Siegler
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release dates	April 14, 1955
Running time	16 min.
Language	English

Bedlam in Paradise (1955) is the 162nd of Columbia Pictures' 190 short subjects starring the comedy team of the Three Stooges. It is a remake of Heavenly Daze with an abundance of stock footage yet it is far superior in entertainment and story values, a rarity for a remake. As Carousel (musical) was a hit in Broadway at the time of the making of Heavenly Daze, in 1955 the film of Carousel was in production.

Plot

Bedlam in Paradise begins with new footage of Shemp dying in bed. Moe listens to Shemp's heartbeat that sounds like a horse trotting and remarks that Shemp has "galloping hoofbeats on the heart...hoof and heart disease!". Larry says that means he's nearing the finishing line and pretends to have binoculars and gives horse race descriptions; Moe hits him for disrespect. Moe thinks they should take Shemp's temperature, Larry rips a room thermometer off the wall and sticks it in Shemp's mouth. Moe tells Larry to heat a hot water bottle that Larry does by holding it over a gas stove to warm it. Moe hits Larry and knocks him onto Shemp who swallows the thermometer Moe asks Larry to rub Shemp's stomach to reguritate it but Larry says his stomach is full of glass. Shemp announces he is going to kick the bucket and to behave themselves or he'll come back and haunt them. As he dies a double exposure has Shemp in shroud rising through the air. Moe and Larry fall on Shemp's bed breaking it.

We join the heavenly scenes of Heavenly Daze but when Shemp asks for his "red union suit" the Devil (Philip Van Zandt) appears in a burst of flame announcing to Shemp that he will provide everything he needs. Uncle Mortimer stops the Devil saying he will give Shemp one more chance; reform Moe and Larry and we will enter Heaven for good. The Devil laughs and says he has Moe and Larry in his power. Another flash of flame appears to reveal "Helen...Helen Blazes" a female devil who invites Shemp down for some really hot dances. The two have a dance sequence and kiss but Shemp realises he is being tempted and hits the Devil, then runs for the Heavenly Express leaving on Cloud 49.

We resume with more of Hevenly Daze with the same sequences of catching the "Heavenly Express" and the lawyer's office but without the cowboy painting coming to life.

The action resumes in Moe and Larry's luxury apartment but the Devil, calling himself "Mr Heller" is in evening dress and top hat and has been providing Moe and Larry with "devillishy good ideas" such as cheating people with their fountain pen that writes under whipped cream. Moe and Larry ask their benefactor what he wants in return, he laughs and says he will tell them later. Moe turns to Larry and remarks that "he must be in too high an income tax bracket" as the Devil raises his hat to reveal his horns but hides them quickly. These sequences replace the Sam McDaniel frightened black butler ones.

The rest of the short is the same except during the whipped cream hitting the characters in the face, the Devil in evening dress walks in to get hit by a faceful of cream. He blusters "That beats the Devil!" and storms out. Shemp is dreaming as before in his burning bed, but the last line when he writes his letter is "Dear Uncle Mortimer".