How High Is Up?

How High is Up? is a 1940 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 48th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

How High Is Up?
Directed byDel Lord
Produced byDel Lord
Hugh McCollum
Written byElwood Ullman
StarringMoe Howard
Larry Fine
Curly Howard
Vernon Dent
Cy Schindell
Duke York
Bert Young
Bruce Bennett
Edmund Cobb
CinematographyAllen G. Siegler
Edited byArt Seid
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • July 26, 1940 (1940-07-26) (U.S.)
Running time
16:26
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

The Stooges are menders who drum up business at a construction site by poking holes on the bottom of the workers' lunch boxes, then offering to repair the holes. When their ruse is discovered, they are chased onto the site and blend in with a crowd of men seeking employment. Curly states that they are "the best riveters that ever riveted," and the hiring workman (Edmund Cobb) sends them to work on the 97th floor, despite Curly's debilitating fear of heights.

While riveting, Larry also heats sausage for Moe and Curly. The foreman discovers Larry, who proceeds to toss Curly an actual rivet, who claims, "It's a weenie, but it's kind of tough." Curly later uses a hard hat with a screwhead to engage the rivets while Moe drills them. The Stooges do a lousy job riveting and part of the building collapses when head foreman Mr. Blake (Vernon Dent) leans against a beam. He and several men chase the Stooges, who escape by parachuting off the building and landing in their wagon below, with the chute tarp now covering it, and drive off. Just as the scene fades out, the sound of an off screen collision is heard.

Production notes

Filming for How High is Up? was completed May 7–11, 1940.[1] The aerial shots of the scene, straight down from the building the Stooges are working on, are from the then newly built Empire State Building in New York City.[2]

The sweater removal scene is considered one of the finest examples of the Stooges' tendencies to use unorthodox methods to get the simplest job done. Since Moe and Larry cannot pull the sweater off of Curly, they figure the only way to do so is through the use of tools, such as mallets, chisels, and eventually a pair of scissors.[2] Larry can be seen breaking character and laughing, particularly when Curly yells, "Don't mind me, don't mind me!!"[2]

References
  1. Pauley, Jim (2012). The Three Stooges Hollywood Filming Locations. Solana Beach, California: Santa Monica Press, LLC. p. 147. ISBN 9781595800701.
  2. Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Glendale, California: Comedy III Productions, Inc. pp. 174–175. ISBN 0-9711868-0-4.
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