"Scrambled Brains" is a superb Three Stooges short starring Shemp, Moe, & Larry and directed by Jules White. The only thing I need to reveal about the plot is this: Shemp suffers from hallucinations.
Highlights: The crowded phone booth gag (with supporting actor Vernon Dent) is quite amusing. As Shemp practices the piano, his hallucinations cause him to see more hands joining in! When Dr. Gesundheit (Emil Sitka, complete with wild hair, a German accent, and Coke-bottle glasses) listens to Shemp's heart, his rocking chair repeatedly rests on a talking doll that says "Mama"; also funny is the doctor's hypnosis technique. As Shemp leaves the hospital, he gives handshakes to several pieces of furniture; when he gets to the fireplace, an actual hand protrudes from above the hearth and shakes Shemp's hand! And finally, the Stooges harmonize a nice rendition of "Nora" on Shemp's wedding day.
As a director of Three Stooges shorts, Jules White was beginning to slip considerably during the 1950s, but "Scrambled Brains" was quite an exception. Some folks might say that it was the best Stooge short that White directed in the fifties. And to top it off, Larry Fine claimed "Scrambled Brains" to be his personal favorite of all the shorts he ever made as one of the Stooges.
Highlights: The crowded phone booth gag (with supporting actor Vernon Dent) is quite amusing. As Shemp practices the piano, his hallucinations cause him to see more hands joining in! When Dr. Gesundheit (Emil Sitka, complete with wild hair, a German accent, and Coke-bottle glasses) listens to Shemp's heart, his rocking chair repeatedly rests on a talking doll that says "Mama"; also funny is the doctor's hypnosis technique. As Shemp leaves the hospital, he gives handshakes to several pieces of furniture; when he gets to the fireplace, an actual hand protrudes from above the hearth and shakes Shemp's hand! And finally, the Stooges harmonize a nice rendition of "Nora" on Shemp's wedding day.
As a director of Three Stooges shorts, Jules White was beginning to slip considerably during the 1950s, but "Scrambled Brains" was quite an exception. Some folks might say that it was the best Stooge short that White directed in the fifties. And to top it off, Larry Fine claimed "Scrambled Brains" to be his personal favorite of all the shorts he ever made as one of the Stooges.