Ants in the Pantry

Ants in the Pantry
Ants in the Pantry
Directed by	Preston Black
Written by	Al Giebler
Produced by	Jules White
Starring	Moe Howard; Larry Fine; Curly Howard; Clara Kimball Young; Bud Jamison; Phyllis Crane; James C. Morton; Douglas Gerrard; Lew Davis; Harrison Greene; Isabelle LaMal; Anne O'Neal; Vesey O'Davoren; Althea Henley; Clarence Nash (uncredited)
Cinematography	Benjamin H. Kline
Edited by	William Lyon
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	February 6, 1936 (U.S.);
Running time	17:39
Country	United States
Language	English

Ants in the Pantry is a 1936 short subject directed by Preston Black starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 12th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

The Stooges are employed as pest exterminators, providing an unconventional service wherein they both introduce the infestation and subsequently address it, thereby offering a unique approach to pest control. Driven by a distinct lack of clientele, they target an affluent mansion hosting a high society dinner party, whereupon they orchestrate a calculated release of various vermin, including mice, moths, and ants, with deliberate malice. Their machinations, laced with gleeful amorality, result in their inevitable hiring to rectify the very chaos they have orchestrated, all while discreetly masquerading as guests so as not to disrupt the soirée.

Things go according to plan until a sequence of events precipitated by Larry and Curly's ill-conceived scheme to conceal mice-seeking cats within an upright piano unravels the facade of order during a recital of Johann Strauss II's "Blue Danube Waltz." The ensuing chaos, exacerbated by the intrusion of a mouse into the piano, incites a cacophony of feline agitation, culminating in the destruction of the instrument and the revelation of the Stooges' ruse. However, in a surprising turn of events, the social decorum of the gathering is preserved as the hostess and her guests interpret the Stooges' antics as entertainment, thereby averting potential embarrassment.

Invited to partake in a fox hunt as further amusement, the Stooges introduce an element of chaos when Curly, mistaking the sound of his own nasal exhalation for a bugle call, unwittingly brandishes a live skunk, triggering a cascade of mishaps culminating in Moe, Larry, and a horse succumbing to the skunk's malodorous emissions.

Production notes

Ants in the Pantry was filmed on December 11–14, 1935;^[1] the film title is a pun on the phrase "ants in the pants."^[2] Moe Howard later recalled that a nest of ants actually worked their way into his pants:

There was a scene where we were having trouble selling our services, so we complain to our boss, who tells us, 'If they don't have ants, give them some. You dumbkopf!' We got the idea and went from house to house throwing moths in with minks, mice on the floor, and ants in the pantry. During the shooting, I hadn't noticed that a small container of red ants had broken apart in my pocket and the little devils were crawling down my back, in my hair, and into my pants. It was insane. All through the scene I was scratching and squirming and slapping myself on the neck and face and on the seat of my pants. Elated, director Preston Black shouted, 'Great Moe. Keep up that squirming!' It was very funny—to everyone but me.^[3]

Veteran voice actor Clarence Nash, most famous for doing Donald Duck, did the sounds of the cats in the piano.^{[citation needed]}

Vesey O'Davoren appeared as Gawkins.^[4]

Ants in the Pantry was remade with Shemp Howard in 1951 as Pest Man Wins.^[2]

References

^ "Ants in the Pantry at threestooges.net". Archived from the original on November 14, 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
^ ^a ^b Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Comedy III Productions, Inc. p. 77. ISBN 0-9711868-0-4.
^ Howard, Moe (1979) [1977]. Moe Howard and the Three Stooges. Citadel Press. p. 81. ISBN 0-8065-0723-3.
^ Vesey O'Davoren appeared in two films Archived December 5, 2021, at the Wayback Machine with The Three Stooges, playing the part of Gawkins in Ants in the Pantry (1936) and Professor Hicks in Violent is the Word for Curly (1938) (December 8, 2017) Video via YouTube

External links

[1] "Ants in the Pantry at threestooges.net". Archived from the original on November 14, 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2011.

[Solomon-2] Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Comedy III Productions, Inc. p. 77. ISBN 0-9711868-0-4.

[Howard_Bio-3] Howard, Moe (1979) [1977]. Moe Howard and the Three Stooges. Citadel Press. p. 81. ISBN 0-8065-0723-3.

[4] Vesey O'Davoren appeared in two films Archived December 5, 2021, at the Wayback Machine with The Three Stooges, playing the part of Gawkins in Ants in the Pantry (1936) and Professor Hicks in Violent is the Word for Curly (1938) (December 8, 2017) Video via YouTube

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v t e The Three Stooges
Moe Howard Larry Fine Curly Howard Shemp Howard Joe Besser Curly Joe DeRita
Works	The Three Stooges filmography The Three Stooges Collection Jerks of All Trades The New 3 Stooges The Three Stooges Scrapbook Kook's Tour Moe Howard and the Three Stooges
Related topics	List of supporting actors in Three Stooges films Yogi Bear and the Three Stooges Meet the Mad, Mad, Mad Dr. No-No The Robonic Stooges Stoogemania "Swingin' the Alphabet" "The Curly Shuffle" 1984 arcade game 1987 video game 2000 TV biopic 2012 feature film C3 Entertainment
Associated people	Felix Adler Edward Bernds Tiny Brauer Clyde Bruckman Charley Chase Paul Garner Ted Healy Rich Koz Del Lord Norman Maurer Hugh McCollum Christine McIntyre Frank Mitchell Joe Palma/Fake Shemp Fred Sanborn Emil Sitka Greta Thyssen Elwood Ullman Jack White Jules White
Category

v t e The Three Stooges filmography (1934–1946)
1934	Woman Haters Punch Drunks Men in Black Three Little Pigskins
1935	Horses' Collars Restless Knights Pop Goes the Easel Uncivil Warriors Pardon My Scotch Hoi Polloi Three Little Beers
1936	Ants in the Pantry Movie Maniacs Half Shot Shooters Disorder in the Court A Pain in the Pullman False Alarms Whoops, I'm an Indian! Slippery Silks
1937	Grips, Grunts and Groans Dizzy Doctors 3 Dumb Clucks Back to the Woods Goofs and Saddles Cash and Carry Playing the Ponies The Sitter Downers
1938	Termites of 1938 Wee Wee Monsieur Tassels in the Air Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb Violent Is the Word for Curly Three Missing Links Mutts to You Flat Foot Stooges
1939	Three Little Sew and Sews We Want Our Mummy A Ducking They Did Go Yes, We Have No Bonanza Saved by the Belle Calling All Curs Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise Three Sappy People
1940	You Nazty Spy! Rockin' thru the Rockies A Plumbing We Will Go Nutty but Nice How High Is Up? From Nurse to Worse No Census, No Feeling Cookoo Cavaliers Boobs in Arms
1941	So Long, Mr. Chumps Dutiful But Dumb All the World's a Stooge I'll Never Heil Again An Ache in Every Stake In the Sweet Pie and Pie Some More of Samoa
1942	Loco Boy Makes Good Cactus Makes Perfect What's the Matador? Matri-Phony Three Smart Saps Even as IOU Sock-a-Bye Baby
1943	They Stooge to Conga Dizzy Detectives Spook Louder Back From the Front Three Little Twirps Higher Than a Kite I Can Hardly Wait Dizzy Pilots Phony Express A Gem of a Jam
1944	Crash Goes the Hash Busy Buddies The Yoke's on Me Idle Roomers Gents Without Cents No Dough Boys
1945	Three Pests in a Mess Booby Dupes Idiots Deluxe If a Body Meets a Body Micro-Phonies
1946	Beer Barrel Polecats A Bird in the Head Uncivil War Birds The Three Troubledoers Monkey Businessmen Three Loan Wolves G.I. Wanna Home Rhythm and Weep Three Little Pirates
1947	Half-Wits Holiday
Category