He Cooked His Goose

Infobox Film
name = He Cooked His Goose


caption =
director = Jules White
writer = Felix Adler
starring = Moe Howard
Larry Fine
Shemp Howard
Angela Stevens
Mary Ainslee
Diana Darrin
cinematography = |
editing =
producer = Jules White
distributor = Columbia Pictures
released = flagicon|US July 3, 1952
runtime = 15' 37"
country = USA
language = English
imdb_id =
preceded_by = "Corny Casanovas"
followed_by = "Gents in a Jam"
amg_id = 1:146402
imdb_id = 0049090

"He Cooked His Goose" is the 140th short subject starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

The Stooge are separate characters in this short. Larry is a womanizer who is having an affair with Moe's wife. At the same time, he is also making eyes at Shemp's fiancee, Millie (Angela Stevens), as well. Moe, however, tracks down the conniving Larry at his pet shop, and gives him the works. Larry is able to think fast and convinces Moe he's innocent, which calms him down. Realizing he needs to cover his tracks, Larry looks for a "fall guy" in the form of Shemp. Larry then gets Shemp a job as an underwear salesman and the first place he goes is Moe's home.

While Shemp is modeling his ware for Moe's wife, Larry calls both Millie and Moe and lies to them about Shemp's advances on Moe's wife. Both of them go storming over to Moe's, with Moe carrying a loaded gun. Looking to avoid being killed, Shemp flees up the chimney. After he fools Moe with a Santa Claus disguise, Shemp makes a quick getaway. Shemp then spies Larry coming. Now aware that Larry set him up, Shemp knocks Larry out and dresses him in the Santa outfit and sends him to Moe, Millie and Moe's wife. Moe unmasks Larry to the surprise of them all and chases him out of the apartment. Moe shoots Larry in the rear a few times before accidentally shooting himself in the foot while celebrating.

Notes

* "He Cooked His Goose" was reworked in 1959 as "Triple Crossed", using ample stock footage from the original.
* Over the course of their 24 years at Columbia Pictures, the Stooges would occasionally be cast as separate characters. This course of action always worked against the team; author Jon Solomon concluded "when the writing divides them, they lose their comic dynamic."cite book
last = Solomon
first = Jon
authorlink = Jon Solomon
coauthors =
title = "The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion"
publisher = Comedy III Productions, Inc
date = 2002
location =
pages = 316, 376
url = http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Three-Stooges-Filmography-Companion/dp/0971186804/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201570359&sr=1-1
doi =
id =
isbn = 0971186804] In addition to this split occurring in "He Cooked His Goose" (and its remake "Triple Crossed"), the trio also played separate characters in "Rockin' in the Rockies", "Cuckoo on a Choo Choo", and "Gypped in the Penthouse", "Flying Saucer Daffy" and "Sweet and Hot".

References

Further reading

*"Moe Howard and the Three Stooges"; by Moe Howard, (Citadel Press, 1977). ISBN 0806507233
*"The Three Stooges Scrapbook"; by Jeff Lenburg, Joan Howard Maurer, Greg Lenburg (Citadel Press, 1994). ISBN 0806509465
*"The Three Stooges: An Illustrated History, From Amalgamated Morons to American Icons"; by Michael Fleming (Broadway Publishing, 2002). ISBN 0767905563
*"One Fine Stooge: A Frizzy Life in Pictures"; by Steve Cox and Jim Terry, (Cumberland House Publishing, 2006). ISBN 1581823630
*"The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion"; by Jon Solomon, (Comedy III Productions, Inc., 2002). ISBN 0971186804