Matri-Phony

Matri-Phony
Directed by	Harry Edwards
Produced by	Del Lord Hugh McCollum
Written by	Monte Collins Elwood Ullman
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Curly Howard Vernon Dent Monte Collins Marjorie Deanne Cy Schindell Eddy Chandler Max Wagner
Cinematography	George Meehan
Editing by	Paul Borofsky
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	July 2, 1942 (1942-07-02)
Running time	17' 10"
Country	United States
Language	English

Matri-Phony is the 63rd 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 Stooges live in "Ancient Erysipelas," where they run Ye Olde Pottery shop. The powerful Emperor Octopus Grabus (Vernon Dent) is in search for a new wife again, with his sights set on redheads. Lovely Diana (Marjorie Deanne), who has kindled Grabus' interest, hides out in the Stooges' shop. A palace guard catches onto the scheme and all are brought to Grabus. The boys help Diana escape, while Moe and Larry convince Curly to dress up as Octopus's prospective bride. These two then destroy the glasses of the nearly-blind Grabus, who cannot see past his nose. The Stooges make a rapid escape by jumping out a palace windows, but end getting caught, upside-down, on the spears of three guards.

Quotes

• Curly: "Oh, food!" (beholds the spread before him) "Vitamans A B C D E F GEE, I like food!"

Notes

• The title Matri-Phony is a pun on the word "matrimony."^[1]
• Matri-Phony is the first Stooge film to employ the accordion-based, driving version of "Three Blind Mice" over the opening credits. This faster theme would be used until the end of 1944.^[1]

The Stooges try to get Curly out of marrying Octopus Grabus (Vernon Dent) in Matri-Phony.

• Curly's description of a cup he's trying to sell a guard is the first few lines of the old "Maharaja" routine.
• Edwards developed a reputation at Columbia Pictures as the studio's worst director. After his next directoral effort with the Stooges (Three Little Twirps), the trio requested that they never work with him again.^[2]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Comedy III Productions, Inc. pp. 211. ISBN 0971186804. http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Three-Stooges-Filmography-Companion/dp/0971186804/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201570359&sr=1-1. 
2. ^ Okuda, Ted; Watz, Edward (1986). The Columbia Comedy Shorts. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. pp. 214. ISBN 0899501818. 

External links

• Matri-Phony at the Internet Movie Database
• Matri-Phony at AllRovi