A Plumbing We Will Go

1940 American short film by Del Lord

A Plumbing We Will Go

Directed by| Del Lord
Written by| Elwood Ullman
Produced by| Del Lord
Hugh McCollum
Starring| Moe Howard
Larry Fine
Curly Howard
Bess Flowers
Dudley Dickerson
John Tyrrell
Bud Jamison
Monte Collins
Eddie Laughton
Wilson Benge
Cinematography| Benjamin H. Kline
Edited by| Art Seid
Distributed by| Columbia Pictures

Release date

* April 19, 1940 (1940-04-19) (U.S.)

Running time

| 17:31
Country| United States
Language| English

A Plumbing We Will Go 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 46th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

## Plot

[edit]

The Stooges are destitute vagrants, engaged in larcenous activities as beggars. Subsequently, they face legal consequences and are brought to trial on charges of chicken theft. Following their acquittal, the trio endeavors to procure a live fish from an aquarium within a pet store. Officer Kelly intervenes, instigating a pursuit that compels the Stooges to adopt the guise of plumbers as a means to evade incarceration.

Assuming their roles as "plumbers", the Stooges secure a position in an opulent residence. Their ineptitude unfolds dramatically, resulting in the inadvertent destruction of the entire plumbing infrastructure within the residence. Curly, in attempting to address what he perceives as a bathroom leak, constructs a labyrinthine network of pipes, ensnaring himself. Simultaneously, Larry digs up the front lawn in an unsuccessful quest for the water shutoff valve. Moe and Curly, in their misguided efforts, inadvertently connect a water pipe with another conduit containing electrical wires. This leads to water inundating every electrical appliance in the mansion, subjecting the perplexed chef to endless tribulations and frustration.

Upon the hostess's suggestion to view Niagara Falls on her newly acquired television set, an unexpected deluge occurs, soaking the entire assemblage at the precise moment the falls are depicted onscreen. The homeowner returns to witness the disarray in his residence, inadvertently undoing the Stooges' convoluted repair endeavors.

Much to their astonishment, the trio discovers that the homeowner is none other than the judge who had previously acquitted them of charges. Consequently, the Stooges hastily endeavor to flee the scene, running from their lives from Professer Marvel magic box pursued by the aggrieved judge, his butler, and the law enforcement officials, notably Officer Kelly, [whom they had initially attempted to evade] and the entire Police force on motorcycles!

## Production notes

[edit]

A Plumbing We Will Go was filmed on December 13–18, 1939, the last Stooge film produced in the 1930s.[1] It was a remake of the Sidney and Murray short film, Plumbing for Gold (1934), and would be remade again with El Brendel and Shemp Howard as Pick a Peck of Plumbers (1944). The Stooges remade A Plumbing We Will Go as Vagabond Loafers (1949) and Scheming Schemers (1956) using stock footage. The original story in Plumbing for Gold involved searching for a lost ring which the Stooges did not use until Scheming Schemers.[2]

Curly recreated the maze-of-pipes gag several years later in Swing Parade of 1946 (1946). Shemp Howard attempted it as well in Vagabond Loafers and Scheming Schemers, while Joe DeRita also attempted the gag in Have Rocket, Will Travel (1959).[2] The chicken-stealing segment that opens the film was also reworked in Listen, Judge (1952).[2]

Aside from the aforementioned reworked films, footage from A Plumbing We Will Go also reappeared in the compilation feature film Stop! Look! and Laugh! (1960).[2]

Like A Ducking They Did Go (1939), the title is a play on the children's song, "A-Hunting We Will Go".[2]

## Reception and influence

[edit]

Curly's performance in A Plumbing We Will Go is generally considered by Three Stooges fans to be one of his best.[3] Curly himself considered A Plumbing We Will Go among his favorite Three Stooges shorts.[4]

Director Sam Raimi paid homage to A Plumbing We Will Go—specifically the gag in which a lightbulb fills with water—in the 1981 horror film The Evil Dead, with a scene featuring a lightbulb filling with blood, as well as blood pouring from wall sockets.[5][6]

## See also

[edit]

* The Three Stooges filmography

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Pauley, Jim (2012). The Three Stooges Hollywood Filming Locations. Solana Beach, California: Santa Monica Press, LLC. p. 209\. ISBN 9781595800701.
2. ^ a b c d e Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Comedy III Productions, Inc. pp. 171–172\. ISBN 0-9711868-0-4.
3. ^ Morlan, Don (2007). "A Pie in the Face: The Three Stooges' Antiaristocracy Theme in Depression-Era American Film". In Seely, Peter; Pieper, Gail W. (eds.). Stoogeology: Essays on the Three Stooges. McFarland & Company. p. 125\. ISBN 978-0786429202.
4. ^ Howard Maurer, Joan; Jeff Lenburg; Greg Lenburg (2012) [1982]. The Three Stooges Scrapbook. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Review Press. p. 240\. ISBN 978-1613740743.
5. ^ Konow, David (2012). Reel Terror: The Scary, Bloody, Gory, Hundred-Year History of Classic Horror Films. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 412\. ISBN 978-0312668839.
6. ^ Raimi, Sam; Campbell, Bruce (October 15, 2015). Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell: Favorite Stooge Episode. YouTube. Event occurs at 1:22. Retrieved November 28, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* A Plumbing We Will Go at IMDb
* A Plumbing We Will Go at threestooges.net

* 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

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