Directed by Jules White, "A Merry Mix-Up" is one of the most interesting Three Stooges shorts in that Moe, Larry, and Joe portray three sets of triplets! (Can you imagine having NINE Stooges running around on the loose?) The mix-up begins at a tavern where the wives of the second set of triplets (Max, Louie, and Jack) fight with the fiancées of the third set of triplets (Morris, Luke, and Jeff) for the affections of the first set of triplets (Moe, Larry, and Joe). As good as all of this sounds, it's quite unfortunate that "A Merry Mix-Up" is not one of the funnier films in the Three Stooges library.
At any rate, there are two highlights from this short that I can pinpoint. First, when Moe, Larry, and Joe enter the restaurant, Larry orders a shingled roof, because "it's on the house." And second, by the end of this film the waiter (Frank Sully) chases all three sets of triplets around the restaurant (believing that there are only three Stooges who just happen to get around very quickly) and knocks himself silly when he sees all nine Stooges standing side by side.
One final point regarding "A Merry Mix-Up": Back in the summer of 1993, I attended quite an enjoyable Three Stooges convention in Philadelphia. The theme for this convention was "Merry Mix-Ups," in which all the Stooge shorts that were shown on the big screen dealt with mix-ups or mistaken identities. Most of those shorts featured Curly as the third Stooge, and those films generated a lot of laughter from the audience. It's just too bad that the screening of "A Merry Mix-Up" elicited virtually no laughter at all.
At any rate, there are two highlights from this short that I can pinpoint. First, when Moe, Larry, and Joe enter the restaurant, Larry orders a shingled roof, because "it's on the house." And second, by the end of this film the waiter (Frank Sully) chases all three sets of triplets around the restaurant (believing that there are only three Stooges who just happen to get around very quickly) and knocks himself silly when he sees all nine Stooges standing side by side.
One final point regarding "A Merry Mix-Up": Back in the summer of 1993, I attended quite an enjoyable Three Stooges convention in Philadelphia. The theme for this convention was "Merry Mix-Ups," in which all the Stooge shorts that were shown on the big screen dealt with mix-ups or mistaken identities. Most of those shorts featured Curly as the third Stooge, and those films generated a lot of laughter from the audience. It's just too bad that the screening of "A Merry Mix-Up" elicited virtually no laughter at all.