Hokus Pokus (1949)

The stooges are taking care of their invalid friend Mary who is confined to wheelchair. What they don't is that Mary is only faking her disability to swindle the insurance company. When the... See full summary »

Director:

Jules White

Writers:

Felix Adler (story), Felix Adler (screenplay)

Stars:

Shemp Howard, Larry Fine, Moe Howard

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Shemp Howard	...	Shemp (as Shemp)
Larry Fine	...	Larry (as Larry)
Moe Howard	...	Moe (as Moe)
Mary Ainslee	...	Mary
Vernon Dent	...	Insurance Adjustor
Jimmie Lloyd	...	Cliff (as Jimmy Lloyd)

Storyline

The stooges are taking care of their invalid friend Mary who is confined to wheelchair. What they don't is that Mary is only faking her disability to swindle the insurance company. When the boys witness a hypnotist, "The Great Svengarlic", doing his act on the street, they think he might be able to hypnotize Mary so she can walk. Instead, they become subjects for his show and are hypnotized into walking out on a flagpole high above the ground. When they come out of their trance and realize their predicament, they fall into a window, startling Mary, who jumps from her wheelchair just as the insurance adjuster is about to hand her a check.

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Plot Keywords:

wheelchair | reverse footage | occult | the three stooges | hypnotism | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 May 1949 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

16 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Remade as Flagpole Jitters (1956)

User Reviews

Like "Svengarlic," This Has A Bad Odor To It

This couple is pulling off an insurance scam where the woman ("Mary") is faking being a wheelchair-bound victim. Today is the day the crooks get interviewed and then, hopefully, their money: $25,000, which was a lot of loot back then. The lady says she has "three saps who will testify what a hopeless cripple I am." Guess what "saps" she means?

The first seven minutes of the "movie" are the boys - Moe, Larry and Shemp - getting up in the morning, shaving each other and cooking Mary's breakfast. Nothing that funny in all that, maybe because most of the gags are re-hashed material from the "Curly" days.

Finally, the claims adjuster from the "Calamity Insurance Company" (series regular Vernon Dent) comes to Mary's apartment. The boys give him a piece of their mind, the only funny thing being Shemp's amazing footwork, and then leave to do their shop - putting up posters.

The poster they are plastering on the wall reads, "Here This Week - The Great Hypnotist SVENGARLIC! He'll Steal Your Breath Away" The hypnotist, looking for publicity to help his show, spots the Stooges and hypnotizes them. That leads to justice prevailing in the insurance scam. Overall: weak.