Self Made Maids (1950) User Reviews

Moe - The Ugliest 'Woman' Ever!

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 21 May 2010]

Yikes - Moe, Larry and Shemp play themselves AND their finances, "Moella," "Larraine," and "Shempetta."

You can easily identify the last two but Moe did a good job (and is the ugliest woman ever!). I wouldn't have known it was him. Moe plays a third role - the "girls" father, in which he actually looks very distinguished with a normal hairstyle. However, twice he was in the same scene and he spoke with his lips not moving! The costume and makeup department worked overtime on this picture but Columbia Picturs saved money as the Three Stooges were the only actors in the movie.

They also played Scottish bagpipers and newly-born babies and maybe an outfit or two I forgot.....Also, there was a good "I'm mortified" Jimmy Durante impression, done by Larry The boys are French artists but not exactly Monets. For instance, Shemp paints upside down paintings. The "girls" pose for them despite having ants all over them! There is lots of kissing, holding hands, and hugging here - a little too much considering it's all just between the Stooges!

The Six Stooges

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 17 August 2022]

Three older ladies are preparing to go out. They are all played by The Stooges. They are models for three artists also played by The Stooges. They have to win over the girls' disapproving father.

The opening with the guys in drag is very good. Having all six characters on screen does present a problem. They don't interact naturally. Maybe they should just play the girls although I can't punish them for trying something more.

Minimalism!

[angus_dei · 24 September 2005]

Give the Stooges credit: they weren't afraid to experiment. Imagine, portraying their own girlfriends! They did a clever job, and did not have to rely on camera trickery (Columbia's shorts department would not have provided them with sufficient funds to do so, anyway). The Stooges did a little "mix'n'match," but to be honest, I can't remember who was paired with whom. Let's see, was Moe Shempetta's boyfriend? Well, anyway, the Stooges weren't exactly attractive women, but they did have a sort of home-spun innocent charm. Now there's a triple marriage I would have absolutely loved to see. Too bad the ladies' old man is dead set against it, and perhaps you can't blame the guy. Now I love Moe, but three roles were just too many. I think Vernon Dent would have been great as the girls' father, but, what the hell, Moe still works. I think after this short was made, the world witnessed a spate of occurrences where prospective bridegrooms tickled their intended spouses' father into submission to procure his permission to marry his daughter. This was about 1950, right? Remember that famous case in Tunisia? Those Stooges, they were innovators, years ahead of their time. Just watch this surreal film, and you will agree.

Good Three Stooges short!

[Movie Nuttball · 10/10 · 26 September 2004]

The Three Stooges has always been some of the many actors that I have loved. I love just about every one of the shorts that they have made. I love all six of the Stooges (Curly, Shemp, Moe, Larry, Joe, and Curly Joe)! All of the shorts are hilarious and also star many other great actors and actresses which a lot of them was in many of the shorts! In My opinion The Three Stooges is some of the greatest actors ever and is the all time funniest comedy team!

I think this Three Stooges Short with Shemp is really good. The Stooges put on very good performances as not only their characters but also their love interests! Also Moe plays the girls' father as well greatly. Many funny things happen here. I recommend this Three Stooges short!

The second-worst Stooges short ever made

[frankfob · 2/10 · 15 June 2012]

The worst Stooge short is, without a doubt, "Cuckoo on a Choo Cho", made two years after this, but this is a close second. I can't think of ANY shorts with Joe Besser that are funny, but even the worst of those abysmal efforts pales in comparison with this and "Cuckoo" (as bad as the Joe Bessers are, I'never never given any of them a "2", as I did for this one). No use going over the "plot", as other reviewers have taken care of that. Suffice it to say that this short is almost completely humorless (in that respect it's one up on "Cuckoo", which WAS completely humorless). The Stooges play themselves and their girlfriends, all of them badly. The physical stuff--head butts, eyepokes, etc.--are without exception very poorly done and the "script", for lack of a better word, is witless, the Stooges' delivery is way off and the whole thing is a huge waste of time and should never have been made. It's embarrassing and painful to watch. Skip it at all costs.

3 Times the fun?

[markm-00775 · 5/10 · 20 December 2020]

Amongst the worst of the Shemp era shorts in my opinion. Just a mess with the triple roles for the boys (the boys, the girls, and the kids, plus a 4th role for Moe as the unhappy father of the brides.

With the success of the Stooges shorts through the years, it's a shame that they never received the budget they deserved. In this case the lack of budget showed in the lack of a cast (an early "bottle show"?), and the lack of a workable script.

The chase scene through the house was probably two or three times too long (that was when I knew a review was in order). The scene with the children also went on too long. A better script may have helped save this disaster.

Moe as the father was uninteresting and one dimensional. Way too often just against the marriage, even before he met the boys in one of the better scenes in the lobby. The other highlights included the portraits being created as the girls had some difficulties sitting still, as well as the scene where they convince the father to allow the marriages.

Of note: obvious stand-in for Moe when playing the father and himself in some scenes, yet genius how they transitioned to Moe, looking like the stand-in still, until he turns around and shows his face in one scene.(During the tickle scene, it looked like Shemp may have played the father) This was as they entered the elevator after meeting the father.

This was my lowest reviewed Stooges short as of today.

Interesting, but not the funniest

[slymusic · 10 February 2006]

"Self Made Maids" is not the greatest Three Stooges comedy ever made, but I think we can all agree that the neatest thing about it is the fact that the boys play all parts in the film. (Boy, are those women ugly!)

The following are the most memorable sequences from "Self Made Maids." The final shot of the baby Stooges is perhaps the funniest bit in the film. There are a couple of amusing gags during the chase sequence, particularly when the Stooges disguise themselves as Scotsmen imitating bagpipes and when they trip over their own bench trap. While posing for their portraits, the Stooges' girlfriends (Moella, Larraine, and Shempetta) cannot stop scratching themselves because their flowers are full of bugs; the camera then pans to an already finished painting, on which the subjects (played by Shemp and Larry) briefly scratch themselves as well!

And lest we forget the song originated in "Wee Wee Monseiur" (1938) and "Nutty but Nice" (1940), "Zee lollipop, zee lollipop, zee lo-lo-lo-lollipop! (Woo woo!)"