A Stage Act We Can Still Enjoy


Just watched Plane Nuts again on the Dancing Lady DVD. If you want the flavor of what a personal appearance by Ted Healy and His Stooges might have been like, look no further than this terrific 1933 two-reeler. Ted’s act is captured for all posterity in this short --- a no-frills transcription of the routine that he and the Howards (and Larry Fine) honed to perfection on the vaudeville stage. They’re interrupted by a couple of tiresome dance numbers, which seem to have been lifted from other features (Metro’s abandoned The March Of Time perhaps?), but mostly it is pure Healy and Company, and a joy to watch. Why must Ted be so abusive --- and so casual in his infliction of cruelties (but therein lies the beauty of the man!)? He looks to be ad-libbing much of what he does on stage (and here he is in a surly clinch with Joan Crawford from Dancing Lady), although you know every routine had to be fine-tuned to the last detail. I’m glad they preserved his act for all us future generations. This theatre ad is from 1932. For fifteen cents, you could see the whole thing live on stage. Boy oh boy. Exhausting work no doubt, probably six or more performances a day, but I’ll bet Ted and the Boys made every one of them look spontaneous. Warner has promised more of these early Healy/Stooge subjects for future DVD extra offerings. That’ll be something to look forward to.