Hoi Polloi is the tenth short film starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges, released on August 29, 1935. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1959.
THE PLOT
In a Stooge adaptation of Pygmalion, Professor Richmond (Harry Holman), certain that environment and not heredity dictates social behavior, bets one of his peers, Professor Nichols (Robert Graves) $10,000 that he can take a common man and through environment and proper training turn him into a gentleman. Naturally, the Stooges, who are garbage men, are discovered and made the subjects of the wager. After many attempts to teach them proper etiquette, including a dance class taught by a professional dance instructor (Geneva Mitchell),punctuated by an errant bee), the Stooges will decide the wager by their behavior at a fancy society party.
The party does not go well: Curly pulls Moe's jacket threads until it splits. Moe then hijacks Curly's oversized jacket. Larry and Moe dance with stomped feet and bumps galore. Curly, as usual, gets most of the faux pas: he shaves in front of a guest; he gets stuck on a spittoon; he picks a “maraschino” cherry from a punch bowl; he hides a bottle of champagne, which Moe sees. Frustrated, Moe butt-kicks Curly, resulting in the champagne popping open and spraying a guest.
Eventually, Professor Richmond loses the bet and gives the $10,000 dollars to Professor Nichols. Nichols in turn makes a comment to a lady guest concerning being pestered by a bunch of “rowdies”. The remark does not go over well with her, and she slaps him in the face. Professor Richmond laughs, and the unfortunate fellow slaps him in turn. In quick succession, guests laugh at other guests' misfortunes, and slaps and gouges fly until the party becomes a melee of Stooge-born slapstick. The Stooges, disgusted by it all, realize that this is what they get for "associating themselves with the hoi polloi!" and decide to leave, but Rickmond and Nichols get the last laugh on them via champagne bottles crashed onto their heads.
TRIVIA
The idea for Hoi Polloi came from Moe Howard's wife, Helen, who was offered either screen credit or money (she took the latter). Moe later stated that the plot of Hoi Polloi was so good that it bore repeating. The Stooges reworked the film twice more, as GC71118 Curly Howard: Half-Wits Holiday in 1946 (Curly's final starring role) and Pies and Guys in 1958.
In The Three Stooges 75th Anniversary Special, hosted by Woody Harrelson, the dancing scene with Geneva Mitchell was voted by the fans as their favorite Stooge moment of all time.
A colorized version of this film was released in 2006. Oddly, it was not released on a Stooge DVD, but rather as a hastily added DVD bonus feature for the Jamie Foxx movie Breakin' All the Rules.
The expression "hoi polloi" is a generally derogatory term for "the masses".
In the first street scene where the Stooges are rubbish sanitation workers, the original "Hollywoodland" sign is visible in the distance.
THE CACHE IS NOT AT THE POSTED COORDINATES
To obtain the coordinates for the final location of this cache, just answer this one trivia question obtained directly from this short, and then answer the bonus trivia question to get a clue for bonus cache GC6A8BH Moe Howard:
In the garbage truck sequence, what movie is playing on the theater in the background?
Mutiny On The Bounty (N41 47.667, W088 02.452)
Top Hat (N41 47.425, W088 02.332)
Laddie (N41 47.557, W088 02.244)
China Seas (N41 47.440, W088 02.100)
BONUS TRIVIA QUESTION: Record the number assigned to the letter below for usage in bonus cache GC6A8BH Moe Howard.
As the boys are being taught the proper way to be gentlemen, Curly is asked if he can spell CAT. How does he spell it?
K-A-T (J = 0)
K-I-T-T-Y (J = 8)
To watch this short, use the following link :
Episode 10 Hoi Polloi