The Stooges are novice plumbers tasked with the retrieval of a valuable ring lost within the labyrinthine confines of the drainage system at the opulent residence of the Norfleet family. Despite initial success in locating the ring, a calamitous mishap precipitated by Larry inadvertently propels the prized object back into the depths of the drain. Determined to rectify their blunder, the Stooges embark on a quest to navigate the subterranean infrastructure, endeavoring to halt the deluge wrought by the malfunctioning plumbing.
Larry's misguided efforts to locate the water cutoff result in a comically futile excavation of the lawn, exacerbating the chaos within the Norfleet domicile. Shemp's intuitive deduction of the underlying issue – the obstruction of the plumbing system by electrical wires – prompts a creative yet unorthodox solution: the removal of the electrical components to facilitate the restoration of water flow. The ensuing spectacle is then characterized by an inundation of water from unexpected sources.
Amidst the chaos, the theft of the prized Van Brocklin painting by party guests Mr. and Mrs. Allen further complicates the situation, escalating tensions within the Norfleet household. However, the Stooges, amidst a pie-fueled melee, emerge as unlikely heroes, successfully thwarting the art heist and reclaiming the stolen painting. Mr. Norfleet, duly impressed by their valor, elects to reward the Stooges for their valorous actions.
However, the whereabouts of Shemp remain shrouded in mystery until it is revealed that he remains ensnared in the tangled labyrinth of pipes.
Connie Cezon as Mrs. Allen (body double, filmed in 1956)
Dudley Dickerson as Chef (stock footage, filmed in 1940 and 1949)
Uncredited
Symona Boniface as Mrs. Norfleet (stock footage, filmed in 1949)
Herbert Evans as Wilkes, butler (stock footage, filmed in 1949)
Helen Dickson as indignant party guest (stock footage, filmed in 1946)
Victor Travers as sleeping party guest (stock footage, filmed in 1946)
Al Thompson as party guest (stock footage, filmed in 1946)
Judy Malcolm as party guest (stock footage, filmed in 1946)
Production notes
Scheming Schemers is a remake of Vagabond Loafers, which in itself was a remake of A Plumbing We Will Go with former Stooge Curly Howard; additional pie fight footage was borrowed from Half-Wits Holiday. This makes Scheming Schemers the only Three Stooges short to use footage from three previous short subjects. This film is also the last to contain new footage with longtime Stooges supporting actor Kenneth MacDonald.
Shemp Howard passed away in November 1955 after completing four Stooge comedies for that year. However, the Three Stooges were contractually obligated to deliver eight comedies to Columbia Pictures annually. To fulfill this requirement, producer Jules White devised a method to produce four additional shorts "featuring Shemp" by utilizing existing footage of Howard and supplementing it with newly filmed scenes featuring stand-inJoe Palma.[1] This technique, which involves using a body double to complete an unfinished film, has since been termed "Fake Shemp," a phrase popularized by producer Sam Raimi during the production of his feature film The Evil Dead.[2]
In Scheming Schemers, Joe Palma is depicted in a scene where "Shemp" appears with his back to the camera, honking the horn of the Stooges' jeep. Palma is then shown gathering several pipes, strategically obscuring his face from view. The sole line of dialogue attributed to Shemp — "Hold yer horses, will ya?" — was in fact Shemp's voice, repurposed from the soundtrack of a recent Stooge short, Creeps (originally filmed in 1947 for The Ghost Talks. This new footage was filmed on January 16, 1956, a mere six weeks after Shemp's passing.[3]
^Solomon, Jon. (2002) The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion, p. 481; Comedy III Productions, Inc., ISBN0-9711868-0-4
^Germain, David. "Should the Stooges get a little brighter?" Toronto Star, Aug. 10, 2004, p. D.08.
^Lenburg, Jeff; Howard Maurer, Joan; Lenburg, Greg; (1982). The Three Stooges Scrapbook, p. 263, Citadel Press. ISBN0-8065-0946-5
