''A Snitch in Time'' is a 1950

short subject A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

directed by

Edward Bernds Edward Bernds (July 12, 1905May 20, 2000) was an American screenwriter and director, born in Chicago, Illinois. Career While in his junior year in Lake View High School, he and several friends formed a small radio clique and obtained amateur li ...

starring American

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such a ...

comedy team

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...

(

Moe Howard Moses Harry Horwitz (June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975), known professionally as Moe Howard, was an American actor and comedian. He is best known as the leader of The Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion pictures and television ...

Larry Fine Louis Feinberg (October 5, 1902 – January 24, 1975), known professionally as Larry Fine, was an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is best known as a member of the comedy act the Three Stooges. Early life Fine was born to a Russian Je ...

and

Shemp Howard Samuel Horwitz (March 11, 1895 – November 22, 1955), known professionally as Shemp Howard, was an American actor and comedian. He was called "Shemp" because "Sam" came out that way in his mother's thick Lithuanian Yiddish, Litvak accent. He is ...

). It is the 128th entry in the series released by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

The trio, acting as carpenters, own a furniture shop ("Ye Olde Furniture Shoppe:

Antique An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...

s Made While U Waite") who are staining some furniture they have delivered to Miss Scudder (

Jean Willes Jean Willes (born Jean Donahue; April 15, 1923 – January 3, 1989) was an American film and television actress. She appeared in approximately 65 films in her 38-year career. Early years Willes was born Jean Donahue In Los Angeles. She spent pa ...

), an attractive curly-haired brunette who owns a boarding house. While attending to their duties (and nearly destroying the furniture in the process), several new boarders at Miss Scudder's place are actually a trio of crooks who have just robbed a jewelry store. The Stooges are held at gunpoint while Miss Scudder is tied up and gagged in her kitchen while the crooks ransack the house to steal several valuable

heirloom In popular usage, an heirloom is something that has been passed down for generations through family members. Examples are a Family Bible, antiques, weapons or jewellery. The term originated with the historical principle of an heirloom in ...

s in her possession. The Stooges and Miss Scudder work together and unravel the crooks' plot.

Cast

Credited

as Moe *

as Larry *

as Shemp *

as Miss Gladys Scudder

Uncredited

Henry Kulky Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

as Steve *

John L. Cason John Lacy Cason (July 30, 1918 – July 7, 1961), also credited as Bob Cason and John L. Cason, was an American actor active in both films and television. During his 20-year career he appeared in over 200 films and television shows. He is b ...

as Louie *

John Merton John Merton (born Myrtland F. LaVarre; February 18, 1901 – September 19, 1959) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1927 and 1959, mostly as a villain. He was the brother of filmmaker André de la Varre an ...

as Jerry Benton * Fred F. Sears as Radio announcer (voice) * Unknown actor as Policeman * Unknown actor as Policeman

Production notes

''A Snitch in Time'' was filmed December 13–16, 1949, the last Stooge film produced in the 1940s. It has been consistently ranked as the most violent Stooge film of the Shemp era. Unlike the Curly-era equivalent '' They Stooge to Conga'', in which all three Stooges receive their fair share of abuse, most of the violence in ''A Snitch in Time'' is directed at Moe. In its opening four minutes, Moe gets his nose and buttocks jammed into the blade of a giant table saw, as well as getting wood glue in his eye and stuck on his hands. David J. Hogan, author of the 2011 book ''Three Stooges FAQ'', commented that "kids of the day—before bicycle helmets, seat belts, and moratoriums on peanut butter—loved this kind of torment. It's still funny today, but you keep waiting for the spray of blood." Hogan adds that a February 2001 post to the website ''www.threestooges.net'' commented that "Only '' Dawn of the Dead'' gives you more pain for your entertainment dollar".''A Snitch in Time'' at threestooges.net
/ref> Although Columbia short subject head/director

Jules White Jules White (born Julius Weiss; hu, Weisz Gyula; 17 September 190030 April 1985) was a Hungarian-American film director and producer best known for his short-subject comedies starring The Three Stooges Early years White began working in mo ...

was known for the usage of excessive violence in his films, ''A Snitch in Time'' was directed by

, who always maintained that the violence was not to be excessive in the films he directed. The title ''A Snitch in Time'' parodies the

aphorism An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by tra ...

"a stitch in time saves nine."

References

External links

* *
''A Snitch in Time'' at threestooges.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Snitch In Time, A 1950 films 1950 comedy films American black-and-white films Films directed by Edward Bernds The Three Stooges films Columbia Pictures short films American comedy short films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films