An Ache in Every Stake

An Ache in Every Stake is a 1941 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 57th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot
The Stooges are hapless icemen, grappling with a series of misadventures as they navigate their mundane profession. Upon awakening from slumber within their delivery wagon, precipitated by their horse's agitation, Moe and Larry find themselves extricated from the vehicle's confines, while Curly, having employed a block of ice as an improvised pillow, becomes ensconced within its chilly embrace. Subsequently liberated from his icy enclosure, the trio embarks on their routine ice block deliveries, culminating in a challenging assignment at a residence perched atop a daunting staircase.

The arduous ascent to the elevated abode presents a formidable obstacle, exacerbated by the inexorable melting of their burdensome cargo. Despite concerted efforts and repeated setbacks, including fortuitous encounters with the aggrieved Mr. Lawrence, whose confectionery endeavors fall prey to the Stooges' inadvertent disruptions, the trio perseveres in their delivery endeavors, albeit with characteristic ineptitude.

Complications ensue when the Stooges, inadvertently precipitating the departure of the household staff, assume the roles of servants, tasked with preparing a celebratory dinner for the homeowner's husband. Unbeknownst to them, the husband in question is none other than Mr. Lawrence, whose prior encounters with the Stooges have left him less than enamored. Amidst their culinary exploits, characterized by misguided attempts at ice shaving and turkey stuffing, the Stooges unwittingly introduce foreign objects into the meal, eliciting bemusement and consternation among the dinner guests. However, their pièce de résistance, a birthday cake inflated with town gas, culminates in calamitous hilarity as the festivities devolve into chaos, culminating in a combustible denouement that exposes the Stooges' true identities.

In a flurry of indignation and chaos, the Stooges, compelled to vacate the premises, descend the staircase in ignominious fashion.

Credited

 * Curly Howard as Curly
 * Larry Fine as Larry
 * Moe Howard as Moe

Uncredited

 * Vernon Dent as Mr. Poindexter Lawrence
 * Bess Flowers as Mrs. Lawrence
 * Bud Jamison as baker
 * Dorothy Vernon as ice customer
 * Victor Travers as ice customer
 * Blanche Payson as maid
 * Gino Corrado as chef
 * Symona Boniface as party guest
 * Carl M. Leviness as party guest
 * Dice as himself

Production notes
Although similar in appearance, the long staircase seen in the film is not the same one used in Laurel and Hardy's lost film Hats Off (1927) nor the Academy Award-winning film The Music Box (1932). The stairs — 147 steps in length — are approximately two miles northeast, located at Fair Oak View Terrace and Edendale Place in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles. Unlike the stairs in The Music Box, this stairway begins from a cul-de-sac. Filming was completed March 26–29, 1941.

Curly's turkey-stuffing scene was performed earlier by Shemp Howard in the 1934 film A Peach of a Pair and again by Shemp in the Stooges' 1952 film Listen, Judge.

The plot device of carrying ice up a flight of stairs derives from the Billy Bevan silent film Ice Cold Cocos (1926), also directed by Del Lord. According to the SilentEra website, Ice Cold Cocos used the same staircase as Hats Off and The Music Box (located in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles on Vendome (923-937 Vendome) at Del Monte.

This is one of several Stooge shorts in which a sofa spring becomes attached to someone's backside. This gag was also used in Hoi Polloi, Three Little Sew and Sews, Hugs and Mugs and Have Rocket, Will Travel. The film marked the final appearance of supporting actress Bess Flowers with the Stooges.

An Ache in Every Stake is considered a quintessential Three Stooges film. Ranking as a consistent fan favorite, a colorized version was released in 2004 as part of the DVD collection "Stooged & Confoosed."