Matri-Phony

Production Information
Title: Matri-Phony
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 63
Release Date: July 2, 1942
Running Time: 17:10

“Oh, food! Vitamins A, B, C, D, E, F, Gee I like food!”

Short Take

In Matri-Phony, The Three Stooges live in “Ancient Erysipelas,” (parody of Ancient Rome) where they run Ye Olde Pottery Shop. The powerful Emperor Octopus Grabus (Vernon Dent) is in search of a new wife again, with his sights set on redheads. Lovely Diana (Marjorie Deanne), who has kindled Grabus’ interest, hides out in The Stooges’ shop. A palace guard catches onto the scheme and all are brought to Grabus. As a result, they are all condemned to be fed to the lions at the Colosseum. The Boys help Diana escape, while Moe and Larry convince Curly to dress up as Octopus’s prospective bride. These two then destroy the glasses of the nearly-blind Grabus, who cannot see past his nose. The Stooges make a rapid escape by jumping out of palace windows. However, they end up getting caught, upside-down, on the spears of palace guards.

Matri-Phony Cast & Crew

Matri-Phony Trivia

• It is the first Stooge film to employ the accordion-based, driving version of “Three Blind Mice” over the opening credits and was used until the end of 1944
• The working title was Roamin’ Romans
• The emperor’s written proclamation may derive from DeMille’s Sign of The Cross, as did the sign in Dutiful but Dumb
• Stooge firsts, the crab crunch, shaking the unconscious guard’s heads, and getting stabbed by a sword shoved through a door

Eddie Cantor’s Roman Scandals Three Stooges Connections

• Its laughing gas scene influenced the one in Boobs in Arms
• Louise Carver, recently playing the king’s hideous sister in Some More of Samoa, appeared as a hideous and unwanted slave in Roman Scandals
• Scenes filmed with starlets playing beauty contest winners were cut from the final release; this was in keeping with Roman Scandals as well

Production Notes

Matri-Phony was the first short filmed in 1942, shot on March 5-25 of that year