Heap o' Pies Sun Mar 14, 2021
Pies 'n' Such
H/T THE AMAZING KNOWLEDGE BASE OF A♠
Moe Howard. The all-time best pie-thrower in the world. When you wanted to stage a pie fight, you got Moe to do it. He could put a pie smack in your face every time.
Moe throwing pies on The Mike Douglas Show:
At the risk of injecting something odd into the ONT. where did the pie in the face Gag originate? We laugh at the stooges doing it in the 30's or 40's I'd guess.
If I recall correctly the silent films had them Did that precede film?…
If I recall correctly the silent films had them Did that precede film?…
Posted by: Pete Bog at March 06, 2021 01:06 AM on A♠
It was not likely a vaudeville gag, as then you'd have to clean up afterwards. Legend has it that the silent comedienne Mabel Normand invented the gag, which became popular in the Keystone Kops shorts produced by Mack Sennett, although the silent comic Ben Turpin is thought to have taken the first pie to the face in 1909 in the comedy Mr Flip.
Here's Mabel:
And here's Mr Flip. The pie gag comes around 3.35 in:
Mr. Flip (1909) - 1st Pie in the Face in a movie - BEN TURPIN | Gilbert M. "Broncho Billy" Anderson
Change Before Going Productions, YouTube, Jul 11, 2012 (3:44)
Change Before Going Productions, YouTube, Jul 11, 2012 (3:44)
Here's a page with those still shots of the pie fight scene in the war room:
Rare images of the Dr Strangelove custard pie fight
I would love to have seen that. I think it would've worked. But at the time, especially after the JFK assassination with "our president has been struck down!", they figured it was too much.
Pres. Muffley and some of the others ends up covered in custard, making little "sand castles", prompting Dr. Strangelove to observe, "Their minds have snapped from the strain."
The future was Dr. Strangelove.
Pete - the silent star Mary Pickford used to eat roses, in the belief that it kept her beautiful (which was a lot less stressful that bathing in the blood of virgins). This led to the lovely song "Mary Pickford (Used to Eat Roses)" by Katie Melua. Enjoy and have a lovely weekend!