Three Stooges Openings/Theme Songs

[TServo2049]

Can anyone list all the openings and theme songs that were used in
the Three Stooges shorts, how long they were used for, and when they
started and stopped using them?

[TServo2049]

"L.S. Coker" wrote:

> Somebody will have all the info but the most popular ones were:
>
> "Listen To The Mocking Bird" and "Three Blind Mice"

I remember 3 OPENINGS, one had "Mocking Bird" and had the torch
lady, then had names come on screen one by one, and Curly was spelled
"Curley!" The next was the "Three Blind Mice" opening, with the Torch
Lady either on the side, or not on the screen at all. YET another had
the 3 Stooges going, "Hello-hello-hello" followed by, in unison,
"Hello!"

[L.S. Coker]

Somebody will have all the info but the most popular ones were:

"Listen To The Mocking Bird" and "Three Blind Mice"

Stephen

[Matt Killeen]

I believe all of the Shemps had a variation on the "Three Blind Mice" theme,
except the two 3-D shorts, which started with the Stooges running toward the
camera, followed by (I think) "Three Blind Mice" over a 3-D background.

Joe Besser had the "Hello-hello-hello" opening throughout.

Curly had a bunch of different theme songs in his early movies. The later
ones had "Mocking Bird" (I didn't know what it was called), and his last few
had the 'Shemp' style opening with "Three Blind Mice"

--mk (aka hp)

> From: TServo2049 <jeff...@ncal.verio.com>
> Organization: Verio
> Newsgroups: alt.comedy.slapstick.3-stooges
> Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2000 22:11:53 -0800
> Subject: Re: Three Stooges Openings/Theme Songs

>
>
>
> "L.S. Coker" wrote:
>
>> Somebody will have all the info but the most popular ones were:
>>
>> "Listen To The Mocking Bird" and "Three Blind Mice"
>

[JnCo7926]

Up until the episode "You Natzy Spy!" (1940) the music was always a variation
of "Listen To The Mockingbird." After that, the music changed to "Three Blind
Mice." I always thought that all Shemp shorts had "Three Blind Mice." As for
Joe shorts, I have no idea. (Haven't been getting up early enough to watch
AMC.) =(
-jnco

p.s. Sorry if this information is incorrect, it comes from the back of the
movie cover "They Stooge To Conga" (Which has "You Natzy Spy!" on it) and for
each episode they tell a interesting fact about it.

[RANDALL BOYER]

Certainly, "Three Blind Mice" was one of the Stooges' themes, but where
did "Listen to the Mockingbird" appear? I recall once on the "Tonight"
show, while Carson was still the host, comic (and Stooge fan) Bruce
Mahler, who was one of the repertory cast members on ABC's late-night
"SNL"-wannabe, "FRIDAYS", performed a piano routine that was
recognizable as the other Stooges' theme. Mahler never named the title
of the song, but the lyrics went like "All the napes, at home with their
mothers, in the garden, making doody, all the napes, at home with their
mothers, in the garden making doody all night long." ---That's what I
understood, though I don't know what "Napes" are supposed to be, either.
Did anyone else see that particular broadcast; Mahler had a bird (a
parrot?) in the routine. -----Randy.

[L.S. Coker]

"Listen To The Mocking Bird" is just as much a Stooge theme as "3 Blind
Mice". When you hear it you'll notice it is "sung" as "La's" by a chorus of
comic voices, almost sounding like "Curly" in tone. The approximate words
are:

"I am dreaming now of Hailey, Sweet Hailey,Sweet Hailey" sang twice then
finishing off with...
"The Mocking Bird is still singing in the tree"

Please note I can't remember if she's spelled as "Halley" or "Hailey". Why?
Because I had a 1940's music book back in the early 60's with this song in
it and that's the last time I looked at it. Wish my short-term memory was as
good!

Stephen

[Mark Mudgett]

"Listen to the Mockingbird" is a song from the 1850's,
and many people who are familiar with the chorus
("Listen to the mockingbird ...") don't recognize the
verse ("I'm dreaming now of Hallie ..."), which is
the part the Stooges used.

The song was popular during the civil war, and is
usually performed with tweety-birdy sound effects
or bird-like musical ornamentation. The Stooges'
theme has the birdies, as does the melody from the
following URL. "Listen to the Mockingbird" and
"Three Blind Mice" were used, in somewhat "jazzed
up" arrangements, as the best-known Three Stooges
them songs.

See:
http://www.acronet.net/~robokopp/usa/imdreami.htm
(The words are not exactly correct,
but pretty close.)

[TServo2049]

Mark Mudgett wrote:

> "Listen to the Mockingbird" is a song from the 1850's,
> and many people who are familiar with the chorus
> ("Listen to the mockingbird ...") don't recognize the
> verse ("I'm dreaming now of Hallie ..."), which is
> the part the Stooges used.
>
> The song was popular during the civil war, and is
> usually performed with tweety-birdy sound effects
> or bird-like musical ornamentation. The Stooges'
> theme has the birdies, as does the melody from the
> following URL. "Listen to the Mockingbird" and
> "Three Blind Mice" were used, in somewhat "jazzed
> up" arrangements, as the best-known Three Stooges
> them songs.

Where can I find the Stooges version of it, from the opening titles, in a
sound file?

[G.S.]

What's interesting is the various arrangements of "Three Blind Mice" used
in the films. As an ex-music arranger myself, I happen to really like the
last Curly/early Shemp arrangement used. I'm not sure, but I think they
were done by Morris Stoloff, who was the musical director at Columbia.

Gregg Stevens

[Thomas Wayne]

"G.S." wrote:

> What's interesting is the various arrangements of "Three Blind Mice" used
> in the films. As an ex-music arranger myself, I happen to really like the
> last Curly/early Shemp arrangement used. I'm not sure, but I think they
> were done by Morris Stoloff, who was the musical director at Columbia.
>

That's true. I have always noticed that there were several different versions
of the "Three Blind Mice" theme.

There was version #1 which began with either "Flat Foot Stooges" or "We Want
Our Mummy" (contrary to some reports, I don't think "You Nazty Spy" was the
first) and ended with "What's the Matador?".

Version #2 starts with "Matri-Phony" and ends with "No Dough Boys".

Version #3 (my favorite and sadly most under used) starts with "Gents Without
Cents" and ends with (I think) "Three Loan Wolves".

Version #4 starts with "If a Body Meets a Body" and ends with "Hot Scots".

Version #5 starts with "Hold That Lion". As to where it ends, I'm not sure. I
haven't seen all of the Shemp flicks but I'm guessing it was around when Joe
replaced Shemp.

Yes, I know the releases of some of these films may seem contradictive ("If a
Body Meets a Body" predates "Three Loan Wolves" but I'm pretty sure Version #3
was used as the opening for TLW maybe just to use it one last time. Ditto
"Hold That Lion" and "Hot Scots").

[Hal Erickson]

Don't forget those stock themes which were heard in the first eight
Columbia shorts, released in 1934-35.

WOMAN HATERS uses an instrumental of that short's signature tune, "For
You."

Both PUNCH DRUNKS and MEN IN BLACK use a theme that was apparently
lifted from one of Columbia's "Musical Novelties" (it was also heard
in the studio's early Monty Collins/Tom Kennedy shorts)

THREE LITTLE PIGSKINS uses a stock 'football rally' march.

HORSES' COLLARS uses a lively theme that was evidently drawn from
Columbia's B-western films (and was later heard as the "exit" music in
the Charley Chase shorts).

RESTLESS KNIGHTS contains a magnificent "pomp and circumstance"-style
theme (marred only by a slight mistake in the trumpet section)

POP GOES THE EASEL! uses, what else, "Pop Goes the Weasel" (the same
orchestration heard in PUNCH DRUNKS)

And UNCIVIL WARRIORS offers a medley of "Dixie" and "Battle Hymn of
the Republic."

"Listen to the Mockingbird" was first heard in PARDON MY SCOTCH, while
"Three Blind Mice" was introduced in FLAT FOOT STOOGES (though not
officially adopted as the Stooges' theme until WE WANT OUR MUMMY). If
you listen carefully, you'll notice that the orchestration of
"Mockingbird" is different at the end of 1936's SLIPPERY SILKS.

And in 1945's UNCIVIL WARBIRDS, "Dixie" is heard in the opening
credits, while the traditional "Three Blind Mice" (the one introed in
MATRI-PHONY) was played over the "End" title.

--Hal E

[Tweeter542]

>Don't forget those stock themes which were heard in the first eight
>Columbia shorts, released in 1934-35.

The actual titles of some of the opening themes used in the early shorts were:
Woman Haters-"At Last"
Punch Drunks-"I Thought I Wanted You"
Men in Black- " " " " "
Three Little Pigskins-"Eastmoor College
March"
Horses'Collars-"At the Races"
Restless Knights-"Entry of the Giants"
Pop Goes the Easel-"Pop Goes the
Weasel"
These songs were all previously used in other entries from the Musical
Novelties Series. For further information about these songs, their composers
and other music used in the Stooges shorts, refer to issues
87 thru 92 of "The Three Stooges Journal"
-Gary Lassin

[L.S. Coker]

Gee Gary thanks a million! I forgot about those. I didn't realise they used
"At Last" at all. I'm actually working on that piece for a music album. I'm
a session guitarist/musician as well as an electronics/computer tech.

Stephen