Sing a Song of Six Pants (1947)
“Cleaning, pressing and altercations: the Stooges take in a most dangerous customer.”
Streamed free from the Internet Archive · no signup, no cost — this film is in the public domain.
Synopsis
One of the most beloved Three Stooges shorts of the Shemp era, this Columbia two-reeler finds Moe, Larry and Shemp running the Pip Boys tailor shop and facing repossession by the Skin and Flint Finance Corporation. Salvation seems to arrive in the form of a fat reward offered for the capture of bank robber Terry 'Slippery Fingered' Hargan, and when the fugitive himself ducks into their shop and abandons a suit with a safe combination sewn into it, the chase is on. Director Jules White packs the brief running time with the trio's signature slapstick: shredded jackets, mistaken identities, a tussle with the gangster's moll and a pell-mell finale. Sharp, fast and endlessly rewatchable, it is a textbook example of the Columbia short-subject comedy machine at full tilt.
Cast
About the Director
Jules White — Jules White, who ran Columbia's short-subject department and directed scores of Stooges entries, builds the picture around tight, escalating gags and crisp timing, making every one of its seventeen minutes count.
Why It’s Free: The Public-Domain Story
Sing a Song of Six Pants is in the public domain in the United States. It is one of four Columbia Three Stooges shorts whose copyright was not renewed, so protection lapsed and the films entered the public domain; the other three are Disorder in the Court, Brideless Groom and Malice in the Palace.
Behind the Scenes
Released by Columbia Pictures in 1947, it was among the first shorts Shemp Howard made after rejoining the act to replace his brother Curly, who had suffered a stroke. The accidental lapse of its copyright is why it appears on countless budget compilations while most Stooges shorts remain under Columbia's control.
Did You Know?
- It is one of only four Three Stooges shorts in the public domain, making it a perennial on cheap home-video collections.
- The shop's sign advertises "Cleaning, Pressing and Altercations," a typical Stooges pun.
- Shemp Howard was actually the original third Stooge in the 1920s before Curly; this short came shortly after his return to the team.
Reception & Legacy
It remains a fan favorite, frequently cited among the best Shemp-era shorts, and its free availability has helped keep it one of the most widely seen Stooges comedies of all.
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