Jerks of All Trades 1949

Three bumbling adventurers headline a comic showcase as The Stooges: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Shemp Howard who chase a new job each week, hoping for a breakthrough, but their plans routinely crumble into chaotic mischief that fuels the series.

In the pilot, they dive into interior decorating. When they meet Mr. Pennyfeather, Emil Sitka, Shemp accidentally stains the man’s clothes, drawing his ire. Undeterred, the trio challenges him with their signature Texas routine and ends up ejecting him from their cramped office amid a whirlwind of pratfalls and slapstick.

Not long after, a second client calls and invites them to manage her household. Inside her home, while attempting a wallpapering job, they unleash more chaos, turning walls wonky and furniture askew. The client turns out to be Mrs. Pennyfeather, Symona Boniface, and the house proves to be Mr. Pennyfeather’s residence all along. When he returns home, he discovers himself adorned with wallpaper, and recognition flashes between him and the Stooges.

Enraged, both Pennyfeathers converge on the trio, pelting them with paint and tools while exchanging sharp quips about hiring the chaotic trio. Moe, Larry, and Shemp emerge battered, but somehow intact, and decide to scrub interior decorators from the door’s list of services on their office. The door’s list grows with a string of comically misspelled future occupations, hinting at the next misadventure: from physicians and lawyers to engineers and babysitters.