Weird Vacuum Cleaner in "The Three Stooges"

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THERE USED TO BE a really neat place in Hollywood called ELLIS MERCANTLE. It was one of the last remaining movie studio prop rental shops, housed in a huge old warehouse building something like 10 or 12 stories tall, near the once-notorious corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Highland Avenue.

Every imaginable movie prop could be rented there, and the place -- serving as a cluttered, unofficial museum of Hollywood movie making -- was, once upon a time, open to the public.

Back in the early 1980s I used to work near the Ellis Mercantile building. (Noooo, I was NOT working on the corner of Santa Monica and Highland -- I'd never have made a dime doing THAT, unless I charged by the pound. In which case "I'D BE RICH, I TELL YA, RICH.")

But I digress.

Anyhow, as I said, I used to work near Ellis Mercantile. It was in those hallowed, if dusty and disheveled halls that, one fine day, two enormous passions of mine intersected in grand form:

The Three Stooges, and Vintage Electrolux Vacuum Cleaners.

I walked over there one day during a lunch break and wandered around, looking at the racks of every imaginable movie artifact, some things eye-popping and some things very mundane. I rounded a corner and made my way to a far, dark corner of the main floor because I had spied a pile of old appliances back there -- old toasters, mixers and so on. As soon as I got there I saw, sitting on the floor under a shelf, the immediately recognizable front snout of an Electrolux Model XII!

I was quite excited to find this because I knew that this particular model of Electrolux had appeared in some old Three Stooges features. While I had no way of knowing whether or not this was the actual "Stooges" vacuum cleaner, it may well have been since it was from that era and at that time Ellis Mercantile was already doing a booming prop business. And it was the only Model XII that I saw there. (There were a few other old vacuums there but none that caught my eye at the time since this was before I started actively collecting them; among them was a Hoover coffee-can model [I don't recall the model] that may have been used on the "Blondie" series.)

(Please don't judge me because I love the Three Stooges!)

Well, I wanted that Model XII very, verrrrrry badly -- partly because of the (granted, tenuous) connection with the Stooges ------- but also because I had not actually seen one of these models since I was a little kid. I had no idea I'd ever actually find one, let alone one with such potentially exciting provenance!

I grabbed the machine and hauled it up to the front counter, naively asking how much it cost. The guy behind the counter snorted and said "Sorry, sonny, we don't sell this stuff. We RENT it, and only to production companies."

I said, "Aw c'mon, no one is gonna want this old thing and I really need it for a special project."

"Sorry, but 'no-can-do.'"

I am ashamed to say that I begged and BEGGED and BEGGGGGGED. To no avail, of course.

Indeed, the more I begged, the more the answer was a successively LESS POLITE "No....."

So I left, very frustrated, disappointed and angry. And I never was able to put that Model XII out of my mind.

Then, quite a few years later on another fine day, what to wondering eyes should appear but the following "mention" in the Hollywood Reporter:

===========================

The Stuff of Dreams

Auction of Film Props Signals Sale of a Century

It's a nondescript warehouse located in the heart of Hollywood, with only a sign outside announcing the presence of Ellis Mercantile.

But inside?

From the floors to the ceilings, for as far as the eye can see, there are shelves jammed with all sorts of items. Want a Roman baton from "Ben Hur"? A gladiator helmet from "Spartacus"? How about the baseball bat Robert DeNiro used in "The Untouchables" to pound a point home?

These items, and millions more, are going to be sold June 8 through June 12 [2000]. For the first time in its nearly 100-year-old history, the contents of the Ellis Prop Shop are going on the auction block.

This is the largest auction of Hollywood memorabilia since MGM sold its backlot in the 1970s. The owners of Ellis, which began as a pawn shop here in 1908, cite changing times, production changes and the advent of modern technology for their decision to call it quits.

And, as the saying goes: Everything must go.

The auction will be held at the Universal Hilton Hotel, next door to Universal Studios in Los Angeles. For a complete list of items you can go to remarketing associates dot com.

The auction will begin each day at 10 a.m. PDT (3 p.m. EDT).

Make no mistake about it: There is junk among the jewels. There are thousands of generic items ranging from glassware to stuffed animals, and hundreds of things will be sold by the lot. Much of it belongs in the trash.

Unfortunately, many items cannot be authenticated. "There are millions of pieces here that we cannot name because we don't have the research anymore," Burns said. "But that's the sad tale of Hollywood. You cannot name a major studio that did not at some time send things to the landfill."

That's precisely where all of Ellis' paperwork ended up.

Items that can be authenticated include luggage -- complete with a big "L" emblazoned on its side -- used by Penny Marshall in the TV show "Laverne and Shirley"; the gong used in "The Gong Show"; and a deck of cards used by Mel Gibson in the film "Maverick."

That connection to popular culture is what will set this sale apart, Burns said. "It's not just (items used by) Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable and James Dean that are getting big money anymore," he said. "Some of the things that look insignificant to most people will get fantastic bids because at least two people know that that piece came from this-or-that classic movie and they will bid as much as they can."

===========================

SO, YES, DEAR READERS, as you probably have surmised: Guess who claimed a seat on the first day of that auction.

And yes, sure enough, the Model XII that I so badly wanted did eventually come up for auction, in a larger lot of "miscellaneous home appliances." And, YES, I won the bid -- getting a pretty big load of other stuff that I didn't want, but I =DID= finally get that Electrolux! And I only paid a pittance for the lot, as I was the only bidder.

I do still have the "Stooges" XII -- presuming the most optimistically!

Here's a link about some of the Hoovers from the "Blondie" films and then below that a photo of the Model XII.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO electrolux137's LINK

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Post# 300973 10/7/2014 at 16:44 (3,487 days old) by electrolux137 (Los Angeles)
Checkrate/Likes ~ ~ I thought I'd seen all "The Three Stooges" episodes with vacuum cleaners until I found this one! Look closely at the vacuum cleaner -- it's a Premier that has been altered by the Prop Department -- look at the motor unit! CLICK HERE TO GO TO electrolux137's LINK

Post# 301026 , Reply# 1 10/8/2014 at 08:08 (3,486 days old) by portable (Corvallis, OR)
Checkrate/Likes "Hammond Egger" - I love it! Yep, sure looks like a Premier that's been squared off around the edges of the base. Nyuh nyuh nyuh.....

Post# 301127 , Reply# 2 10/9/2014 at 03:10 (3,486 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC)
Checkrate/Likes In another Three Stooges show-this one with Curely?Curely was using an old upright metal vacuum-appeared to be a Royal-with an "A-OOGA" horn on the top of the floor nozzle.He used the horn to make Moe get out of the way while vacuuming the "grass" carpet in the yard they were living in.Then Moe and Curely starting arguing or fighting-then the bag of the vacuum inflated like a balloon and blew up-covering all of them with dust,dirt,debris.Than a tractor drove thru the yard smashing all of their things.I have a complete boxed set of the Three Stooges shows-could look for this one.

Post# 301172 , Reply# 3 10/9/2014 at 12:33 (3,485 days old) by electrolux137 (Los Angeles)
Checkrate/Likes ~ ~ There are quite a few Three Stooges episodes with vacuum cleaners, some with an Electrolux Model XII that I am fairly certain I now have. Long story, I've told it before... Photos... < > Photo 1 of 2 View Full Size

Post# 301208 , Reply# 4 10/9/2014 at 16:12 (3,485 days old) by super-sweeper (KSSRC Refurbishment Center)
Checkrate/Likes Mind telling it again, Charles? A copy-and-paste version would do!

Post# 301271 , Reply# 5 10/9/2014 at 22:00 (3,485 days old) by robv ()
Checkrate/Likes You guys are going to turn me into a vacuum cleaner ... uh ... nut. PLEASE don't be offended! :)

Post# 301275 , Reply# 6 10/9/2014 at 23:48 (3,485 days old) by electrolux137 (Los Angeles)
Checkrate/Likes *The Three Stooges Electrolux (Maybe!)* ~ ~ THERE USED TO BE a really neat place in Hollywood called ELLIS MERCANTLE. It was one of the last remaining movie studio prop rental shops, housed in a huge old warehouse building something like 10 or 12 stories tall, near the once-notorious corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Highland Avenue. Every imaginable movie prop could be rented there, and the place -- serving as a cluttered, unofficial museum of Hollywood movie making -- was, once upon a time, open to the public. Back in the early 1980s I used to work near the Ellis Mercantile building. (Noooo, I was NOT working on the corner of Santa Monica and Highland -- I'd never have made a dime doing THAT, unless I charged by the pound. In which case "I'D BE RICH, I TELL YA, RICH.") But I digress. Anyhow, as I said, I used to work near Ellis Mercantile. It was in those hallowed, if dusty and disheveled halls that, one fine day, two enormous passions of mine intersected in grand form: The Three Stooges, and Vintage Electrolux Vacuum Cleaners. I walked over there one day during a lunch break and wandered around, looking at the racks of every imaginable movie artifact, some things eye-popping and some things very mundane. I rounded a corner and made my way to a far, dark corner of the main floor because I had spied a pile of old appliances back there -- old toasters, mixers and so on. As soon as I got there I saw, sitting on the floor under a shelf, the immediately recognizable front snout of an Electrolux Model XII! I was quite excited to find this because I knew that this particular model of Electrolux had appeared in some old Three Stooges features. While I had no way of knowing whether or not this was the actual "Stooges" vacuum cleaner, it may well have been since it was from that era and at that time Ellis Mercantile was already doing a booming prop business. And it was the only Model XII that I saw there. (There were a few other old vacuums there but none that caught my eye at the time since this was before I started actively collecting them; among them was a Hoover coffee-can model [I don't recall the model] that may have been used on the "Blondie" series.) (Please don't judge me because I love the Three Stooges!) Well, I wanted that Model XII very, verrrrrry badly -- partly because of the (granted, tenuous) connection with the Stooges ------- but also because I had not actually seen one of these models since I was a little kid. I had no idea I'd ever actually find one, let alone one with such potentially exciting provenance! I grabbed the machine and hauled it up to the front counter, naively asking how much it cost. The guy behind the counter snorted and said "Sorry, sonny, we don't sell this stuff. We RENT it, and only to production companies." I said, "Aw c'mon, no one is gonna want this old thing and I really need it for a special project." "Sorry, but 'no-can-do.'" I am ashamed to say that I begged and BEGGED and BEGGGGGGED. To no avail, of course. Indeed, the more I begged, the more the answer was a successively LESS POLITE "No....." So I left, very frustrated, disappointed and angry. And I never was able to put that Model XII out of my mind. Then, quite a few years later on another fine day, what to wondering eyes should appear but the following "mention" in the Hollywood Reporter: =========================== The Stuff of Dreams Auction of Film Props Signals Sale of a Century It's a nondescript warehouse located in the heart of Hollywood, with only a sign outside announcing the presence of Ellis Mercantile. But inside? From the floors to the ceilings, for as far as the eye can see, there are shelves jammed with all sorts of items. Want a Roman baton from "Ben Hur"? A gladiator helmet from "Spartacus"? How about the baseball bat Robert DeNiro used in "The Untouchables" to pound a point home? These items, and millions more, are going to be sold June 8 through June 12 [2000]. For the first time in its nearly 100-year-old history, the contents of the Ellis Prop Shop are going on the auction block. This is the largest auction of Hollywood memorabilia since MGM sold its backlot in the 1970s. The owners of Ellis, which began as a pawn shop here in 1908, cite changing times, production changes and the advent of modern technology for their decision to call it quits. And, as the saying goes: Everything must go. The auction will be held at the Universal Hilton Hotel, next door to Universal Studios in Los Angeles. For a complete list of items you can go to remarketing associates dot com. The auction will begin each day at 10 a.m. PDT (3 p.m. EDT). Make no mistake about it: There is junk among the jewels. There are thousands of generic items ranging from glassware to stuffed animals, and hundreds of things will be sold by the lot. Much of it belongs in the trash. Unfortunately, many items cannot be authenticated. "There are millions of pieces here that we cannot name because we don't have the research anymore," Burns said. "But that's the sad tale of Hollywood. You cannot name a major studio that did not at some time send things to the landfill." That's precisely where all of Ellis' paperwork ended up. Items that can be authenticated include luggage -- complete with a big "L" emblazoned on its side -- used by Penny Marshall in the TV show "Laverne and Shirley"; the gong used in "The Gong Show"; and a deck of cards used by Mel Gibson in the film "Maverick." That connection to popular culture is what will set this sale apart, Burns said. "It's not just (items used by) Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable and James Dean that are getting big money anymore," he said. "Some of the things that look insignificant to most people will get fantastic bids because at least two people know that that piece came from this-or-that classic movie and they will bid as much as they can." =========================== SO, YES, DEAR READERS, as you probably have surmised: Guess who claimed a seat on the first day of that auction. And yes, sure enough, the Model XII that I so badly wanted did eventually come up for auction, in a larger lot of "miscellaneous home appliances." And, YES, I won the bid -- getting a pretty big load of other stuff that I didn't want, but I =DID= finally get that Electrolux! And I only paid a pittance for the lot, as I was the only bidder. I do still have the "Stooges" XII -- presuming the most optimistically! Here's a link about some of the Hoovers from the "Blondie" films and then below that a photo of the Model XII. CLICK HERE TO GO TO electrolux137's LINK View Full Size

Post# 301281 , Reply# 7 10/10/2014 at 01:56 (3,485 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC)
Checkrate/Likes Frame "grabs" of Three Stooges shows-forgot about that 'Lux used by them in an episode where they acting as car techs.The machine shown in the first picture was the one I was talking about.Glad you got the 'Lux!!!!

Post# 301314 , Reply# 8 10/10/2014 at 13:35 (3,484 days old) by super-sweeper (KSSRC Refurbishment Center)
Checkrate/Likes That's a great story, Charles! Thanks for sharing, and thanks for the link,I loved the slideshow! What other appliances did you get with the auction, did you sell them off or keep them? Would you mind sharing how much you paid? (I can understand if not, or you can message me if you prefer). Thanks again, Charles!

Post# 301785 , Reply# 9 10/14/2014 at 08:43 (3,480 days old) by reich4313 ()
Checkrate/Likes *Electrolux x11* 137, You are an excellent writer and story teller! Do you do a blog? If not, please consider starting one of your own!