Films of Emil Sitka: SLAPPILY MARRIED
by Saxon E. Sitka
Long before he joined The Three Stooges in 1958, Joe De Rita had a career as a solo act ,and he starred in four Columbia short subjects. SLAPPILY MARRIED was his first one. About a month after this job, Emil worked again with De Rita in
GOOD BAD EGG, De Rita's second, and then about a year later he got the call for
JITTER BUGHOUSE, De Rita's last Columbia short.
Although Emil had already worked with Christine McIntyre in several films, this was his first scene with her. He was just beginning to know her, and he even misspells her name in the following diary excerpt from Thursday, August 15, 1946:
Well here I am again - out at Columbia ranch in Burbank, playing another bit role. This time I'm a lawyer with one speech, a brief-case, hat and spectacles and it's in a comedy short, whose star is Joe De Rita.
I rehearse once, make a suggestion, get my position marked - and presto, I'm ready! The cue comes, I speak to Christine Mackintosh and fumble on the word "divorce." But the second "take" sees me deliver my speech, react to her reply, put my hat on with a "good-night" and exit - right out of the picture.
I'm through, my work is ended. I get $50 for this, and go home!
At the abandoned dressing room I bump into Chester Morris. Upon my compliment (& genuine it is) he beamed with appreciation. I shook his hand and earnestly told him I admired his work over the years.
I missed my bus, and so I hitch-hiked home - feeling like a movie actor. I was soaked to this skin with sweat, but happy. I picked up my script for my next role.
Chester Morris was a fairly well-known movie star in 1946, having appeared in almost 80 films throughout the twenties, thirties, and forties. Morris worked mostly in action and mystery movies, and he had an on-going starring role in the "Boston Blackie" series of features, which spanned over a dozen episodes between 1940 and 1950. Emil met him but never had occasion to work with him.
