Stuff You Should Know

Short Stuff: Pie-In-The-Face Gag

Wed Jul 19 2023

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Description

The episode explores the history of the pie in the face gag, techniques and tips for pie throwing, and how pie throwing has been used as a form of protest. It covers the origins of the gag in Vaudeville, its decline and resurgence in films, and famous instances of pie throwing. The chapter also delves into the techniques used for pie throwing, including baking pies to brittleness and using shaving cream instead of real filling. Lastly, it examines how pie throwing has been used as a form of protest, targeting powerful individuals and promoting social change.

Insights

Pie in the Face Gag's Long History

The pie in the face gag has a long history, starting back in Vaudeville in the late 1800s. It gained popularity in films, declined due to overuse, and had a resurgence with Laurel and Hardy's film 'Battle of the Century' in 1927.

Techniques for Pie Throwing

Pie throwing requires careful technique to ensure comedic effect without causing harm. Pies were baked to brittleness and had double-layered crusts to shatter upon impact. Spoofing the gag with whipped cream or shaving cream is considered cheap, and blonde hair worked better with dark pies while light pies looked better on dark hair.

Pie Throwing as a Form of Protest

Pie throwing has been used as a form of protest to bring down powerful individuals. Famous figures like Bill Gates and Rupert Murdoch have been pied in the face publicly. The founder of High Times, Thomas Forçade, was the first person to pie someone in 1970. The Biotic Baking Brigade targeted neo-Nazis, Klansmen, and homophobic preachers with pies.

Summary

Transcript

History of the Pie in the Face Gag

00:00 - 07:11

The comedy bit of getting a pie thrown in your face has a long history, starting back in Vaudeville in the late 1800s.
The first documented movie with a pie in the face gag was 'The Noise' in 1913, starring Mabel Norman and Fatty Arbuckle.
Keystone Studios became known for incorporating the pie in the face bit into their movies.
The term for the pie in the face gag is called 'Pying.'
The popularity of the pie in the face gag declined by 1916 due to overuse, but had a resurgence with Laurel and Hardy's film 'Battle of the Century' in 1927.
In that film, they used a record-breaking number of pies - 4,500.
The pie in the face gag continued to be used by other comedians like Buster Keaton and appeared in films throughout the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Techniques and Tips for Pie Throwing

06:44 - 13:29

Unwritten rules for pie throwing in comedy include hitting someone who deserves it, like a phony or snooty high society person.
Pies were baked to brittleness and had double-layered crusts to shatter upon impact.
Throwing a tin pie at someone can cause serious injury, so only the actual pie was thrown.
Spoofing the pie-in-the-face gag with whipped cream or shaving cream is considered a cheap way out.
Buster Keaton advised not turning around too early during the gag to avoid flinching and having to reshoot.
Blonde hair worked better with dark pies, while light pies looked better on dark hair.
Shaving cream was used instead of real filling for meringue-like pies because it doesn't spoil.
During the filming of 'The Great Race,' spoiled pies caused discomfort among the cast and crew, leading to a switch to shaving cream.
Some performers became known for their skill in throwing pies, such as Fatty R. Buckle and Mo Howard of The Stooges.

Pie Throwing as a Form of Protest

13:01 - 15:22

Pies in the face started as a funny act and have been around for a long time.
Throwing pies at powerful people became a way to bring them down a peg.
Famous individuals like Bill Gates and Rupert Murdoch have been pied in the face publicly.
The founder of High Times, Thomas Forçade, was the first person to pie someone in 1970.
The Biotic Baking Brigade, active in the 80s and 90s, targeted neo-Nazis, Klansmen, and homophobic preachers with pies.