Tuners in movies

[Mark Dierauf]

My favorite one is an old Edgar Kennedy short that I saw years ago (anyone
else remember him?).  The basic premise is a familiar one that's been used
many times - husband and wife get into an argument about whose job is
hardest. Husband says that any fool could do housework and wife says put yer
money where your mouth is, so they swap jobs for the day with wife going
into the office and husband staying home to deal with the housework. Wife
(of course) gets at least 6 months of piled up office work done with
efficiancy and aplomb. Husbands day starts out well enough, but ends up an
unmitigated disaster. Anyway, the tuner rings the doorbell, telling Edgar
that his wife had set up an appointment to have the piano tuned, so Kennedy
shows him to the instrument - a grand and he gets to work. By this time, the
pots are boiling over on the stove, the roast is burning, junior's locked
himself in the bathroom with the tub overflowing, and at least a dozen other
thing are going wrong for our hero. Add to this the tuner incessently
hitting the same note over and over: "ding, ding... DING!" and Edgar is
beginning to lose it big time. This goes on for a while, and every time we
see Kennedy dealing (or trying to deal) with another problem we can either
see or hear this same note being tuned off in the other room. Finally, Edgar
can stand no more, and we see him approacing the poor tuner rubbing his
hands and repeating the words "Limb from limb!, limb from limb!" with malice
in his eyes.
  He eventually hits upon the idea of calling in professional housecleaners,
and by the time his wife gets home, everything is in order - a nice hot
dinner on the table, junior washed and dressed, house cleaned to within an
inch of it's life. Wife is impressed, but incredulous. Then we hear from the
other room - "ding, ding...DING!" They go into the room where the piano is,
but there's no tuner - until the lid opens and he climb out and says "All
done sir, would you care to try it out?" Kennedy tries one note - the same
one that we've heard all along. He tries another - same pitch. Another, and
again the same pitch. He plays a scale or two. Every key is tuned to the
same pitch! the short ends with Edgar chasing the tuner out of the house.
  Always wanted to show that one at a Regional.

- Mark