3 DUMB CLUCKS

Production Information
Title: 
3 Dumb Clucks 
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 22
Release Date: April 17, 1937
Running Time: 16:49

“Speak to me kid, say somethin’. Come on, please say somethin’!” “Somethin’.” – (Moe & Curly)

3 Dumb Clucks Short Take 

In 3 Dumb Clucks, The Stooges are in jail when their mother sends them a letter. The letter states that their father (Curly Howard, pulling double duty as both himself and his father) has just become rich via an oil well and is planning to leave their mother and marry young gold-digging blonde Daisy (Lucille Lund). The Stooges break out of jail and set off to try to stop the wedding. But since Curly and his father look exactly alike, Daisy ends up marrying the wrong man. The Stooges manage to escape the clutches of the criminals trying to kill them for their father’s oil money and rescue their father.

3 Dumb Clucks Cast & Crew

Directed byDel Lord
Produced byJules White
Written byClyde Bruckman
StarringMoe Howard
Larry Fine
Curly Howard
Lucille Lund
Frank Mills
Eddie Laughton
Cy Schindell
Al Thompson
Harry Tenbrook
Lew Davis
CinematographyAndré Barlatier
Edited byCharles Nelson

3 Dumb Clucks Trivia 

  • This is the third of sixteen Stooge shorts using the word “three” in the title, however, 3 Dumb Clucks is the only one to use the number “3”. It was reworked in 1953 as Up in Daisy’s Penthouse, using minimal stock footage from the original.
  • During the scene where Curly’s father arrives for his wedding, two of the gold digger’s henchmen dispose of him by throwing him down an elevator shaft. The prop men had padded the bottom of the shaft to cushion Curly’s fall but neglected to cover a protruding 2″ x 4″ panel. Curly was thrown down the shaft quickly, and landed head-first on the 2″ x 4″, tearing his scalp open. As the Stooges were workhorses at Columbia Pictures, Curly was not taken to the hospital. Instead, the studio physician was rushed to the set to apply several stitches to Curly’s scalp. Some fresh hair was glued over the wound, and with a healthy dose of painkillers, the slightly wobbly Stooge was back in action within a few hours.
  • 10 Year Tools Routine also used in Also used in:  Pardon My Scotch, How High Is Up?, Dizzy Detectives, and Meet The Baron. 

Moe: Get the tools!
Larry/Curly: What tools?
Moe: The tools we’ve been using for the last ten years!

Production Notes

  • Filming for 3 Dumb Clucks commenced between February 1 and 5, 1937.
  •  It is a send-up of the feature film Three Smart Girls.