Production Information
Title: Studio Stoops
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 126
Release Date: October 5, 1950
Running Time: 16:00
“Say, when I come back, I’ll give ‘ya the password.” “Brilliant, what’ll it be?” “Open the door.” [smack!]
(Larry & Moe)
Studio Stoops Short Take
The Three Stooges are exterminators mistaken for B.O. Pictures’ publicity department. They are then instructed to drum up publicity for the studio’s lovely new actress Dolly Devore (Christine McIntyre) and arrange a fake kidnapping.
However, two gangsters hear the Stooges’ plan and kidnap Devore for real. The gangsters break into her hotel room, then tied her hands behind her back and zip her up in a large garment bag, forcing the Stooges to come to her rescue.
The film demonstrates how the innovative McCollum/Bernds/Ullman team can combine two frequently used Stooge premises with a recently popular Stooge scenario and an old gimmick to present a fresh Stooge crime drama.
| Directed by | Edward Bernds |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Hugh McCollum |
| Written by | Elwood Ullman |
| Starring | Moe Howard Larry Fine Shemp Howard Christine McIntyre Kenneth MacDonald Vernon Dent Joe Palma Ted Stanhope Chuck Hamilton Charles Jordan Stanley Price |
| Cinematography | Vincent Farrar |
| Edited by | Henry DeMond |
Studio Stoops Trivia
- The gag of Shemp hiding in a garment bag in the hotel room closet then managing to get out of the closet was adapted from Buster Keaton‘s 1941 short film So You Won’t Squawk.
- Uses Three Watches to Tell the Time – Also used in: Dutiful But Dumb and Rythm and Weep.
Moe wonders what time it is, and a Stooge pulls up his sleeve revealing three wristwatches …
Moe: Say, what’s the idea of the three watches?
Stooge: That’s how I tell the time. You see, (points at first watch) this watch runs 15 minutes fast every two hours. (points to watch at other end) This watch runs 10 minutes slow every four hours. The watch in the middle is broken, stopped dead at two o’clock. I add the time from the fast watch to the slow watch and divide by the two in the middle.
Moe: Well, what time is it now?
Stooge: (pulls pocket watch from pocket) 3:15 …
Production Notes
- Studio Stoops was filmed on February 22–25, 1949.
- The Columbia Main Lot makes an appearance in this short (1339 North Beachwood Drive). The B.O. Pictures sign is a prop and was also used in Hula-La-La.