Production Information
Title: Sappy Bull Fighters
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 190
Release Date: June 4, 1959
Running Time: 18:25
“Hey you guys even smell like a bull!”
Short Take
The Stooges are vaudeville entertainers who trek to Mexico to perform their gag bullfight shtick, with Joe as the brave matador, and Moe and Larry dressed in a bull costume. Unfortunately, their gig is canceled once they arrive. According to the trio, the manager fired them after they refused to do 10 additional shows for free. With no money to return home, The Stooges are stranded. Feeling bad for them, attractive señorita Greta (Greta Thyssen) gets The Boys a gig at the local bullring. However, when she leaves Greta mistakenly takes the trio’s suitcase instead of hers. They go to retrieve it, however, while there Joe becomes attracted to Greta and begins to kiss her. Initially, unbeknownst to him, her evil man-hating husband José (George J. Lewis)sees this and becomes jealous, he orders them out and threatens Joe if he ever sees Joe again. The Stooges leave but realize they again have the wrong suitcase forcing them to return and hide from a sleeping José. José awakens and chases The Three Stooges but they escape with their correct suitcase.
The next day, The Stooges perform their act in front of a live crowd and the act goes without a hitch, however, once José recognizes the trio, in an act of revenge he pays the bullring attendant (Joe Palma) to release a live bull into the ring. Moe and Larry flee the ring, but Joe is unaware of the switch. He eventually head-butts the wild animal, and is paraded out of the ring to the rousing cheers of “Olé, Americano!”
Sappy Bull Fighters Cast & Crew
| Directed by | Jules White |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Jules White |
| Written by | Saul Ward Jack White |
| Starring | Moe Howard Larry Fine Joe Besser Greta Thyssen George J. Lewis Joe Palma |
| Cinematography | Irving Lippman |
| Edited by | Harold White |
Sappy Bull Fighters Trivia
- Sappy Bull Fighters was the last of 190 Stooge shorts released by Columbia
- This was also Joe Besser’s last appearance with The Boys
- During Joe’s bull ride you can still hear a brief “woob, woob, woob” from Curly
- On the introductory poster shot, it reads “Julio Blanco” (Spanish for Jules White)
Production Notes
Filming was conducted between June 30 and July 1 of 1957, two years before the short was released