Category:

May Shorts

Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb

Production Information
Title: Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 32
Release Date: May 20, 1938
Running Time: 16:24

“You wanna cheat, cheat fair. Anything I hate is a crooked crook.”

Short Take

In this rags-to-riches-to-rags story, Healthy, Wealthy, and Dumb, Curly wins $50,000 from writing a catchy jingle for a radio contest. The boys quickly spend their loot and check in at the Hotel Costa Plente. Their suite is furnished with many expensive items which they systematically destroy. In the process, three gold diggers connive their way into the boys’ room, under the guise that they are three rich widows looking to remarry. This works perfectly, as Curly quickly discovers that all the tax deductions reduce his winnings to a minuscule $4.85. The boys hastily agree to marry the ladies, who soon find out the Stooges are broke and render them unconscious with champagne bottles.

Stooge Humor frequently vacillates between the pain of slapstick and the joy of laughter. But Searle Kramer’s Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb ranges widely from the good fortune of getting rich via a radio quiz program to the double tragedies of getting conned and then taxed back into poverty.

Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb

Directed by	Del Lord
Produced by	Jules White
Written by	Searle Kramer
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Curly Howard James C. Morton Bud Jamison Lucille Lund Jean Carmen Earlene Heath
Cinematography	Allen G. Siegler
Edited by	Charles Nelson

Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb Trivia

When the Stooges hear a knock on their door, they say “Come in…Come in…Come in” musically.
Also used in: I’ll Never Heil Again, Baby Sitter Jitters, and A Missed Fortune.
The title Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb is a parody of Benjamin Franklin’s proverb “early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
When the short was remade as A Missed Fortune in 1952, the radio quiz program was updated by adding a phone call to The Stooges, a feature that dates back to the 1939 fNBCpRed radio quiz show ‘Pot O’ Gold.’ jean Carmen (Marge) often used the stage name Julia Thayer, and was best known for her roles in B Westerns and serials (The Painted Stallion).
When Moe slaps Larry and knocks him backwards, we never see where or how he ends up.
Also, when Curly collapses the bed, Moe never gets caught inside; nonetheless, we see him caught in the following result shot

Production Notes

It would be remade as 1952’s A Missed Fortune with Shemp in 1952, with minimal stock footage.

Filmography May Shorts

For Crimin’ Out Loud

Production Information
Title: For Crimin’ Out Loud
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 170
Release Date: May 3, 1956
Running Time: 15:28

“Miracle Detective Agency: If We Solve Your Crime, It’s A Miracle!”

Short Take

The Stooges work for Miracle Detective Agency, and are hired by a middle-aged millionaire named John Goodrich (Emil Sitka) to track down some racketeers who have threatened his life. Upon arrival at Old Man Goodrich’s mansion, the boys are quickly seduced by a beautiful blonde (Christine McIntyre) who puts a dose of poison in Shemp’s drink. Moe and Larry revive Shemp and a spectacular chase ensues, culminating in a lights-out fight, with the Stooges coming out on top.

For Crimin’ Out Loud Cast & Crew

Directed by	Jules White
Produced by	Jules White
Written by	Felix Adler Edward Bernds
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Shemp Howard Barbara Bartay Emil Sitka Duke York Ralph Dunn Christine McIntyre Charles Knight
Cinematography	Irving Lippman
Edited by	Harold White

For Crimin’ Out Loud Trivia

In the Miracle Detective Agency sequence, Moe says “Remind me to kill you later” to Shemp, and Shemp replies “I won’t have time later” which foreshadows his death on November 22, 1955, several months after this scene was filmed.
For Crimin’ Out Loud is a reworking of 1949’s Who Done It? (itself a remake of the Schilling and Lane short Pardon My Terror) using ample stock footage from the original film. The first five minutes consist of new footage filmed on June 30, 1955. The remainder of the film (save one closeup of the Stooges after Shemp is poisoned) is made up of stock footage. The title is a play on the expression, “For crying out loud!”
For Crimin’ Out Loud is the last film released to contain new footage of Shemp Howard. However, it was not the last one filmed.

Production Notes

For Crimin’ Out Loud was filmed on June 30, 1955: the previous release, Flagpole Jitters, was actually filmed the next day on July 1 but the first of the two films to be released.

Filmography May Shorts

Musty Musketeers

Production Information
Title: Musty Musketeers
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 154
Release Date: May 13, 1954
Running Time: 15:55

“Thou art the matzohead!”

Short Take

In Musty Muskateers, The Three Stooges wish to marry their sweethearts, but are forbidden by Old King Cole (Vernon Dent) until Princess Alisha (Virginia Hunter) weds Prince Gallant III of Rhododendron “when the flowers bloom in the Spring.” Unfortunately, evil magician Murgatroyd (Philip Van Zandt) has his own plans to marry Alisha, and promptly abducts her. The Stooges do their best to foil his plot.

Musty Musketeers Cast & Crew

Directed by	Jules White
Produced by	Jules White
Written by	Felix Adler Jack White
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Shemp Howard Vernon Dent Virginia Hunter Philip Van Zandt Heinie Conklin Diana Darrin Sherry O’Neil Joe Palma Wanda Perry Norma Randall Ruth White
Cinematography	Gert Andersen
Edited by	Edwin H. Bryant

Musty Musketeers Trivia

This was the last of Vernon Dent’s Stooge roles, as he went blind shortly after this film.
The Boys use the convention of rhyming their girlfriend’s names which is used in a dozen other Stooge film shorts.
A routine not so often used that is in this short is accidentally punching oneself in the chin. When a Stooge or supporting character is watching others fight, he cheers them on and makes mock punching motions with his arm, but he accidentally punches himself in the chin. Also used in Calling All Curs.

Production Notes

Musty Musketeers is a remake of 1948’s Fiddlers Three, using ample recycled footage.

Filmography May Shorts

Tricky Dicks

Production Information
Title: Tricky Dicks
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 147
Release Date: May 7, 1953
Running Time: 15:50

“You say there’s a dead horse on Ticonderoga Street. How do you spell Ticonderoga? Oh, You don’t know either. Well, drag him over to First Street.” – Moe

Tricky Dicks Short Take

Writer Felix Adler created a wide range of clever scenarios for Stooge comedy. In Tricky Dicks he utilizes unity of time and space in a ‘box comedy of narrative format’. The Boys tackle a mystery without ever leaving their office. Adler first developed bringing the plot to one location in Three Loan Wolves and Sing A Song of Six Pants.

In Tricky Dicks Larry, Moe and Shemp play the role of police detectives working in a police station, and they spend their day engaging in four different silly phone conversations, battling file cabinet drawers, grilling three different witnesses in four interviews, and ultimately solving the mystery of who killed Slug Magurk, capturing the criminal with the assistance of a hurdy-gurdy monkey.

The requirements for a box comedy is that the characters who enter the Stooges’ space must be amusing or move the plot along and that the dialogue maintains an upbeat momentum. ‘Slick Chick’ (Connie Cezan) beautifully brings out the witlessness of Shemp as a detective, she picks his pocket, takes his matches, and reveals to us plenty more contraband strapped to her legs.

Plot Summary

The Chief of Detectives gives Moe, Larry and Shemp 24 hours to solve the murder of Slug McGurk. They question a witness, an Italian organ grinder with a British accent, but he runs away when they mention a murder. A frustrated actor named Gilbraith Q. Tiddlewadder (better known as Chopper) tries to confess as a publicity stunt, but the real killer shows up, outraged at not getting credit, and starts shooting up the police station.

Verbal Humor

Adler’s script offers the most compendious collection of phone gags in all of Stoogedom.

Moe:
“You say you don’t know what to do about a woman bein’
annoyed by a man with a wooden leg by the name of Smith?
Well, find out the name of his other leg.”

Larry:
You know my sister was engaged to a guy with a wooden leg.

Moe:
What happened?

Larry:
She broke it off.

Moe:
The engagement?

Larry:
Nah, the leg.

Tricky Dicks Cast & Crew

Directed by	Jules White
Produced by	Jules White
Written by	Felix Adler Jack White
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Shemp Howard Benny Rubin Connie Cezan Ferris Taylor Phil Arnold Murray Alper Suzanne Ridgeway
Cinematography	William P. Whitley
Edited by	Edwin H. Bryant

Tricky Dicks Trivia

This was the third short in a row to feature stock footage from Hold That Lion!
NBC chime – When several hard objects are dropped on the floor or on somebody’s head, they make the sound of the NBC chime.
Also used in Back To The Woods, So Long Mr. Chumps, Beer Barrel Polecats, Three Loan Wolves, Fiddlers Three, I’m A Monkey’s Uncle, The Ghost Talks, Hokus Pokus, Three Hams on Rye, Stone Age Romeos, Creeps, and Muscle Up A Little Closer.
Old Panther – When a Stooge takes a bottle of liquor, the camera shows a close-up of the bottle that says “Old Panther – Distilled Yesterday”. Also used in Love at First Bite, Shot in the Frontier, Gypped in The Penthouse.
This marks the first Stooge appearance by Benny Rubin (Antonio Zucchini Salami Gorgonzola de Pizza); he will play mostly ethnics in five more. His career spanned over 50 years, one of his first films being Hollywood on Parade in which The Stooges also appeared.
There are over seventy shots from the killer’s pistol without one reload.

Production Notes

Tricky Dicks was filmed in July 1952 and is a spoof of the 1951 film Detective Story.

Filmography May Shorts

Corny Casanovas

Production Information
Title: Corny Casanovas
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 139
Release Date: May 1, 1952
Running Time: 16:18

“The tacks won’t come out!” “They went in… maybe they’re income tacks.”
(Larry & Shemp)

Short Take

In Corny Casanovas, The Three Stooges are happily cleaning the house, as they dream about getting married in a few hours. The usual antics occur as the boys make a near shambles of their home.

For starters, Shemp decides to use the wooden handle of a loaded pistol as a hammer, which of course goes off, and parts Moe’s sugarbowl haircut right down the middle. Then the trio tries to reupholster a davenport, but end up clobbering Moe on several counts. First, they cut the upholstering with a scissor and end up trimming Moe’s sports coat. Then, to speed things up, they pour the upholstering tacks into a machine gun and aim at the davenport. The rapid-fire release works well at first, but Larry and Shemp argue over who gets the next round, leading the rifle firing directly at Moe’s gluteus maximus. After Larry and Shemp quickly remove the tacks, Moe manages to swallow one. After all, is said and done, the house is neat and clean.

The Stooges then head their separate ways to marry their sweetheart — unaware they are all engaged to the same girl, Mabel (Connie Cezon). In rapid succession, Larry, Moe, and then Shemp appear at Mabel’s home with engagement rings of varying sizes. When the boys discover their error, a nutty fight ensues. The three eventually, knock each other cold, and Mabel quickly scurries by them with three engagement rings.

Cast & Crew

Directed by	Jules White
Produced by	Jules White
Written by	Felix Adler
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Shemp Howard Connie Cezan
Cinematography	Henry Freulich
Edited by	Aaron Stell

Corny Casanovas Trivia

A mild variation of the Stooges’ theme song “Three Blind Mice” was used for this film. This version would be used throughout 1952.
Director Jules White was known for including many violent jokes revolving around the buttocks. Many other Columbia directors felt this type of humor was crass, and often shied away from it. However, White felt this was the trademark of The Stooges’ mayhem. Nothing was too crass or exaggerated to be taken seriously.

Production Notes

Corny Casanovas was filmed on December 3-5, 1951. It was remade with Joe Besser in 1957 as Rusty Romeos, using ample recycled footage.

Filmography May Shorts

Don’t Throw That Knife

Production Information
Title: Don’t Throw That Knife
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 131
Release Date: May 3, 1951
Running Time: 15:50

“Now remember… we’re census takers, not ordinary idiots.”

Short Take

The Stooges are census takers trolling through an apartment complex when they come upon a woman called Mrs. Wyckoff (Jean Willes). The Stooges learn that Wyckoff is one-half of a husband-and-wife Magician Troupe who perform regularly. Unfortunately, Mr. Wyckoff (Dick Curtis) is also an evil man-hating jealous man and a precise knife thrower who kills any perverted men who talks to his wife. When Mr. Wyckoff comes home, the Stooges make a failed effort to take cover. After several frightening threats, the trio departs as fast as their feet will carry them.

Don’t Throw That Knife Cast & Crew

Directed by	Jules White
Produced by	Jules White
Written by	Felix Adler
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Shemp Howard Dick Curtis Jean Willes
Cinematography	Fayte M. Browne
Edited by	Edwin H. Bryant

Don’t Throw That Knife Trivia

Jean Willes was a contract Columbia player. After such Stooge short-films as “Don’t Throw That Knife”, she worked her way into minor (From Here to Eternity [1953]) and then major roles in features (Desire Under the Elms [1958] and Ocean’s Eleven [1960]).

Production Notes

“Don’t Throw That Knife” was filmed on June 20–22, 1950. The film title is officially listed with quotation marks around it (as in “Don’t Throw That Knife”).
Author Michael Fleming noted that “Don’t Throw That Knife” was the first effort by director Jules White that was a truly poor entry in the series. White had been alternating with Edward Bernds to direct the Stooges’ films, with Bernds’ efforts having a noticeable polish that White was beginning to lack. By the following year, a power struggle at Columbia Pictures broke out, resulting in the departure of both Bernds and producer Hugh McCollum. This left White as the sole director of the Stooges films from late 1952 to 1957 when the trio’s contract with the studio expired.

Filmography May Shorts

Hokus Pokus

Production Information
Title: Hokus Pokus
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 115
Release Date: May 5, 1949
Running Time: 16:08

“The great hypnotist Svengarlic – He’ll steal your breath away.”

Short Take

In Hokus Pokus, The Three Stooges are three paperhangers who also look after invalid Mary (Mary Ainslee), who always uses a wheelchair. The seemingly helpless blonde, however, is trying to swindle her insurance company out of $25,000, as she is not handicapped in the least. While the Stooges are at work hanging posters, they are taken by one poster that advertises a great hypnotist, Svengarlic (“He’ll steal your breath away!” the poster announces). The Stooges want the hypnotist to work his magic on Mary so that she can walk again, but Svengarlic is more interested in winning an audience by hypnotizing the Stooges. Under his spell, they walk out onto a flagpole high on a building and dance. But a distracted bicyclist knocks Svengarlic over and the Stooges are abruptly awakened. They immediately panic when they see where they are, then the flagpole breaks, sending them flying through an open window. The boys land directly in the insurance office where Mary is about to be handed her check. Startled, she jumps out of her wheelchair, exposing her scheme.

Hokus Pokus Cast & Crew

Directed by	Jules White
Produced by	Jules White
Written by	Felix Adler
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Shemp Howard Mary Ainslee David Bond Vernon Dent Ned Glass Jimmy Lloyd
Cinematography	Vincent J. Farrar
Edited by	Edwin H. Bryant

Hokus Pokus Trivia

The working title was Three Blind Mice.
This is the only Stooge role for David Bond (Svengarlic), although he will reprise his role in the refurbished version, Flagpole Jitters (1956).

Production Notes

Hokus Pokus was reworked in 1956 as Flagpole Jitters, using ample stock footage. In particular, the two films have different endings: Mary is a fraud here, whereas in the later picture she is actually paraplegic. In the remake, Svengarlic is the fraud.

Filmography May Shorts

Fiddlers Three

Production Information
Title: Fiddlers Three
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 107
Release Date: May 6, 1948
Running Time: 17:06

“Blacksmith where art thou?”

Short Take

Fiddlers Three is a Stooge fairy-tale with King Cole as its monarch. ‘Will Edge’ (i.e. village) as its blacksmith, and several extraordinary videos like Jack Be Nimble, Little Miss Muffet, and Simple Simond. In an appropriately harmonious conclusion, the Stooges and everyone else follow the leggy Pied Piper.

The opening title card:
Coleslaw-vania
A small kingdom in the old country
where ye men are men
and ye women be glad of it.

The Boys are fiddlers at the court of Old King Cole (Vernon Dent). They are forbidden by the king to marry their sweethearts until Princess Alicia (Virginia Hunter) weds Prince Gallant III of Rhododendron “when the flowers bloom in the Spring.” Evil magician Murgatroyd (Philip Van Zandt) has his own plans to marry Alicia, and promptly abducts her. While The Stooges are trying to apply new horseshoes to their horses, they accidentally fall through the floor where they find the Princess bound and gagged. The Magician meanwhile gets the King’s agreement that if he can recover the Princess he can marry her. His assistant leaves his magic box by climbing through a hole, the plan being to push the Princess through it. Moe and Larry insulting the guards, making them run out. Shemp frees the Princess, but he and the others are captured. However, the guards are distracted when the magician’s assistant walks past, following her. The Three Stooges escape up the rope ladder into the box, which Murgatroyd is sawing through and then sticking swords into, hurting The Boys. Finally, the box breaks and The Stooges fall out, just before Alicia runs in and tells her father who abducted her. The Three Stooges attack the magician but stop when the assistant walks past, they, Murgatroyd and Cole following her, save for Shemp, who asks for water. When the Princess gives him water it spurts out of him due to the magicians’ swords.

Fiddlers Three Cast & Crew

Directed by	Jules White
Produced by	Jules White
Written by	Felix Adler
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Shemp Howard Vernon Dent Virginia Hunter Philip Van Zandt Cy Schindell Al Thompson
Cinematography	Allen G. Siegler
Edited by	Edwin H. Bryant

Fiddlers Three Trivia

This is the 13th of 16 Stooge shorts with the word “three” in the title.
Similar to Nertsery Rhymes, this short includes references to nursery rhymes such as Jack Be Nimble, Little Miss Muffet, and Simple Simon.

Production Notes

Like Squareheads of the Round Table and The Hot Scots, Fiddlers Three was filmed on the existing set of the feature film The Bandit of Sherwood Forest.
Fiddlers Three was remade in 1954 as Musty Musketeers, using ample stock footage.

Filmography May Shorts

The Yoke’s on Me

Production Information
Title: The Yoke’s on Me
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 79
Release Date: May 26, 1944
Running Time: 16:08

“Kill that gander so we can have some roast goose for dinner.” “Oh boy, we’re gonna have propagander for dinner!

Short Take

In The Yoke’s On Me, The Stooges try to join the army but are labeled 4-F by the draft board due to Curly having water on the knee. After they decide to go on vacation until a job comes along, their father (Robert McKenzie) insists they aid the war effort instead by becoming farmers. Inspired, the trio sells their dilapidated car and buy an equally dilapidated farm. The farm contains no livestock except for one ostrich, which eats gunpowder. The boys then spot some pumpkins and decide to carve and sell them.

In the interim, several Japanese-Americans escape a prison camp (known during World War II as relocation centers) and work their way onto the Stooges’ farm. Curly is the first to notice some suspicious activity (one of the escapees places a carved pumpkin on his head, spooking Curly). Eventually, Moe and Larry believe him and realize that the farm is surrounded by the Japanese-Americans (whom they mistake for Japanese invaders). Moe then throws an ostrich egg (laden with digested gunpowder) at the escapees, killing them.

The Yoke’s on Me Cast & Crew

Directed by	Jules White
Produced by	Jules White
Written by	Clyde Bruckman
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Curly Howard Robert McKenzie Eva McKenzie Emmett Lynn Al Thompson Victor Travers
Cinematography	Glen Gano
Edited by	Charles Hochberg

The Yoke’s on Me Trivia

The working title was Fouled by a Fowl
Bob McKenzie (Pa) and Eva McKenzie (Ma) were married in real life. Their daughter, Ella, played the desk nurse in Dizzy Doctors
In the late 1970s, some television stations stopped airing this film, due to its depiction of American citizens of Japanese descent as war enemies
The Boys sing “The Farmer In The Dell”
Bob & Eva McKenzie, The actor & actress who played the parents in The Yoke’s On Me were married and their daughter Ella played the desk nurse in Dizzy Doctors

Production Notes

The Yoke’s on Me was filmed on November 8–12, 1943
The film’s title is a pun on the expression, “the joke’s on me”

Filmography May Shorts

Back From the Front

Production Information
Title: Back From the Front
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 70
Release Date: May 28, 1943
Running Time: 17:41

“If we’re discovered, we’re lost!” “You’re crazy… if we’re discovered, we’re FOUND!”

Short Take

Back From The Front is the fifth Three Stooges’ World War II film. The Boys join the war effort by enlisting in the Merchant Marines. While aboard ship, Inky, Winky, and Dinky (their character names) have a brief altercation with Lt. Dungen (Vernon Dent), a secret German Nazi officer, and then mistake a torpedo for a beached whale. Moe says they have to kill it, and it promptly explodes. After being lost at sea for several days, they come across the SS Schicklgruber and climb aboard. Now with fully grown beards, they encounter Lt. Dungen again, who does not recognize them. After realizing they are in with a nest of German sailors, they eventually overtake the crew and toss them overboard.

In the spirit of namelessness, faceless civilian heroes of the Merchant Marine who defied Hitler’s ‘wolf packs,’ The Stooges are given the common nicknames of Inky, Winky, and Dinky.

Back From the Front Cast & Crew

Directed by	Jules White
Produced by	Jules White
Written by	Ewart Adamson Jack White
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Curly Howard Stanley Blystone Vernon Dent Bud Jamison Heinie Conklin Lew Davis George Gray Jack “Tiny” Lipson Harry Semels Al Thompson Adele Mara Sally Cairns Ruth Skinner
Cinematography	John Stumar
Edited by	Edwin H. Bryant

Back From the Front Trivia

The first Stooge film to feature an accompanying sound effect for the eye poke gag. A twang is heard when Moe pokes Lt. Dugen (Vernon Dent) in the eyes
Different sounds were used with varying rates of success throughout 1943 and 1944 – a nose honk is inappropriately used in Higher Than a Kite, a xylophone in Crash Goes the Hash. The sound of a ukulele or violin string being plucked was used regularly after 1945
This short has this gag reversal: Moe waves his hand and Curly follows it with his face
The working title was A Sailor’s Mess
Johnny Kascier and Al Thompson rarely have any lines; here they speak with German accents
It was The Stooges’ dog that gave them away to the Nazis, although he powered them at sea

Production Notes

Back from the Front was filmed over four days on July 24-28, 1942.