''Blunder Boys'' is a 1955 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...

(

Moe Howard Moses Harry Horwitz (June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975), known professionally as Moe Howard, was an American actor and comedian. He is best known as the leader of The Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion pictures and television ...

Larry Fine Louis Feinberg (October 5, 1902 – January 24, 1975), known professionally as Larry Fine, was an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is best known as a member of the comedy act the Three Stooges. Early life Fine was born to a Russian Je ...

and

Shemp Howard Samuel Horwitz (March 11, 1895 – November 22, 1955), known professionally as Shemp Howard, was an American actor and comedian. He was called "Shemp" because "Sam" came out that way in his mother's thick Litvak accent. He is best known as the ...

). It is the 166th entry in the series released by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

After serving in the army, the Stooges decide to go to college and major in criminology. Graduating with the lowest possible honors, the boys join the police force and are assigned to search for a bandit called the Eel (

Benny Rubin Benny Rubin (February 2, 1899 – July 15, 1986) was an American comedian and film actor. Born in Boston, Rubin made more than 200 radio, film and television appearances over a span of 50 years. Career In 1929, Rubin went to Hollywood, where he ...

) who is going to rob the Biltless Hotel. They go to the hotel, but fail to catch the criminal or retrieve the money he stole. As a result, they are booted off the force and end up as ditch diggers.

Cast

Credited

as Halliday *

as Terriday *

Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...

/ Groundhog Day/ New Year's Day/

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

/ Independence Day/ Labor Day *

as The Eel *

Angela Stevens Angela Stevens (born Ann Evelyn Allen, May 8, 1925 – March 17, 2016) was an American film actress and singer. Biography Stevens was born in Eagle Rock, California. She appeared in several Three Stooges films, such as '' He Cooked His Goose'', ...

as Alma Matter * Kenneth MacDonald as F. B. Eye

Uncredited

Frank Sully Francis Thomas Sullivan (June 17, 1908 December 17, 1975), known professionally as Frank Sully, was an American film actor. He appeared in over 240 films between 1934 and 1968. Today's audiences know him best as the dumb detective in the ''Bost ...

as Watts D. Matter * Al Thompson as Desk clerk * Barbara Bartay as Beautician *

Johnny Kascier Johnny Kascier (born John Kacerosky; July 1, 1889May 10, 1974) was an American actor who appeared in over 90 films between 1932 and 1957. Modern viewers will recognize Kascier as the Emir of Schmow in the Three Stooges film '' Malice in the Pala ...

as Room service waiter/Moe and Shemp's stand-in * Bonnie Henjum as Woman in swimsuit * Barbara Donaldson as Turkish bath tanner * Marjorie Jackson as Turkish bath brunette * June Lebow as Turkish bath blonde

Production notes

''Blunder Boys'' was the last Stooge film featuring

that was not a remake. In addition, it would also be the last film released during his lifetime; Shemp died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

19 days later after its release.Solomon, Jon. (2002) ''The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion'', p. 464; Comedy III Productions, Inc., Filming was completed on January 24–26, 1955.''Blunder Boys'' at threestooges.net
/ref> The premise of ''Blunder Boys'' is a parody of the television series '' Dragnet''. The ending was also a parody of the company that ran Dragnet, (

Mark VII Limited Mark VII Limited was the production company of actor and filmmaker Jack Webb, and was active from 1951 to his death in 1982. Many of its series were produced in association with Universal Television; most of them aired on the NBC television netwo ...

); Moe stamps the logo, "VII 1/2 The End", on Larry's head in a similar fashion to how it is done in the logo. Of his 16 appearances with the Stooges, ''Blunder Boys'' marks the only time Kenneth MacDonald was not cast as the team's antagonist. ''Blunder Boys'' was the last Stooges film to feature new footage of long-time supporting actor Al Thompson.

References

External links

* *
''Blunder Boys'' at threestooges.net
1955 films The Three Stooges films American black-and-white films Films directed by Jules White 1955 comedy films Columbia Pictures short films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films American comedy films {{short-comedy-film-stub