''Dizzy Detectives'' is a 1943

short subject A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

directed by

Jules White Jules White (born Julius Weiss; hu, Weisz Gyula; 17 September 190030 April 1985) was a Hungarian-American film director and producer best known for his short-subject comedies starring The Three Stooges Early years White began working in mo ...

starring American

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such a ...

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

Curly Howard Jerome Lester Horwitz (; October 22, 1903 – January 18, 1952), known professionally as Curly Howard, was an American actor and comedian. He was best known as a member of the American comedy team the Three Stooges, which also featured his elder ...

). It is the 68th 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 an attempt at installing a door with mishaps galore, the boys are recruited by the police commissioner (

Bud Jamison William Edward "Bud" Jamison (February 15, 1894 – September 30, 1944)Okuda, Ted, and Edward Watz. 1999. The Columbia Comedy Shorts: Two-reel Hollywood Film Comedies 1933–1958'. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. . was an American film actor. ...

) as police officers. The head of the citizen's league, Mr. Dill ( John Tyrrell), warns the police commissioner that he must capture the "Ape Man", a thief wearing a gorilla suit, that is terrorizing the city, or he will have his job. The boys get a tip that the Ape Man is burglarizing a particular store and head out to catch him. They patrol the antique store, with Curly pausing for a while in a rocking chair aside a cat whose tail happens to swing simultaneously with the rocker. The tail gets caught eventually, causing the cat to screech and Curly to scurry away in terror, swallowing his cigar in the process. While there, they encounter the Ape Man, Bonzo (

Ray "Crash" Corrigan Ray "Crash" Corrigan (born Raymond Benitz; February 14, 1902 – August 10, 1976) was an American actor most famous for appearing in many B-Western movies (among these the Three Mesquiteers and Range Busters film series). He also was a ...

), who proves to be a real gorilla after he bends the barrels of the guns the Stooges intended to use against him. The trio then discover several thugs that are behind the gorilla's rampage, including Mr. Dill, who is conspiring to remove the chief so he can be the successor. The gorilla was taken from a circus and not used to this job. The Stooges proceed to beat up the thugs with all manner of fights. After encountering a fake guillotine set, which shocks Larry and Moe, Curly disposes of the gorilla by head butting him. But beforehand, the gorilla drinks a bottle of

nitroglycerin Nitroglycerin (NG), (alternative spelling of nitroglycerine) also known as trinitroglycerin (TNG), nitro, glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), or 1,2,3-trinitroxypropane, is a dense, colorless, oily, explosive liquid most commonly produced by nitrating g ...

the thugs were carrying, causing Bonzo to explode when Curly charges him.

Cast

Credited

Production notes

''Dizzy Detectives'' was filmed over four days on June 29-July 2, 1942.''Dizzy Detectives'' at threestooges.net
/ref> The opening carpentry scene is lifted from 1935's ''

Pardon My Scotch ''Pardon My Scotch'' is a 1935 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the ninth entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the c ...

'', including footage of Moe crashing to the floor and breaking three ribs. This is the second of three Stooge shorts with the word "dizzy" in the title. ''Dizzy Detectives'' was remade — line-by-line — with future third Stooge

Joe Besser Joe Besser (August 12, 1907 – March 1, 1988) was an American actor, comedian and musician, known for his impish humor and wimpy characters. He is best known for his brief stint as a member of The Three Stooges in movie short subjects of 1957� ...

and Jim Hawthorne as '' 'Fraidy Cat'' in 1951; ''Fraidy Cat'' was itself remade in 1955 as ''

Hook a Crook ''Hook a Crook'' is a 1955 short subject directed by Jules White starring American comedian Joe Besser and radio disc jockey Jim Hawthorne (billed as "Hawthorne"). It is the ninth entry in the ''Joe Besser'' series released by Columbia Pictures ...

'', using stock footage.

directed all three films.

References

External links

* *
''Dizzy Detectives'' at threestooges.net
1943 films The Three Stooges films American black-and-white films Films directed by Jules White 1943 comedy films Columbia Pictures short films American slapstick comedy films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films {{short-comedy-film-stub