''From Nurse To Worse'' is a 1940

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 49th 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

The Stooges are paper hangers who run into their old friend Jerry, an insurance salesman (

Lynton Brent Lynton Wright Brent (August 2, 1897 – July 2, 1981) was an American film actor and a writer. He appeared in over 240 films between 1930 and 1950. Brent is best known for his prolific work with Columbia Pictures in the Three Stooges shor ...

). He promises them that if they take out a policy on Curly proving that he has gone insane, they can collect $500 a month. Moe and Larry bring Curly on a leash to the office of Dr. D. Lerious (

Vernon Dent Vernon Bruce Dent (February 16, 1895 – November 5, 1963) was an American comic actor, who appeared in over 400 films. He co-starred in many short films for Columbia Pictures, frequently as the foil and the main antagonist and ally to The Thr ...

). Curly's pretending to be a hound is so over the top that the doctor declares that he must operate. The Stooges flee, and hide out in the back of a dog catcher's truck, where they are soon infested with fleas. Dr. D. Lerious eventually catches up with the Stooges, and Curly is sent straight for the operating room. Eventually, the trio get away on a gurney, encounter Jerry again and then give him the works.

Cast

Credited

as Moe *

as Larry *

as Curly

Uncredited

as Jerry *

as Dr. D. Lerious *

Dudley Dickerson Dudley Henry Dickerson Jr. (November 27, 1906September 23, 1968) was an American film actor. Born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, he appeared in nearly 160 films between 1932 and 1952, and is best remembered for his roles in several Three Stooges films ...

as orderly *

Dorothy Appleby Dorothy Appleby (January 6, 1906 – August 9, 1990) was an American film actress. She appeared in over 50 films between 1931 and 1943. Career Appleby gained early acting experience as an understudy and a chorus member in plays in New York ...

as Dr. D. Lerious' receptionist *

Evelyn Young Evelyn Ebersis Young (November 17, 1915February 14, 1983) was an American film actress. At the height of her career in 1940, she appeared in 9 feature films. She was the leading female actress in ''The Wildcat of Tucson'' and '' Prairie Schoon ...

as woman in Dr. D. Lerious' office *

Ned Glass Nusyn "Ned" Glass (April 1, 1906 – June 15, 1984) was a Polish-born American character actor who appeared in more than eighty films and on television more than one hundred times, frequently playing nervous, cowardly, or deceitful characters. ...

as dog catcher *Charles Dorety as dog catcher *

Cy Schindell Seymour "Cy" Schindell (March 4, 1907 – August 24, 1948) was an American actor. He appeared in 37 Three Stooges short subjects, mostly as a heavy, though he was never credited in any Stooge shorts. Career Brooklyn-born Schindell was born Seym ...

as policeman * John Tyrrell as assistant surgeon *

Blanche Payson Blanche Payson (born Mary Elizabeth Bush, September 20, 1881 – July 4, 1964) was an American film actress. Biography Payson was born as Mary Elizabeth Bush to Thomas and Sarah Bush. She first attracted public notice when she served as p ...

as hospital admissions nurse * Al Thompson as orderly *

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 battered orderly *

Joe Palma Joe Palma (born Joseph Provenzano; March 17, 1905 – August 14, 1994) was an American film actor. Palma appeared in over 120 films between 1937 and 1968. He was well known as a supporting player for The Three Stooges and his brief tenure a ...

as male nurse''From Nurse to Worse'' at threestooges.net
/ref>

Production notes

''From Nurse to Worse'' was filmed on May 15–18, 1940. and also was

's first appearance in a Stooges' short. The footage of the Stooges sailing through the city streets was lifted from ''

Dizzy Doctors ''Dizzy Doctors'' is a 1937 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 21st entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the come ...

''. The voice on the police scanner is Moe's.

References

External links

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