''3 Dumb Clucks'' is a 1937

short subject A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film or ...

directed by

Del Lord Delmer "Del" Lord (October 7, 1894March 23, 1970) was a Canadians, Canadian film director and actor best known as a director of Three Stooges films. Career Delmer Lord was born in the small town of Grimsby, Ontario, Canada. Interested in the the ...

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 as ...

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 comedy. Six total ...

(

Moe Howard Moses Harry Horwitz (June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975), better known by his stage name Moe Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He is best known as the leader and straight man of the Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion ...

Larry Fine Louis Feinberg (October 4, 1902 – January 24, 1975), better known by his stage name Larry Fine, was an American actor, comedian and musician. He is best known as a member of the comedy act the Three Stooges and was often called "The Middle St ...

and

Curly Howard Jerome Lester Horwitz (October 22, 1903 – January 18, 1952), better known by his stage name Curly Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He was a member of The Three Stooges comedy team, which also featured his elder brothers Moe and ...

). It is the 22nd entry in the series released by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

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

Plot

Amidst their incarceration, the Stooges receive a letter from their mother, detailing the sudden windfall of their father (portrayed by Curly Howard in a dual role). The letter unveils the elder Curly's ascent to affluence courtesy of an oil strike, his subsequent abandonment of their mother, and his impromptu nuptials to a covetous, youthful blonde named Daisy. Prompted by filial duty and a desire to thwart the ill-fated union, the Stooges abscond from confinement, embarking on a mission to disrupt the impending matrimonial proceedings. However, complications ensue as the physical resemblance between Curly and his father confounds the matrimonial landscape, resulting in Daisy inadvertently betrothing herself to the wrong individual. Subsequently, the trio finds themselves ensnared in a perilous web as nefarious individuals, coveting their father's newfound wealth, pursue them with malicious intent. Undeterred by adversity, the Stooges navigate through adversity, successfully extricating their father from jeopardy and restoring familial equilibrium. Their odyssey culminates in the retrieval of their unconscious father, whom they conscientiously escort back to the maternal abode, thus concluding their escapade with a reunion marked by filial devotion and paternal reconciliation.

Cast

Credited

as Curly Howard and Pop Howard *

as Larry Fine *

as Moe Howard

Uncredited

* Frank Austin as Prison Guard *

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 ...

as Hat Salesman *

Lew Davis Louis Davis (July 16, 1884—January 13, 1948) was an American film actor. He appeared in over 75 films between 1916 and 1948. Career A New York native, Davis appeared in his first film in 1916. He began to achieve fame after arriving at Columb ...

as Wedding Guest * Charles Dorety as Wedding Guest * William J. Irving as Minister *

Eddie Laughton Eddie Laughton (20 June 190321 March 1952) was a British-American film actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1935 and 1952, and is best known for his work with The Three Stooges. Career Laughton's family immigrated to the United Stat ...

as Chopper's Henchman * Frank Mills as Chopper * Lucille Lund as Daisy * Cy Schindell as Wedding Guest *

Harry Tenbrook Harry Tenbrook (born Henry Olaf Hansen, 9 October 1887 – 4 September 1960) was a Norwegian-American film actor. Biography Henry Olaf Hansen was born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. His family migrated to the United States in 1892. ...

as Henchman guarding stairs *

Al Thompson Al Thompson (September 21, 1884 – March 1, 1960) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 170 films between 1916 and 1958. Well known in the industry for performing the more difficult stunts, he kept busy as a stunt doubl ...

as Pop's Butler * Elaine Waters as Wedding Guest

Production notes

Filming for ''3 Dumb Clucks'' commenced between February 1 and 5, 1937. It is a send-up of the feature film '' Three Smart Girls''. This is the third of sixteen Stooge shorts using the word "three" in the title, however, ''3 Dumb Clucks'' is the only one to use the numeral "3". It was reworked in 1953 as '' Up in Daisy's Penthouse'', using minimal

stock footage Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures, and file footage is film or video footage that can be used again in other films. Stock footage is beneficial to filmmakers as it saves shooting new material. A single piece of stock ...

from the original. During the scene where Curly's father arrives for his wedding, two of the gold digger's henchmen dispose of him by throwing him down an elevator shaft. The prop men had padded the bottom of the shaft to cushion Curly's fall, but neglected to cover a protruding panel. Curly was thrown down the shaft quickly, and landed head-first on the panel, tearing his scalp open. As the Stooges were workhorses at Columbia Pictures, Curly was not taken to the hospital. Instead, the studio

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

was rushed to the set to apply several stitches to Curly's scalp. Some fresh hair was glued over the wound, and with a healthy dose of painkillers, the slightly wobbly Stooge was back in action within a few hours.Howard, Moe. (1977, rev. 1979) ''Moe Howard and the Three Stooges'', p. 101; Citadel Press. The S in the title of the short could easily be mistaken for the number 5.

References

External links

*
''3 Dumb Clucks''
a
threestooges.net
{{Authority control 1937 films Columbia Pictures short films The Three Stooges films 1930s English-language films American black-and-white films American slapstick comedy films 1937 comedy films Films directed by Del Lord 1930s American films