''Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise'' is a 1939

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 ...

produced and directed by

Jules White Jules White (born Julius Weiss; 17 September 1900 – 30 April 1985) was an American film director and producer best known for his short-subject comedies starring The Three Stooges. Early years White began working in motion pictures in 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 42nd 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

The Stooges are hapless tramps who inadvertently stumble into a series of misadventures. After inadvertently causing chaos on a farmer's property, they set off on foot, longing for a car. Their luck seemingly changes when they stumble upon what they believe to be a free car and take it for a joyride. However, their distraction almost leads to several accidents before they come to the aid of Widow Jenkins and her daughters. Grateful for their assistance, Widow Jenkins treats the Stooges to a lavish meal, and in return, they offer to fix her broken water pump. During the repair, they accidentally uncover oil beneath the farm, transforming the pump into a geyser and staining their clothes. Despite their initial joy for the widow and her daughters, they soon learn that she has been swindled out of her land by a trio of deceitful individuals. Determined to right the wrong, the Stooges confront the swindlers after reclaiming their car, which the crooks had used to deceive them. A hair-raising chase ensues, culminating in the Stooges retrieving the deed to the land just before it is recorded at the courthouse. As a result, they earn the right to marry the now wealthy Widow Jenkins' daughters, with a planned honeymoon in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Cast

as Curly *

as Larry *

as Moe * Dorothy Comingore as June Jenkins *

James Craig James or Jim Craig may refer to: Entertainment * James Humbert Craig (1877–1944), Irish painter * James Craig (actor) (1912–1985), American actor * James Craig (''General Hospital''), fictional character on television, a.k.a. Jerry Jacks * J ...

as Swindler Driving Car *

Dick Curtis Richard Dye (May 11, 1902January 3, 1952), known professionally as Dick Curtis, was an American actor who made over 230 film and television appearances during his career. Early years Curtis was born in Newport, Kentucky, the son of Frank Dye ...

as Clipper - Swindler in Back Seat *

Richard Fiske Thomas Ralph Potts (November 20, 1914 – August 10, 1944) was an American film actor best known by his stage name Richard Fiske. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1938 and 1942, almost exclusively for Columbia Pictures. Biography ...

as Mr. Johnson - Farmer *

Lorna Gray Virginia Pound (July 26, 1917 – April 30, 2017), known professionally as Lorna Gray and (after 1945) Adrian Booth, was an American film actress known for her comic roles, and later as a villainess. She is best known for her roles in Colum ...

as May Jenkins *

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 Briggs - Swindler in Front Seat *

Eva McKenzie Eva McKenzie (November 5, 1889September 15, 1967) born as Eva Belle Heazlit, was an American film and stage actress. She appeared in over 150 films — many of them Westerns — between 1915 and 1944. McKenzie was married to the actor Robert ...

as The Widow Jenkins *

Dorothy Moore Dorothy Moore (born October 13, 1946) is an American blues, gospel, and R&B singer best known for her 1976 hit song, " Misty Blue". Career Moore's parents were Mary Moore and Melvin Hendrex Senior. Her father performed under the stage name Me ...

as April Jenkins

Production notes

''Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise'' was filmed on March 16–20, 1939. The film's title is a parody of

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

's, "early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." Towards the end of the film, Moe tells Curly to wish for quintuplets and Curly responds that honeymooning in Canada with their new found loves is how to make the wish come true, a reference to the

Dionne quintuplets The Dionne quintuplets (; born May 28, 1934) are the first quintuplets known to have survived their infancy. The identical girls were born just outside Callander, Ontario, near the village of Corbeil. All five survived to adulthood. The Dion ...

. The studio crew can be heard laughing when Curly accidentally hits his head on Widow Jenkins' kitchen door while trumpeting and singing "A-Pumping We Will Go." The shot of Curly riding the oil gusher up into the sky would be reused in ''

Oil's Well That Ends Well ''Oil's Well That Ends Well'' is a 1958 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Joe Besser). It is the 188th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures st ...

''.

Moe's injury

recalled in his

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

that he received a glob of goo (representing oil) directly under his eyelids during shooting: Moe would have a similar ordeal while filming 1946's ''

The Three Troubledoers ''The Three Troubledoers'' is a 1946 short subject directed by Edward Bernds starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 91st entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures st ...

'', when chunks of black soot became lodged under his eyelids.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1939 films Columbia Pictures short films 1939 comedy films The Three Stooges films American black-and-white films Films directed by Jules White American slapstick comedy films Films about petroleum 1930s English-language films 1930s American films