Three Little Twirps

Three Little Twirps
Directed byHarry Edwards
Written byMonte Collins
Elwood Ullman
Produced byDel Lord
Hugh McCollum
StarringMoe Howard
Larry Fine
Curly Howard
Stanley Blystone
Chester Conklin
Bud Jamison
Heinie Conklin
Al Thompson
Duke York
CinematographyJohn Stumar
Edited byPaul Borofsky
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • July 9, 1943 (1943-07-09) (U.S.)
Running time
15:27
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Three Little Twirps is a 1943 short subject directed by Harry Edwards starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 71st entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

Employed as poster hangers, The Stooges effortlessly sabotage a circus advertisement they were tasked with affixing to a billboard, leading to their dismissal by their boss, Herman. Upon realizing their sole compensation is tickets to the circus, they seize the opportunity to profit by selling them at a discounted rate. However, their illicit ticket-scalping activities attract the attention of authorities, prompting a pursuit.

As they evade capture, Curly inadvertently damages a circus performer, the Bearded Lady, leading to further complications. To evade capture, Curly and Larry resort to disguising themselves as a horse, a comedic trope familiar to Curly's character.

Their escapades culminate in a confrontation with Herman, now revealed as the circus owner, and the local sheriff. Facing imprisonment, Herman offers the Stooges an unconventional proposition: serve as human targets for the spear-throwing act performed by the "Sultan of Abudaba." In a daring escape, the Stooges evade the perilous fate by leaping into a crater created by Curly's earlier mishap on the high wire.

Production notes

Three Little Twirps was filmed on August 3–7, 1942. It is the eighth of sixteen Stooge shorts with the word "three" in the title.[1]

Three Little Twirps marked the second and final Stooge film helmed by director Harry Edwards. Edwards, afflicted by alcoholism, garnered a notorious reputation at Columbia Pictures as one of the studio's least efficient directors. His previous project, the arduous Matri-Phony (1942), endured an extensive production period exceeding three weeks, a significant departure from the typical shooting schedule of 3-4 consecutive days customary for Stooge productions. Faced with mounting frustrations, the Stooges expressed their dissatisfaction and resolved never to collaborate with Edwards again.[2]

Quotes

  • Curly: Here's an impersonation of a wolf. [Whistles] Hiya, babe!
  • Moe: I'll take ninety tickets!
  • Larry: Beat it, Grandpa! We got no time for kibbitzers!
  • Curly: "I haven't been to the circus since I got out of the fourth grade!"
  • Moe: "Yeah, that was last year!"

References

  1. ^ Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Glendale, California: Comedy III Productions, Inc. p. 245. ISBN 0-9711868-0-4.
  2. ^ Okuda, Ted; Watz, Edward (1986). The Columbia Comedy Shorts. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 214. ISBN 0-89950-181-8.


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