The Stooges are staunch members of the Woman Haters Club, dedicated to eschewing romantic entanglements with women. However, their resolve is swiftly tested when Jim (Larry Fine) succumbs to the charms of Mary and proposes marriage. His comrades, Tom (Moe Howard) and Jack (Jerry Howard (Curly)), initially dissuade him from the union, citing their oath to the club.
Things escalate when Mary's formidable father coerces Jim into marrying her, recounting a tale of familial honor and coercion. Reluctantly, Jim acquiesces to the marriage, leading to tension and confrontation aboard a train journey. Mary, utilizing her feminine allure, endeavors to provoke jealousy in Jim by captivating Tom and Jack with her charms, thereby undermining the Stooges' fidelity to their avowed oath. Through a series of exchanges and musical interludes, Mary's machinations unravel the Stooges' steadfast commitment to celibacy, ultimately revealing Jim's marital status. The climax unfolds as Mary, candidly disclosing her marriage to Jim, inadvertently propels Tom and Jack out of the train window during a chaotic struggle.
The denouement portrays the aging Stooges reuniting at the nearly deserted Woman Haters clubhouse, symbolizing the passage of time and the evolution of their attitudes towards relationships. Jim's desire to rejoin the club serves as a humorous conclusion.
Woman Haters was filmed over four days on March 27–30, 1934.[1] It was the sixth entry in Columbia's "Musical Novelty" series,[2] with all dialogue delivered in rhyme. Jazz Age-style music plays throughout the entire short, with the rhymes spoken in rhythm with the music. Being the sixth in a “Musical Novelties” short subject series, the movie appropriated its musical score from the first five films. The song “My Life, My Love, My All”, featured in this short, was originally “At Last!” from Umpa, a previous "Musical Novelty" entry.[1] Other music cues used in other Columbia "Musical Novelty" shorts like School for Romance and Susie's Affairs.
Curly Howard was billed under his pre-Stooge name "Jerry Howard" in this short. The Stooges have different names: Curly is "Jackie", Moe is "Tom", and Larry is "Jim". This is one of the few Stooge shorts that features Larry as the lead character. Others include Three Loan Wolves and He Cooked His Goose.[3] The young Walter Brennan plays the train conductor being initiated into the Woman Haters Club by Moe and Curly.)[4]
^Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Comedy III Productions, Inc. ISBN0-9711868-0-4.
