3 DUMB CLUCKS (1937) -- ThreeStooges.net

Curly's Dummy
When Moe and Larry throw Curly through the wall, they used a dummy in Curly's place in real life. But for some dumb reason, Curly's dummy had a head full of hair!

Double's Face
You can see the face of Curly's double at the end when the Stooges are dragging him away.

Extra Word
When reading the letter from Ma aloud, Moe says "...off that old oil land..." when the letter actually just says "...off that oil land..."

Gate Opening Early
Right before Curly whacks the gate open with the mallet, you can see the gate already pull slightly open.

Hidden Hose
When Larry blows oil out of the tube that Moe's holding in his hand, you can see a hose connected from the tube to the inside of Moe sleeve, where the oil really came out of.

Missing Part
After Moe hits Curly on the head with a chisel, the camera shows a close-up of Curly holding his head in pain, then his eyes light up for some reason, then it cuts to the next shot and Moe says "Yeah!" to Curly as if Curly said something.

On-the-Set Injury / Patch of Hair
When Curly was thrown down the elevator shaft, in real life he accidentally sliced his head open on a sharp plank that was left on the set. After he recovered, a dark patch of hair was applied over his head wound so we wouldn't see the wound on camera. However, we can clearly see his patch of hair in two scenes: one where the Stooges are in the hat shop and Curly tries on various hats, and the other when Curly keeps running into the guard at the bottom of the staircase.

String Visible on Moe's Sock
In the jail scene, when Moe tosses his socks to Larry for him to wash, you can see a long string attached to the left sock as it lands on the bench.

Face Slaps: 8

Eye Pokes: 3

Head Bonks: 0

Pastry Thrown: 0

"What are you shakin' about?""I don't know - I'm in a hurry all over!"
(Moe and Curly)

"Where're you goin'?" "AFTER THE THIN MAN."
(Moe & Curly)

"Speak to me kid, say somethin'. Come on, please say somethin'!" "Somethin'."
(Moe & Curly)

"It's a good thing they got an electric chair in this building, otherwise I'd kill ya!"
(Moe)

"Did you guys ever hear of spring cleaning?" "Yeah, it wouldn't be so bad if we didn't have to wash all our clothes."
(Moe & Larry)

10 Year Tools
Moe: Get the tools!Larry/Curly: What tools?Moe: The tools we've been using for the last ten years!
Also used in: PARDON MY SCOTCH · HOW HIGH IS UP? · DIZZY DETECTIVES · MEET THE BARON
Blowing into Moe's eye through Curly/Shemp's ear
Larry blows through one ear of the third Stooge and into Moe's eye, who's looking through the third Stooge's other ear.
Also used in: LISTEN, JUDGE
Breaking out of prison
The Stooges are stuck in prison or they're trying to get a friend out of prison, and they use saws and other tools to try to cut the cell bars so they or their friend can escape (and usually accidentally hit each other with the tools).
Also used in: SAVED BY THE BELLE · OUT WEST · SQUAREHEADS OF THE ROUND TABLE · PALS AND GALS · THE THREE STOOGES MEET HERCULES
I'll do it when I'm ready!
Moe orders one of the other Stooges to do something, but they bravely yell back "I'll do it when I'm ready!" Moe then asks "Are ya ready?", and then the Stooge meekly says "Yeah, I'm ready..."
Also used in: MEN IN BLACK · WE WANT OUR MUMMY · I CAN HARDLY WAIT · WHO DONE IT? · PLANE NUTS · THE THREE STOOGES IN ORBIT
Idea in back of head
A Stooge says that he has an idea stuck in the back of his head, so the other Stooges try to knock it out front.
Also used in: ALL GUMMED UP · TRICKY DICKS
Literally using your head
When a Stooge is told to "use your head" when he's having trouble opening something, the Stooge literally uses his head to open it.
Also used in: COOKOO CAVALIERS · LISTEN, JUDGE

During filming, Curly fell down the set's prop elevator shaft, hit his head on a 2x4, and suffered a severe cut on his head.
Source: The Three Stooges Scrapbook
Added by xraffle on 2009-03-22 02:50:08
Status: Confirmed
Team Stooge Comments: The wound was tended to with spirit gum, and covered with makeup. Filming continued. The cut can be seen as a dark blemish on Curly's scalp, particularly the haberdasher scene.

Re: 3 DUMB CLUCKS
Posted 2010-04-14 18:19:27 by Shemp_Diesel
Edited 2014-12-24 09:10:38 by Dunrobin

I like the remake Up In Daisy's Penthouse better because it's faster paced & some of the new scenes are an improvement over the original, i.e. Moe & Larry fighting while getting dressed. This one is still pretty good though, just not an all-time classic.

7 pokes

Reviewer's Rating:

(7)

Re: 3 DUMB CLUCKS
Posted 2010-08-26 18:50:03 by Final Shemp

A wildly entertaining Three Stooges short, if I do say so myself. 3 Dumb Clucks is a great effort from the boys.I loved Curly's double role as both Curly and Popsie. Late in the short, the two get into a grand chase scene where each appear from different sides of the set, ensuring the villains are thoroughly confused. Curly's bit on trying on hats was a fun sequence as well.Moe and Larry mostly play second fiddle to Curly this time around. Their biggest scenes come early on during the jail break scene, where they use stashed away power tools to break through the wall. Moe gets a great gag here as he gives the power cord to the drill to a guard, claiming it's a part of his electric razor and he wants a shave.I confess bothering to set the Stooges up in prison only to have no one seem to miss them once they're gone is a bit disappointing. I imagine there should have been some sort of manhunt going down, but the Stooges wander around free without a worry.Lots of funny here. This is one that I can watch again and again.Final Shemp's Final Word: 3 1/2 Pokes

Reviewer's Rating:

(9)

Re: THREE DUMB CLUCKS
Posted 2003-10-29 09:00:00 by Benson

I agree with you. You have to observe with a discerning eye the true talents of comedy in the blood of the Three Stooges. A great example is the hat scene. Others call it dragging, but I see it again and again in awe. You have to see the scene looking carefully at Curly's and Moe's facial expressions in turn. Each look of joy when Curly dons the barette and Moe's incredulity and impatience. When Curly cracks the straw hat, observe how Moe tries to avoid the storeowners notice by tossing the hat aside instead of returning it to the table. Finally, the hat which they pick out, if you didn't notice ,was the hat Curly initially entered the store with. A true sign of comedy talent of yesteryear, being able to naturally live the part.

Re: THREE DUMB CLUCKS
Posted 2002-01-11 15:51:00 by waynesworld

I love watching this one! I prefer this one over Shemp because any remake of Curly by Shemp just doesn't do it for me. I prefer Shemp in original movies. The scene in which Curly (& his self-played father) keep running down the hall & into the same bad guy. It was the first short I ever saw!"For Duty & Humanity."

Re: THREE DUMB CLUCKS
Posted 2001-11-09 21:48:00 by [Deleted Member]

I also prefer the Shemp version for the same reason as the others here. I also think he looks a little better with sideburns than Curly.How can you folks mention the hat shop scene without mentioning that Swiss Alps mountan climber's hat Curly tried on? When he saw how he looked in it, he appropriately sang "O-lee-o-lay-HEE!" If you saw the Popeye cartoon when Popeye, Olive and Bluto were mountain climbing, you'd surely get the joke. Anyway, after the hat shop scene, something strange happens- when they meet Daisy-Waisy and push the car out of the way to get something (I forgot what it was) for her, they send the car rolling, but that's the last we see of it. Wasn't it going downhill? That driverless car would've probably sped right into traffic, but they just don't show it anymore, or even play a crash sound from offscreen. Still, it's a great short and I wish they could've put some of that jail footage in "Beer Barrel Polecats" and take out some of the Pomeroy-centered footage.ISLIPP-your pants RIPP. ©2001

Re: THREE DUMB CLUCKS
Posted 2001-10-02 00:53:00 by Mike Holme

The remake is actually better because Jules removed the hat scene which lasted way too long and we got the joke pretty early with a great scene with Moe and Larry fighting while dressing. Plus, the Curly double is not as convincing as the Shemp double in "Up In Daisy's Penthouse". Overall, this one is still good, but there is plenty of room for improvement. 3 pokesEdited by - Mike Holme on 11/12/2001 5:44:34 PM

Re: THREE DUMB CLUCKS
Posted 2001-03-03 23:10:00 by sickdrjoe

Any movie with Curly playing two roles is off to a good start, far as I'm concerned. This one begins in jail; another good omen. Lots of quality sight gags (the dirty socks, the flagpole scene, etc) only add seasoning to an already-satisfying dish. Curly's head injury is the kind of occupational hazard that makes you scratch your head when someone discussing the Stooges says, "Oh, they never got hurt - they faked all that punishment with sound effects!" By the way, ever wonder -after a couple of thousand eyepokes- how often Moe accidentally missed and nailed his partners for real?If being a Stooge wasn't an occasional full-contact sport, it was at least the kind of job that required you to be part stuntman.

Working Title(s):	FIVE DUMB CLUCKS
Title Origin:	THREE SMART GIRLS (1936 Universal movie)
Prod. No.:	266
Shooting Days:	5 days From: 1937-02-01 To: 1937-02-05

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