Ever wonder how the Stooges one time boss and head man would define what a stooge is? Well wonder no more. You can find out from the following article from a 1934 issue of Movie Classic magazine. If you have any trouble reading any of the following pages, you can click on them and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you do not have a touch screen, click here.
Studio: MGM. Runtime: 20 minutes. Production Number 690. Release Date: August 26, 1933. Director: Jack Cummings. Story: Ted Healy. Screenplay: Matty Brooks. Cast: Ted Healy, Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard (Themselves), Bonnie Bonnell (Bonny Latour), Edward Brophy (Theater manager), Fred Malatesta (Restaurant manager), Martin Sperzel, Al Teeter, Jack Smith (Singing bartenders). Music: Al Goodhart. Lyrics: Gus Kahn. Working title: Beer Gardens.
The Stooges second short film for MGM was very much in the same vein as their first. As with Nertsery Rhymes (1933), this film is a musical revue with Ted Healy and the Stooges providing bits of comedy between the musical numbers. It also features Bonnie Boswell (credited as Bonny) once again in a supporting role (with her own song number) and has Jack Cummings once again as the director. However, unlike Nertsery Rhymes this film is in black and white.
In this short film the boys are thrown out of the Happy Hour Theatre because of Ted's women chasing ways. As the boys get jobs as waiters, Ted promises to give up women, but this proves to be harder than he thought.
This is one of the better films that the Stooges made with Ted Healy. The Stooges are at the top of their game here. Not only do their characters already feel fully developed this early in their movie career but their humor is also quite well developed here as well. There are some truly laugh out loud moments with the Stooges here, each in the vein of the Stooges later films.
Meanwhile the musical numbers are fine. The songs are pleasant but not exactly memorable. They are filmed in a mostly basic fashion. However, the male dancing trio are a lot of fun to watch and the use lighting is very clever in these scenes.
One of the supporting players in this film is Edward Brophy, one of my favorite character actors. Born on February 27, 1895, in New York City, Brophy had a career that stretched from the 1920's until his death in 1960. He made his screen debut in Yes or No? (1920) staring Norma Talmage. Probably his best-known role of the silent era was as the big man sharing a changing room with Buster Keaton in The Cameraman (1928). Brophy would continue working with Keaton in the talkie era with such films as Doughboys (1930), Parlor, Bedroom and Bath (1931), Speak Easily (1932) and What! No Beer? (1933). His best-known film role though was as the voice of Timothy Mouse in Disney's Dumbo (1941). Over his career he would appear (mostly in supporting roles in such movie classics as The Champ (1931), Freaks (1932), The Thin Man (1934), You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939), All Through the Night (1942) and The Thin Man Goes Home (1944). He would also play a reoccurring character in the B-Movie series starring Tom Conway as the Falcon. He would appear with the Stooges again in Hello Pop! (1933) and Swing Parade of 1946 (1946). He passed away on May 27, 1960 in Pacific Palisades, California at the age of 65 during the production of John Ford's Two Rode Together (1961), which would end up being his last movie.
At one point in this film, the Stooges sing, "You'll never know, just what tears are..." They also sang this song in Soup to Nuts (1930), Dancing Lady (1933), Fugitive Lovers (1934), Horses' Collars (1935), Half Shot Shooters (1936) and A Ducking We Will Go (1939).
The title of this film is a play on a Universal Pictures musical released the same year. That movie was called Moonlight and Pretzels (1933) and starred Leo Carrillo and Mary Brian. Despite being directed by legendary cinematographer Karl Freund (who also directed Universal's The Mummy (1932)), this musical is surprisingly laughably bad. That movie had rested in obscurity and been hidden from public eyes for decades. However, it had its first public screening in decades at the 2025 TCM Film Festival, where it was introduced by Jeopardy host, Ken Jennings.
The lyricist for the songs in this film was Gus Kahn (born November 6, 1886, passed away October 8, 1941), a legend in the music world. Various songs he wrote the lyrics for include Ain't We Got Fun, It Had to Be You, Yes Sir, That's My Baby and Dream a Little Dream of Me to name just a few. Writing the music was Al Goodhart (born January 26, 1905, passed away November 30, 1955), who had written the music for such songs as I Apologize, Happy Go Lucky You and Broken-Hearted Me and Fit as a Fiddle (which can be heard in the classic movie musical, Singing in the Rain (1952)).
The following are some exhibitors' reviews from the Motion Picture Herald. " BEER AND PRETZELS: Ted Healy and Stooges — Very funny. Feature this, you won't regret it. Good dance trio in this subject. Healy and stooges are a great combination. Running time. 18 minutes. - Perry L. Lessley, Diamond Theatre, Philadelphia, Pa. Neighborhood patronage." "BEER AND PRETZELS: Ted Healy and Stooges — They listed it as a Colortone Review but there is no color in it. It is not up to the standard of MGM Colortones. Without the color it is rather overdone as to silly gags. Running time, 18 minutes. - C.A. Pratt, Texas Theatre, Smithville, Texas. Small Town Patronage." "BEER AND PRETZELS: Ted Healy & Stooges— This is only fair entertainment of the slapstick variety. There are a few laughs but as a whole it did not, please our patrons. Let's have better shorts in the future. Running time, 19 minutes. - J.J. Medford, Orpheum Theatre, Oxford, N.C., General Patronage."
Resources Used
The Three Stooges Scrapbook by Jeff Lenburg, Joan Howard Maurer and Greg Lenburg
Studio: MGM. Runtime: 80 minutes. Production Number 689. Release Date: August 25, 1933. Director: Edgar Selwyn. Screenplay: Edgar Selwyn, Ben Hecht. Cast: Lee Tracy (Joe), Mae Clarke (Mary), Otto Kruger (Ted), Geo. Barbier (Evans), Peggy Shannon (Elvins), C. Henry Gordon (Mr. Holmes), Clara Blandick (Joe's Mother), Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard (Wedding Singers). Art Director: Stanwood Rogers. Gowns: Adrian. Cinematographer: Harold Rosson. Editor: Frank Sullivan. Interior Decorator: Edwin B. Willis. Mixer: Fred R. Morgan. Associate Producer: Harry Rapf. Assistant Director: Fred Wilcox Recording Director: Douglas Shearer.
By the time this 1933 fantasy came out, Lee Tracey (born April 14, 1898; passed away October 18, 1968) and Mae Clarke (born August 16, 1910; passed away April 29, 1992) had already become a popular screen team having appeared in the early talkie Big Time (1929), which marked the first credited screen appearance for both stars. Since then, Lee had appeared in such films as Doctor X (1932) and Dinner at Eight (1933). Mae Clarke had built up and even more impressive filmography by this time appearing in such as The Front Page (1931), The Public Enemy (1931) Frankenstein (1931) and Three Wise Girls (1931). Though she never became the major star she should have been her acting career including quite a few roles in classic movie and TV shows.
In this movie a man (Lee Tracey) is struggling with money. He begins to wish that instead of marrying his wife (Mae Clarke), he had married a woman he didn't love (Peggy Shannon) but who marrying would have helped make him rich. After an accident, he gets a chance to see what his life would have been like if he had pursued money instead of love.
This overlooked gem is a true minor classic. The story may be basic but it not without depth. It speaks to the basic desire for both money and love and how the purist of money can hinder the want for love and companionship. Because of this anyone can relate to and feel an emotional connection to the main character. Also, fulfilling the one of the basic needs for this type of fantasy film, this movie provides basic wish fulfillment. At the same time showing that perhaps what one wishes for more not be as great as it initially seems. At only 80 minutes this movie moves at a fast pace and never gets dull for a second. Yet (with the exception of the ending) it doesn't feel rushed. The acting is excellent. Lee Tracey is wonderful in the main role. He brings a real humanity and likability to this role, even when his character is behaving selfishly. Mae Clarke is excellent as always in her role as the true love of his life. The two have great chemistry together and even though they don't share a lot of scenes, we truly believe they are in love. Peggy Shannon is also excellent in the role of the woman he marries for money. The character herself is great as well. She may be the wrong woman for our main character; however, she is not the unlikable stereotype that she would have been in lesser hands. She is actually surprisingly quite likable and sympathetic. She is just as much trapped in a cold loveless marriage as he is, and the film makes us understand this part of her.
The co-writer of this film was Ben Hecht (born February 28, 1894; passed away April 18, 1964). Hecht was an extremely successful novelist, playwright and screenwriter. Hect's plays include The Front Page, The Great Magoo and Twentieth Century. The Front Page had already given him a connection to the two main stars. Lee Tracy had starred in the original Broadway version of the play, while Mae Clarke had acted in the 1932 film version. His screenwriting credits include such classics as Scarface (1932), Hallelujah, I'm a Bum (1933), Nothing Sacred (1937), Wuthering Heights (1939), The Black Swan (1942), Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945) and Hitchcock's Notorious (1946).
The film's director Edgar Selwyn (born October 20, 1875, passed away February 13, 1944) only directed a handful of films. Included in these handful of films was The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931), for which Helen Hayes received an Academy Award. He was also a quite prolific playwright and quite a few movies were based off of his plays. These movies include The Arab (1924), Dancing Mothers (1926), Possessed (1931), Baby Face Harrigan (1935) and Pierre of the Plains (1942).
One of the most notable names attached to this movie for film buffs, is cinematographer Harold Rosson (born April 6, 1895; passed away September 6, 1988). With a career that lasted from the 1910's through the 1960's, Rosson was one of the most prominent and respected cinematographers of his day. His work includes such classics as Oliver Twist (1916), The Docks of New York (1928), Treasure Island (1934), The Wizard of Oz (1939), Johnny Eager (1941),Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944), The Stratton Story (1949), On the Town (1949), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The Red Badge of Courage (1951), Singin' in the Rain (1952), The Bad Seed (1956) and El Dorado (1966).
The Stooges have very minor roles in this film. They appear briefly in a wedding scene as wedding singers. They don't really have comedic moments in their brief scenes, playing the roles straight instead. Moe and Larry's hair are even slicked back making them look completely normal. Despite this not being a true Stooge film, it does mark a couple firsts from the comedy team. This is the first time that they appeared without Ted Healy. It is also Curly's first time appearing in a feature length movie.
When released this movie received positive reviews from critics though some felt it was too similar to John L. Balderston's play Berkeley Square. Berkely Square premiered on stage in 1926. The play received a movie adaption the same year this movie was released (Berkeley Square (1933)).
All in all, this is a true underrated gem that needs more attention from classic movie lovers.
-Michael J. Ruhland
Resources Used
The Three Stooges Scrapbook by Jeff Lenburg, Joan Howard Maurer and Greg Lenburg
Fans of both Abbott and Costello and The Three Stooges know that two Stooges sometimes appeared with the comedy team. Shemp Howard had appeared in some of Abbott and Costello's earliest movies. Joe Besser had would be a regular on the first season of the duo's TV series. There was however one Abbott and Costello movie where these two Stooges crossed paths and that was Africa Screams.
In this film, Abbott and Costello play two men working in a bookstore. Stanley (Lou Costello's character) has read a book that has a map that leads to a diamond mine. When treasure hunters cannot find this book, they enlist the help of the two book salesmen.
This is an often intermittently funny comedy. There are moments here that are truly hilarious but then often long gaps between real laughs with a lot falling flat in-between. Highlights include Lou Costello impersonating Joe Besser, every scene with Shemp (he plays a gunman who can barely see his hand in front of his face) is very funny (he even at times steals the show from Abbott and Costello) and the perfect ending. However, it is hard to make a feature length comedy because it is hard to remain funny for that long of a time. Because of this there are scenes where it feels like the gag men are trying too hard to fit a gag into every scene. This leads to a lot of comedic moments that feel forced and tend to fall flat. The scene with Lou Costello locked in a cage with a loin should have been a surefire comedy set piece but somehow falls flat. This movie also benefits from a great supporting cast. As mentioned before Shemp is the scene stealer and is very funny here. Joe Besser also gets some good chances to shine. I love the gag where he is putting out the fire.
Hillary Brooke (who would later become a regular on the Abbott and Costello TV show) is one of Abbott and Costello's best female leads and she works very well with the comedy duo. She later recalled how nervous she was to work with the popular comedy team. "I can't do it, Ed [producer Edward Nassour]. I can't keep up with them. I'm a nervous wreck. I never get a cue! Ed said, 'Stay with it, Hillary, you're going to have a wonderful time.' And of course he was absolutely right. I loved working with Abbott and Costello. Lou and I had a very unusual, wonderful friendship.... He taught me more about comedy than anyone I ever worked with. I was not a comedienne by any means, but he taught me timing and how to handle a joke...And I must say that Bud was one of the greatest straight men that ever existed, and he never got the credit for it"
This film’s cast would also feature a pair of real-life big game hunters, Clyde Beatty and Frank Buck. The two were already very familiar to movie goers as they had starred in their own series of short films that would showcase their hunting exploits (personally I can’t understand how someone killing innocent animals could be considered entertainment to anyone). Still, they were not actors and are easily the weak links of the cast. Frank Buck’s acting ability is especially lacking.
Unlike most of Abbott and Costello's films that were made for big name studios like Universal (where they made the majority (and the best of) their movies), Warner Brothers and MGM, this movie was made for the low budget Nassour Studios run by brothers Edward and William Nassour. This would in fact be the Nassour Brothers' first commercial feature. However the studio had produced a short film called 10,000 Kids and a Cop (1947), which would feature Lou Costello and be used to promote the Lou Costello Jr. Youth Center. It was shot in sixteen days on a budget of less than $500,000. One usual expense for Bud and Lou was objected to by the brothers Nassour. They understandably objected to spending $3,500 on pies that would be thrown in between filming. Bud and Lou often did this to relieve tension and keep the comedic momentum going. Writer Martin Ragaway remembered, "There seemed to be a friendly feud between the Abbotts and the Costellos. Different people on the set had been enlisted on different sides. Somebody would blow a whistle and suddenly, on this jungle set, people began throwing pies at one another. There was a pie war!...I remember saying to myself, well, this is how pictures are made. Apparently, they had to have something to relieve the tension, and this was it." Cinematographer Charles Van Enger remembered, "Eddie Nassour had the studio painted and charged it to our production. Lou refused to pay it. They had a hell of a fight. Eddie came down to the set with a gun, looking to kill Lou. Really! I took the gun away from him." Bud and Lou would file suit against the Nassour brothers for supposed production costs. This case would be settled to no one's satisfaction.
This film's director would be Charles Barton, one of the duo's best directors (who directed their most popular film Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)). He would direct Abbott and Costello in a total of nine films. Barton would go on to direct two live-action feature films for the Disney studio, The Shaggy Dog (1959) and Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus (1960). Fans of TV series of the 1950's and 60's will be familiar with his work. He directed episodes of The Amos 'n Andy Show (for which he directed all 78 episodes), The Great Gildersleeve, Disney's Zorro, Dennis the Menace (for which he directed a total of 90 episodes), McHale's Navy, Hazel, Petticoat Junction and Family Affair (for which he directed 106 episodes).
Filming of this movie was briefly paused because Shemp got seasick floating in a raft in a studio tank, which was only a few feet deep. Bud Abbott's nephew Norman Abbott was the dialogue coach on this film.
Resources Used
The Abbott and Costello Story: Sixty Years of Who's on First by Stephen Cox and John Lofflin
After their success in the Abbott and Costello movies Buck Privates (1941), In the Navy (1941) and Hold That Ghost (1941), Universal decided to star The Andrew Sisters in their own series of B musicals. Naturally one of these films was a military themed musical comedy in the vein of Buck Privates. Even the title would be similar to that Abbott and Costello classic. The Andrew Sisters would not be the only returning in Private Buckaroo. Shemp Howard (of Three Stooges fame) also returned for this movie. While in Buck Privates, Shemp had a smaller role, in Private Buckaroo Shemp has a much larger role providing much if the comedy in this musical comedy.
Like Buck Privates, the storyline is basically an excuse for music and comedy. The storyline that is here involves an entertainer named Lon Prentice (Dick Foran), who after getting into the army tells his commanding officer (Richard Davies) that he thinks most military training is useless. His commanding officer orders that he does not have to do any of this training, which causes his fellow recruits to turn against him. He soon learns his lesson.
Though this movie is strictly a programmer and will never be confused for one of the best Hollywood musicals it is a lot of fun for what it is. The musical numbers are truly excellent. The Andrew Sisters are at the top of their game here and the songs they perform here are all delightfully. However, the other musical performers here are excellent as well. Dick Foran, Joe E. Lewis and especially legendary jazz trumpeter Harry James provide some great music. There is not a weak song number or weak performer in the whole film. The soundtrack simply provides one great song after another. Shemp is at the top of his game as well. Though the humor can be a bit hit and miss (the scenes with the little girl are not especially funny), Shemp gives it his all. His scenes with Mary Wickes are the comedic highlights of the movie and often made me laugh out loud. The storyline may not be much to write home about but great music, an excellent cast and a few really funny moments make this a delight for fans of B musicals.
Though this was advertised as an Andrew Sisters movie and the sisters receive top credit, the real star of the film was Dick Foran (born June 18, 1910, died August 10, 1979). Dick Foran is best remembered by fans of B Westerns. After the success of Gene Autry's singing cowboy movies, in the mid-1930's Warner Brothers cast Foran as the lead in a series of singing cowboy picture meant to compete with Autry's. When in the 1940's Foran moved to Universal he was often cast in comedies and horror films. Some of the comedies he appeared in were appropriately western themed including the W.C. Feilds and Mae West vehicle My Little Chickadee (1940) and the Abbott and Costello flick Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942). He appeared in two of the Universal monster movies featuring the mummy, The Mummy's Hand (1940) and The Mummy's Tomb (1942). Returning to his B-Western roots, he also starred in two western serials for Universal Winners of the West (1940) and Riders of Death Valley (1941). He would spend the latter part of his career working in television appearing in episodes of such Science Fiction Theatre, Sheriff of Cochise, Father Knows Best, Maverick, Wanted Dead or Alive and the Swamp Fox episodes of Disney's anthology show.
The movie's director was Edward F. Cline (born November 4, 1891, died May 22, 1961) was one of the best comedy directors of his day. He began his film career at Keystone studios in 1914. He briefly worked as a Keystone Cop before being promoted to an assistant director. By 1916 he had become one of the studio's most prolific directors. He would direct nearly sixty comedies for the studio and has been credited with the formation of the Mack Sennet Bathing Beauties. Silent comedy fans might know him best for his work with Buster Keaton, where he was credited as a co-director (along with Keaton) on some of the great comedian's silent shorts as well as the feature film Three Ages (1923). He continued to direct wonderful comedies well into the sound era. Some of his best work is his work with W.C. Feilds. He directed Feilds in such classic movies as Million Dollar Legs (1932), You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939), My Little Chickadee, The Bank Dick (1940, also featuring Shemp) and Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941). He would also work with his old partner Buster Keaton again during the talkie era. He directed Buster in The Villain Still Pursued Her (1940) and the ill-fated TV shows The Buster Keaton Show and Life with Buster Keaton.
Though Harry James is seen in the army in this film, he was unable to join the military in real life due to a back injury. Also seen here is a teenage Donald O'Connor along with his then screen partner Peggy Ryan. Universal hoped that these two could compete with MGM's Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland.
Film Bulletin, 1942
The movie mostly received poor reviews from critics. Bosley Crowther stated, “For consistent ineptness, for frantic dullness, for the sheer impertinent waste of film at a time when Hollywood is supposedly seeking ways of saving raw stock.” A review in The Film Daily stated, "'Private Buckaroo' is just a lot of song strung into a feature length picture with interludes of slapstick here and there. There is no story to speak of and no originality in the presentation of the material. The action takes place in a night club and an army camp. It's all too exaggerated to merit belief. The film's musical content - mostly of the popular sort - should give the production a break with young folks. Older people will find little in 'Private Buckaroo to appeal to them."
Motion Picture Daily, 1942
-Michael J. Ruhland
Resources Used
A-Z of Silent Film Comedy by Glenn Mitchell
Chase! A Tribute to the Keystone Cops edited by Lon and Debra Davis.
Studio: MGM. Runtime: 20 minutes. Production Number 685. Release Date: July 6, 1933. Director: Jack Cummings. Script: Ted Healy, Moe Howard, Matty Brooks. Cast: Ted Healy, Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard (Themselves), Bonnie Bonnell (Fairy Princess), Ethelind Terry (Woman in the shoe), The Rounders (Woman in the Shoe quintet), The Dodge Twins (Turn of a Fan dancers), Lottice Howell (Turn of a Fan singer). Music and Lyrics: Nacio Herb Brown, Herbert Stothart, Arthur Freed, Clifford Grey. Chorographer: Sammy Lee. Working Title: Nursery Rhymes.
By the time Ted Healy and His Stooges made their return to the screen, it had been nearly three years since their first movie. In between these films, the team had been performing on stage. One major change though had occurred over this period though. Shemp had left the act and his young brother Jerry Howard (soon to be renamed Curly) had taken his place. At first Curly had long, wavy-brown hair and a mustache. Legend has it that Curly shaved his head and his mustache right after joining the team but photos of the team during this time had shown Curly with long hair and mustache. The salary structure of the team would also change with Curly getting $75 a week, Moe getting $140 and Larry getting $125. Moe would later remember that Ted was a first nervous about this change because Curly had limited stage experience. Moe would later state, "What Curly did for the first three weeks was just run across the stage in a bathing suit, carrying a little pail of water. That's all he did, run back and forth, until we gradually worked him into the act." Curly's trademark high-pitched voice came from jitters during his first stage appearance, but audiences loved it, and it soon became an accepted part of the act.
It was at a performance at the Club New Yorker in 1933 (they performed there from March 2nd to April 5th, 1933), when an MGM scout caught the team and signed them to a studio contract. This contract would have Ted Healy and His Stooges star in a series of musical comedy shorts as well as having supporting roles in feature films. From this moment on, the Stooges would rarely be off movie screens for the rest of their careers.
In this short film, the Stooges play Ted Healy's children. Ted is trying to get the boys to sleep but nothing seems to be working. Because of this Ted turns to a Fairy Princess (Bonnie Bonnell) for help. The Fairy Princess then puts on a musical revue show for the boys.
This is a charming little film. Though the Stooges aren't given a whole lot to do here, they are delightful. It is easy to see why they would soon become big movie stars. Most of their jokes here aren't up to par with those in their later shorts but the trio handles them well. In true Stooge fashion they make even the weakest gags kind of work. This is not to say every gag is weak though as the ending gag made me laugh out loud. This short is also a visually handsome one and I quite enjoy the storybook-like set for the Woman in the Shoe number as well as the use of early Technicolor. The musical numbers are very pleasant to listen to but are hardly memorable. The choreography is decent, but I did feel there was too much empty space on screen during some of the musical numbers. This helped add to the feel of a filmed stage play at times.
Despite these flaws, the Stooges, the sets, the use of color and to a lesser extent the songs make the film worth watching. However, no one will ever mistake this for one of the Stooges' best films.
Bonnie Bonnell (Born August 1, 1905, in Thomasville, Georgia; died March 14, 1964, in Santa Monica California (from liver failure)), who played the Fairy Princess, had an extremely short film career. She only appeared in a handful of films, most of them with Ted Healy and His Stooges. She did however work as a stage and vaudeville actress before her brief movie career. Many Stooge biographers believe that she was Ted Healy's girlfriend at time.
This film’s director was Jack Cummins. Born February 16, 1905, Cummins was the nephew of Louis B. Mayer. In the 1920’s Mayer hired him as an office boy with the intention of him working his way up. In 1934 he became a producer of B pictures, working his way up to more prestige movies. According to various accounts, he was a very capable and talented producer but due to his relation to Mayer, many people looked at him as just the boss’ kid and didn’t take him seriously in this role. This didn’t stop Cummins though as he personally made sure to supervise each department working on the films he produced. He passed away April 28, 1989. Films he produced include Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937), Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940), Go West (1940), I Dood It (1943), The Stratton Story (1949), Three Little Words (1950), Kiss Me Kate (1953), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956) and Viva La Vegas (1964).
Though the Stooges play children in this short, there is no attempt made to make them look like children, which of course just adds to the humor. With the childlike parts of these comedians' screen characters, it is perhaps no shock that this is not the only time they would play children. They would play Ted Healy's children again in the short film, Hello Pop! (1933). The trio would play their own children in Creeps (1956) and again in Outer Space Jitters (1957). The Stooges disguised themselves as children in All the World's a Stooge (1941) and Quiz Wizz (1958). When the Farrelly brothers made their own version of a Stooges film with the feature length movie, The Three Stooges (2012) (which featured different actors playing Moe, Larry and Curly), the film started off with scenes featuring the trio as kids.
However, the most fascinating example of the Stooges as kids came not from the movies or TV but rather comic books. After the Stooges long running comic book series came to an end in 1972, comic book artist and cartoon writer Norman Maurer (also Moe's son in-law) proposed a new series of comic books entitled The Little Stooges (which was picked up by Western/Gold Key Comics). This new comic book series would center around the Stooges' teenage sons, who were mostly younger versions of their famous fathers (though they would be dressed in hip 70's attire). The series would feature a line-up of new characters as well. One of these new characters was the villain Benedict Bogus Jr. When Maurer had worked on actual Three Stooges comic books, he had created a villain for the Stooges, a conman named Benedict Bogus. It was only natural to have the Little Stooges face off against this villain's teenage son. The Little Stooges would also have a trio of girlfriends Moon (a girl next door type), Pixie (the richest girl in town) and Lovely (a fun-loving girl, who shares Little Curly's love of chocolate sodas). Also featured here was their dog Moose. Moose was based on Maurer's own dog with the same name. The real Moose can be seen in the Stooge's last film, Kook's Tour (1970). Most of these stories were written Maurer himself and some were even written by his son, Jeff Maurer. The first issue was published in September 1972. Despite comic books fans considering this series to be some of the best Stooges comic book stories, the series only lasted seven issues. However, many comic book companies were having trouble at this time and this led to issues costing the ridiculously expensive price of 20 cents an issue. This series ended the Stooges long association with the Western comic book company.
In this short film, there is a gag in which the Stooges imitate a train. They would do so again in the short films You Nazty Spy! (1940), Nutty but Nice (1940), Sock-A-Bye Baby (1942), I Can Hardly Wait (1943), Gents Without Cents (1944) and Fiddler's Three (1948). Lou Costello does a similar bit in the Abbott and Costello movie Hold That Ghost (1941), which features Shemp in a small role.
The dialogue exchange about money that ends with "You don't know your arithmetic." "You don't know my father." This same exchange was later used in the Stooges shorts, Half-Wits Holiday (1947) and Pies and Guys (1958).
A 1933 issue of The New York State Exhibitor stated, "Metro has a two-reel Technicolor short, 'Nertsery Rhymes,' which should go a long way towards saving some weak feature. Ted Healy, his three stooges are featured along with a couple of extravaganza numbers that will send people out talking. Show has more appeal than a lot of features. Sell it as much as the feature."
The following are some exhibitor's reviews from the Motion Picture Herald.
"NERTSERY RHYMES: Colortone Musical Revues — Here is a comedy with music and color that stands out like a wart on a nose. The highlight is the singing, which will haunt you for weeks. Worth repeating. A distinct addition to any program. Running time, 19 minutes. - A.H. Edwards, Orpheum Theatre, Orwigsburg. Small Town and rural patronage."
"NERTSERY RHYMES: Ted Healy— Not up to the previous comedies of this series. The story is slow and there is very little singing and practically no dancing. The scenes are beautiful, but it takes more than good scenes to make good shorts."
"NERTSERY RHYMES: Musical Comedies— The best of the Colortone Reviews so far. This one is a riot of beauty and comedy. Give it your preferred time, and if you have not played it, go back and pick it up. Ted and his stooges furnish the comedy and the girls set the balance. - C.L. Niles, Niles Theatre, Anamosa, Iowa. General Patronage."
"NERTSERY RHYMES: Musical Comedies - This is one of the best musical comedy shorts, we have had the pleasure of witnessing 100 per cent entertainment. Running time, 18 minutes. - William Crute, Victoria Theatre, Vancouver, B.C. Neighborhood patronage."
This short can be watched on YouTube below.
Resources Used
The Three Stooges Scrapbook by Jeff Lenburg, Joan Howard Maurer and Greg Lenburg
