The Three Troubledoers

Infobox Film
name = The Three Troubledoers


caption =
director = Edward Bernds
writer = Jack White
starring = Moe Howard
Larry Fine
Curly Howard
Dick Curtis
Christine McIntyre
Victor Travers
Hank Bell
Ethan Laidlaw
cinematography = George F. Kelley |
editing = Henry Batista
producer = Hugh McCollum
distributor = Columbia Pictures
released = flagicon|US April 25, 1946
runtime = 17' 04"
country = USA
language = English
preceded_by = "Uncivil War Birds"
followed_by = "Monkey Businessmen"
amg_id = 1:147600
imdb_id = 0039030

"The Three Troubledoers" is the 91st short subject starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

The Stooges are exhausted cowboys who come upon the town of Dead Man's Gulch. The town's population seems to be shrinking, as evidenced by the sound of gunfire and dwindling numbers on the population sign. Badlands Blackie (Dick Curtis) and his gang are the reason behind this. Six sheriffs have been killed in just five months; plus, the blacksmith has been kidnapped and Blackie is threatening to eliminate him unless his daughter, Nell (Christine McIntyre), agrees to marry him. The locals make Curly sheriff, and Moe and Larry deputies. As Nell has promised to wed Curly if he saves her father, he makes his first order of business to help out Nell. Through a series of misadventures (Curly is locked up like a dog, complete with collar strapped tightly around his neck), the Stooges manage to vanquish the bad guys, and rescue Nell's dad.

Moe's injury

The script for this short called for a gag in which a bazooka gun was to backfire and shoot black soot into Moe's face. "The special effects man used too much air pressure," says director Edward Bernds. "It blew off so hard that, even though Moe had his eyes closed, the soot shot up under his eyelids. Jesus, we thought he was blinded for life!" The first aid man had to pry open Moe's eyes and actually took chunks of that black powder out of his eyes.

Curly's illness

"The Three Troubledoers" was produced after Curly Howard suffered a mild stroke. As a result, his performance was marred by slurred speech, and slower timing. Though Curly's falsetto voice had become more of a hoarse croak by this point, apparently the ailing star was comfortable enough to deliver his dialogue is his regular speaking voice. [Iverson, Paul. "The Three Stooges Journal" #84; "Curly's Last Dozen Shorts" (2003) pp. 6-7]

Director Edward Bernds later recalled how Curly's condition would have its peaks and valleys:

References

Further reading

*"Moe Howard and the Three Stooges"; by Moe Howard [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0806507233] , (Citadel Press, 1977).
*"The Three Stooges: An Illustrated History, From Amalgamated Morons to American Icons"; by Michael Fleming [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0767905563] (Broadway Publishing, 2002).
*"One Fine Stooge: A Frizzy Life in Pictures"; by Steve Cox and Jim Terry [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1581823630] , (Cumberland House Publishing, 2006).