Grips, Grunts and Groans (1937)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Jack White

Writers:

Herman Boxer (story)
Clyde Bruckman (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

13 January 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Comedy | Sport

Plot:

Although circumstances force an over-matched Curly into a wrestling ring against a superior opponent, a spectator's perfume proves to be his secret weapon.

Plot Keywords:

Wrestling | Wrestler | Gambler | Rotisserie | Riding The Rails

Cast

Curly Howard	...	Curly (as Curly)
Larry Fine	...	Larry (as Larry)
Moe Howard	...	Moe (as Moe)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Chuck Callahan	...	Waiter #3 (uncredited)
Tony Chavex	...	Ironhead (uncredited)
Casey Colombo	...	Tony (uncredited)
Budd Fine	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Harrison Greene	...	Ivan Bustoff (uncredited)
William Irving	...	Waiter #1 (uncredited)
Sam Lufkin	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Cy Schindell	...	Waiter #2 (uncredited)
Herb Stagman	...	Kid Pinkie (uncredited)
Everett Sullivan	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Elaine Waters	...	Perfume Girl (uncredited)
Blackie Whiteford	...	Tony's Henchman (uncredited)
Harry Wilson	...	Workout Partner (uncredited)

Directed by
Jack White		(as Preston Black)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Herman Boxer		story
Clyde Bruckman		writer
Searle Kramer		story

Produced by
Jules White	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
Benjamin H. Kline		(as Benjamin Kline)

Film Editing by
Charles Nelson

Music Department
Louis Silvers	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1937) (USA) (theatrical)
• Screen Gems (1958) (USA) (TV)
• Columbia TriStar (2000) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

19 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Quotes:

Moe: Listen, Bustoff you can't drink that. That's alcohol.
Ivan Bustoff: That's not alcohol. That's just a little tequila, vodka and cognac.
Curly: Oh, that's different go ahead.

The Absolutely-Insane Ending To This Kills Me Every Time!

The last five minutes of this insane Three Stooges story almost puts me in tears laughing, and I've seen it many times. It features Curly as a pro wrestler! Regarding those last few minutes, it's one of those "you have to see it, to believe it" cases. I've never seen Curly go this berserk before, which is saying a lot.

Actually, this Three Stooges classic isn't just pure lunacy at the end: it's crazy and funny from start-to-finish, with a great 1930s look and feel to it. From the opening bums-in-the-railroad car scene, to knocking over a woman's baby carriage to the boxing gym scenes, on and on it goes until the incredibly wild finish.

Included in this story was a theme - used in several Three Stooges films - in which Curly would go bananas by smelling something, or hearing something.....and then he would be unstoppable. This worked to great advantage in the ring, whether it was boxing or wrestling or whatever. In this story, he becomes a wrestler, only "out of soy-cumstance." The real wrestler, a bearded Russian-looking guy named "Bostoff," gets blitzed with a combination of alcoholic drinks and Curly - to save the Stooges butts from the mob boys who have bet on Bostoff - has to take his place.

What happens just kills me. As other reviewers here state, this is a classic Three Stooges, one of the best.