Violent Is the Word for Curly (1938)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Charley Chase

Writers:

Al Giebler (story)
Elwood Ullman (story)

Release Date:

2 July 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Short

Tagline:

THEY'RE CRACKED IN THE CRANIUM...ON A CUCKOO CAMPUS!

Plot:

Three bumbling gas station attendants are mistaken for college professors arriving from Germany to teach at a prestigious women's college.

Plot Keywords:

College | Gas Station | Women's College | Basketball | College Professor

Cast

Curly Howard	...	Curly (as Curly)
Larry Fine	...	Larry (as Larry)
Moe Howard	...	Moe (as Moe)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dick Curtis	...	Professor (uncredited)
Marjorie Deanne	...	Miss Katsby (uncredited)
Eddie Fetherston	...	College Official (uncredited)
Gladys Gale	...	Mrs. Katsby (uncredited)
Pat Gleason	...	Benson (uncredited)
Bud Jamison	...	Acme Service Station Owner (uncredited)
Al Thompson	...	Professor (uncredited)

Directed by
Charley Chase

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Al Giebler		story & screenplay
Elwood Ullman		story & screenplay

Produced by
Charley Chase	....	associate producer
Hugh McCollum	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
Lucien Ballard

Film Editing by
Art Seid		(as Arthur Seid)

Sound Department
Edward Bernds	....	sound (uncredited)

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

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1938) (USA) (theatrical)
• Screen Gems Television (1958) (USA) (TV) (syndication)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar (2000) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

18 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor High Fidelity Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The title of this movie short is a takeoff of a 1936 movie called Valiant Is the Word for Carrie (1936).

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: After the lunchman says "Luncheon is served", the a shadow of the boom mic is moving about at the top left corner of the screen.

Quotes:

Mrs. Katsby: Oh, Professor Von Stooper?
Larry: Stupid?
[pointing to Curly]
Larry: I guess you mean him!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "King of the Hill: A Fire-fighting We Will Go (#3.10)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Swingin' The Alphabet

Entertaining short from the Three Stooges

The Three Stooges are working at a gas station and their first customers are three famous professors from Europe. The stooges blow up their car and steal some of their clothes. When they are mistaken for the professors they end up at a women's college where they have to talk about their work.

Moe, Larry and Curly have made another fine short. I had a pretty good time and some of the violent jokes are quite good, especially one involving a woman near the end. Finally the word "violent" is in the title because you have to admit that the stooges are a little too violent sometimes. Still, this one is very nice.