Calling All Curs (1939)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Jules White

Writers:

Thea Goodan (story)
Searle Kramer (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

25 August 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Short

Plot:

The stooges run a pet hospital and get an important patient, Garcon, a rich ladies poodle. When dognappers posing as reporters steal the poodle...

Plot Keywords:

Poodle | Slapstick | Nurse | Dog | The Three Stooges

Cast

Curly Howard	...	Dr. Curly (as Curly)
Larry Fine	...	Dr. Larry (as Larry)
Moe Howard	...	Dr. Moe (as Moe)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Beatrice Blinn	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Symona Boniface	...	(uncredited)
Lynton Brent	...	Duke - Dognapper (uncredited)
Beatrice Curtis	...	Mrs. Bedford (uncredited)
Ethelreda Leopold	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Dorothy Moore	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Robin Raymond	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Cy Schindell	...	Tony - Dognapper (uncredited)
Libby Taylor	...	Maid (uncredited)

Directed by
Jules White

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Thea Goodan		story
Searle Kramer		screenplay
Elwood Ullman		screenplay

Produced by
Jules White	....	associate producer

Film Editing by
Charles Nelson

Music Department
Ben Oakland	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1939) (USA) (theatrical)
• Screen Gems Television (1958) (USA) (TV) (syndication)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1995) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Also Known As:

Call a Doctor (USA) (working title)
Dog Hospital (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

18 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: You can see a shadow moving on the wall when Curly is trying to pull the thorn out of Garcon with pliers.

Quotes:

Dr. Curly: [Larry is washing his socks]
[to Larry]
Dr. Curly: What are you doing?
Dr. Larry: [to Curly] Well, it's Monday isn't it?
Dr. Curly: [throws socks at Larry] Come on we have operating to do.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Stop! Look! and Laugh! (1960)

A Good 'Demo' Of The Three Stooges Humor

Our three favorite goofs are veterinarians, if you can believe it, and are still the same slap- happy saps who are silly but fun to watch. We get sight gags right from the start as Curly swallows soap and then blows bubbles out of his mouth.

Anyway, after a bunch of typical Stooges clowning, mostly corny stuff, their three beautiful assistants prepare them with surgical clothing, and we see that it's a black poodle who will be their prey, er subject for operation. Apparently, "Garcon" belongs to a rich lady named "Bedford" and their "operation" is simply taking a thorn out of the dog.

Later, the boys give two reporters a humorous tour of the facility, with the drunken lap dog, the garbage can moocher with a bad case of "scavengeritus," and other corny comments. After the tour, the reporters turn out to be "dognappers, taking "Garcon" and holding him for a ransom.

There are many Stooge-like sight gags in this short and some still made me laugh, even though I've seen them hundreds of times. I liked Moe going through the intercom, the dogs all dressed with bibs sitting at the dinner table, the dog-bone sandwich biting Curly, the maid "scalping" Garcon, Moe being used as a punching bag, etc.

Goofy? Yes, but still funny. In fact, if you wanted to show someone what the Stooges were all about, this one would provide a good demonstration.