Production Information
Title: Scrambled Brains
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 132
Release Date: July 7, 1951
Running Time: 15:50
“Hey, you know, I think she’s uglier than you are.”
Short Take
Moe and Larry are at a sanatorium where Shemp is being treated for suffering from hallucinations. Before being prematurely released, Shemp insists on saying farewell to his new fiancée, beautiful nurse Nora (Babe London). When Nora calls out to Shemp, she appears, much to the scare of Moe and Larry: poor Nora is a homely, toothless thing who seems to have won Shemp’s heart. It then becomes clear that Shemp is far from cured, and needs additional therapy.
While Shemp is home, The Boys receive a visit from Dr. Gesundheit (Emil Sitka). The blind-as-a-bat doctor tries his best to cure Shemp but runs into difficulty when the stubborn Stooge refuses to swallow a sleeping pill. Later, Shemp hallucinates an extra set of hands while enduring his piano lesson. On the verge of a nervous breakdown, Shemp insists on seeing Nora, with hopes of finally getting married.
On their way to the doctor, The Stooges become wedged in a phone booth with a stranger (Vernon Dent), leading to a fist and pie fight. Back in their apartment, they find she is waiting for her father who happens to be the man The Stooges brawled within the phone booth.
Scrambled Brains Cast & Crew
| Directed by | Jules White |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Jules White |
| Written by | Felix Adler |
| Starring | Moe Howard Larry Fine Shemp Howard Babe London Vernon Dent Emil Sitka |
| Cinematography | Henry Freulich |
| Edited by | Edwin H. Bryant |
Scrambled Brains Trivia
- Larry often cited this film as his all-time favorite, with You Nazty Spy! and Cuckoo on a Choo Choo his runners-up
- The gag of making a doll whine by leaning a rocking chair on it was borrowed from Laurel and Hardy‘s 1940 film Saps at Sea
Production Notes
Filming for Scrambled Brains took place from March 21-23, 1950
