Production Information
Title: Violent Is The Word For Curly
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 32
Release Date: July 02, 1938
Running Time: 17.9
“Swing the Alphabet,” and follow up by teaching Dean Catsby how to play basketball, Stooges-style!
Violent Is The Word For Curly Short Take
Moe, Larry and Curly are gas station attendents who blow up an automobile with three foreign professors going to all-girls Mildew College. On the run, the Stooges change into the professors’ clothes and are mistaken for the instructors by the Dean of the school. In class, the Stooges teach the girls how to “Swing the Alphabet,” and follow up by teaching Dean Catsby how to play basketball, Stooges-style!
Violent Is The Word For Curly Cast & Crew
| Directed by | Charley Chase |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Charley Chase Hugh McCollum |
| Written by | Al Giebler Elwood Ullman |
| Starring | Moe Howard Larry Fine Curly Howard Bud Jamison Gladys Gale Alex Novinsky Marjorie Deanne Pat Gleason Al Thompson |
| Lyrics by | Septimus Winner |
| Cinematography | Lucien Ballard |
| Edited by | Art Seid |
Production Notes
Violent is the Word for Curly was filmed March 14–17, 1938.[1] The film’s title is a parody of the 1936 RKO film Valiant Is the Word for Carrie; the title is notable for being the first that has little bearing on the film’s plot.[2]
Footage was reused in the 1960 compilation feature film Stop! Look! and Laugh![2] A colorized version was released in 2004 as part of the DVD collection “Stooged & Confoosed.”[3]
Vesey O’Davoren appeared as Professor Hicks.[4]
Curly’s injury
During one scene, Curly is tied to a revolving spit that is placed over an open fire. He is then “roasted” in order to thaw him out after having slept in an ice cream truck. Future Stooge director Edward Bernds was present during the filming and noticed that Curly’s weight was causing a problem. “Curly was so heavy Moe and Larry couldn’t turn the crank,” Bernds said. “The straps holding him slipped and he was hanging directly over the fire. Before they could get him off, he was pretty well seared. Curly was hollering his head off, and I don’t blame him. Being roasted alive belongs to the Inquisition, not making two-reel comedies.”[5]
