THREE MISSING LINKS

Production Information
Title: Three Missing Links
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 33
Release Date: July 29, 1938
Running Time: 18:04

“You snore like a roarin’ lion!” “I do not! I stayed awake all last night to see if I snored, and I didn’t!”

Short Take

The boys are janitors at Hollywood studio Super Terrific Productions. They are cleaning the office of B. O. Botswaddle (James C. Morton), who is reviewing a script for a new picture Jilted in the Jungle where the leading man will be a gorilla. After nearly destroying Botswaddle’s office, Curly does his classic imitation of a “chicken with its head cut off” followed by other motions that cause Botswaddle to declare Curly to be the “dead image of the missing link” and sends The Boys off to Africa to begin shooting.

While setting up camp, Curly buys some “love candy” from a cannibalistic medicine man (John Lester Johnson), in hopes of impressing leading lady Mirabel Mirabel (Jane Hamilton). Curly has problems driving the spikes into the ground, for the purposes of securing the tent, in which the spikes leap out if the ground repeatedly. Also, while the Stooges are sleeping, a lion comes to lick the feet of the stooges, causing the frightened Stooges to flee with their tent. Problems arise when Curly (dressed as a gorilla) gets entangled with a real gorilla (Ray “Crash” Corrigan), who scares the film crew off the set. The gorilla then turns his attention to Curly, who, in trying to placate the beast, eats some of the love candy and falls in love with it. The gorilla, repulsed, dashes off with a love-struck Curly in pursuit.

Directed byJules White
Produced byJules White
Written bySearle Kramer
StarringMoe Howard
Larry Fine
Curly Howard
James C. Morton
Monte Collins
Jane Hamilton
John Lester Johnson
Ray “Crash” Corrigan
CinematographyHenry Freulich
Edited byCharles Nelson
  • It is the fourth of sixteen Stooge shorts to have the word “three” in the title
  • This is the first Stooge short directed by Jules White
  • The clip of The Stooges arguing in B. O. Botswaddle’s office was featured prominently in the 1989 film Lethal Weapon 2
  • Mel Gibson is a huge Three Stooges fan;  was a producer on the 2000 TV biopic film

Production Notes

  • Filming took place on April 7-12, 1938