''Calling All Curs'' is a 1939

short subject A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film or ...

directed by

Jules White Jules White (born Julius Weiss; 17 September 1900 – 30 April 1985) was an American film director and producer best known for his short-subject comedies starring The Three Stooges. Early years White began working in motion pictures in the ...

starring American

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...

comedy team

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total ...

(

Moe Howard Moses Harry Horwitz (June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975), better known by his stage name Moe Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He is best known as the leader and straight man of the Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion ...

Larry Fine Louis Feinberg (October 4, 1902 – January 24, 1975), better known by his stage name Larry Fine, was an American actor, comedian and musician. He is best known as a member of the comedy act the Three Stooges and was often called "The Middle St ...

and

Curly Howard Jerome Lester Horwitz (October 22, 1903 – January 18, 1952), better known by his stage name Curly Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He was a member of The Three Stooges comedy team, which also featured his elder brothers Moe and ...

). It is the 41st entry in the series released by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

The Stooges are skilled

veterinarians A veterinarian (vet) or veterinary surgeon is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, veterinarians also play a role in animal r ...

, entrusted with the care of Garçon, an esteemed poodle belonging to socialite Mrs. Bedford. Following a successful surgical intervention to alleviate Garçon's discomfort, the Stooges attract the attention of two ostensibly benign reporters from ''The Daily Star'', who express interest in featuring the clinic in their publication. Amidst their interactions with the canine clientele, Garçon inexplicably disappears, leaving behind a ransom note purportedly penned by the faux reporters, revealing their malevolent intent as dognapping criminals. The Stooges, confronted with the dilemma of Mrs. Bedford's escalating distress, resort to a hapless ploy involving a substitute mutt disguised as Garçon, which ultimately unravels under the scrutiny of Mrs. Bedford's discerning eye. Faced with the imminent threat of incarceration, the Stooges embark on a desperate quest to apprehend the perpetrators, employing the substitute mutt as a makeshift bloodhound to trail the dognappers to their lair. A confrontation ensues, culminating in a triumph for the Stooges, who emerge victorious in their confrontation with the adversaries. Moreover, amidst the tumult of the rescue mission, an unexpected revelation transpires as Garçon reveals her maternal instincts, birthing a litter of puppies.

Production notes

Filmed on December 27–30, 1938, the title ''Calling All Curs'' is a pun on the phrase "Calling all cars!"Solomon, Jon. (2002) ''The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion'', p. 105; Comedy III Productions, Inc., A

colorized Film colorization (American English; or colourisation/colorisation [both British English], or colourization [Canadian English and Oxford English]) is any process that adds color to black-and-white, sepia, or other monochrome m ...

version of this film was released in 2006 as part of the DVD collection entitled "Stooges on the Run." Garçon gives birth at the end of the short, and is referred to by feminine pronouns throughout. Garçon is French for “boy.” This marks one of the few times the Stooges have respectable, professional careers as opposed to working as blue-collar laborers. This was one of Curly Howard's favorite Stooge films as he was a well-known dog lover. Footage was reused in the 1960 compilation feature film '' Stop! Look! and Laugh!'' Filming location: 5600 Fernwood Avenue,

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Quotes

*Moe ''(to the Garçon in disguise)'': "Listen, bloodhound! If you got any 'blood' in you, you'd better start pointing and point out those dognappers! Get the point?!" *Curly: "Hmmm, n'yuk, n'yuk n'yuk. He must be a Pointsetter." ''(referring to the

Poinsettia The poinsettia (; ''Euphorbia pulcherrima'') is a commercially important flowering plant species of the diverse spurge family Euphorbiaceae. Indigenous to Mexico and Central America, the poinsettia was first described by Europeans in 1834. It ...

flower)'' also "I'm trying to think but nothing happens!" *Moe: "Quiet, you hot air-dale!" ''(referring to an

Airedale Terrier The Airedale Terrier (often shortened to "Airedale"), also called Bingley Terrier and Waterside Terrier, is a dog breed of the terrier type that originated in the valley (''dale'') of the River Aire, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. It ...

and making a pun on the phrase "hot air" as in "empty talk intended to impress")''

References

External links

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''Calling All Curs''
a
threestooges.net
{{Authority control 1939 films The Three Stooges films Columbia Pictures short films American black-and-white films Films directed by Jules White 1939 comedy films American slapstick comedy films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films