''Booby Dupes'' is a 1945

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

Del Lord Delmer "Del" Lord (October 7, 1894March 23, 1970) was a Canadians, Canadian film director and actor best known as a director of Three Stooges films. Career Delmer Lord was born in the small town of Grimsby, Ontario, Canada. Interested in the 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 84th 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 fish peddlers who opt to bypass intermediaries by catching their own fish. Procuring fishermen uniforms and a boat, they encounter a series of comedic misadventures, including Curly inadvertently acquiring a navy captain's uniform while flirting with the captain's partner. Following this episode, the trio regroups and invests in a propeller boat, using funds raised from trading their car. However, their vessel proves to be faulty, and they find themselves in dire straits when it begins to sink at sea. Seeking rescue, they board their spare

dinghy A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or Towing, towed by a Watercraft, larger vessel for use as a Ship's tender, tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they diffe ...

and attempt to signal passing planes for assistance. Unfortunately, their distress signal, crafted from a white rag adorned with a large red paint splatter, bears an unintended resemblance to the flag of Japan. Mistaken for Japanese sailors by overhead bombers, the Stooges become targets of an aerial attack. In a bid to evade the onslaught, Moe ingeniously constructs a makeshift motor using a propeller and Curly's

victrola The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer, incorporated in 1901. Victor was an independent enterprise until 1929 when it was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became ...

, enabling the trio to flee the scene amidst the chaos.

Production notes

Filmed on September 27–30, 1944, ''Booby Dupes'' is a partial

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...

of the 1932

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American double act, comedy duo during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) ...

short film '' Towed in a Hole''. In addition, the gag of a victrola acting as a car radio appeared in the duo's 1932 film ''

Busy Bodies ''Busy Bodies'' is a 1933 short comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy. Plot Stan and Ollie embark on their journey to their new employment at the sawmill with a sense of enthusiasm, traveling in their Ford Model T. Their vehicle, equipped with ...

''. The title is a play on the line "boop-oop-a-doop" from the song "

I Wanna Be Loved by You "I Wanna Be Loved by You" is a song written by Herbert Stothart and Harry Ruby, with lyrics by Bert Kalmar, for the 1928 musical ''Good Boy''. It was first performed on September 5, 1928, by Helen Kane, who was the inspiration for the cartoon ...

," made famous by singer

Helen Kane Helen Kane (born Helen Clare Schroeder, August 4, 1904 – September 26, 1966) was an American singer and actress. Her signature song was " I Wanna Be Loved by You" (1928), featured in the 1928 stage musical ''Good Boy''. The song was written for ...

and by the

Fleischer Studios Fleischer Studios () was an American animation studio founded in 1929 by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer, who ran the pioneering company from its inception until its acquisition by Paramount Pictures in 1942, the parent company and the distri ...

cartoon character

Betty Boop Betty Boop is a cartoon character designed by Grim Natwick at the request of Max Fleischer. She originally appeared in the '' Talkartoon'' and ''Betty Boop'' film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pic ...

. This is one of a few shorts in which one of the boys call themselves "the Stooges", screamed by Moe as the bomber tries to sink their boat. This is also the final episode in the Curly era directed by

, who would direct his last episode with the Stooges in '' Shivering Sherlocks'' with

Shemp Howard Shemp Howard (born Samuel Horwitz; March 11, 1895 – November 22, 1955) was an American comedian and actor. He is best known as the third Stooge in The Three Stooges, a role he played when the act began in the early 1920s (1923–1932), while i ...

, thus making it the only film he directed with Shemp as a member of the Stooges. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Stooges released a handful of comedies that engaged in

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded l ...

against the then-enemy Japanese, including '' Spook Louder'', '' No Dough Boys'', ''Booby Dupes'', and ''

The Yoke's on Me ''The Yoke's on Me'' is a 1944 short film, short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 79th entry in the series released by Columbia Picture ...

''.

's mannerisms and reactions had been starting to slow down. In ''Booby Dupes'', his condition varies; he is in top form at the beginning and end of the film, but appears somewhat sluggish during the middle sequence involving his stealing navy Capt. Vernon Dent's uniform and flirting with girlfriend Rebel Randall.

References

External links

*
''Booby Dupes'' at threestooges.net
{{Authority control 1945 films Columbia Pictures short films The Three Stooges films American black-and-white films Films directed by Del Lord 1945 comedy films 1945 short films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films English-language short films