''Half Shot Shooters'' is a 1936

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 Preston Black 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 14th 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

Employing a bifurcated temporal structure, the film opens with the Stooges situated in the immediate aftermath of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in 1918. Herein, they receive commendations ostensibly for "wounds in action," a facetious recognition stemming from a retaliatory assault perpetrated by their superior, Sgt. MacGillicuddy. Reacting to this perceived injustice, the Stooges orchestrate a reprisal against Sgt. MacGillicuddy. The plot then transitions to the year 1935, where the Stooges find themselves destitute and hungry on the streets, inadvertently enlisting in the army under the purview of none other than Sgt. MacGillicuddy himself. Their arrival at an army base coincides with a mishap involving tomatoes, leading to a series of misunderstandings culminating in MacGillicuddy's reassignment to menial duties. Subsequently assigned to coastal artillery duty, the Stooges demonstrate their ineptitude, wreaking havoc by targeting unintended objects, including a smokestack, a house, a bridge, and, humorously, the flagship of a navy admiral. Confronted by MacGillicuddy and a contingent of officers, the Stooges find themselves blamed for the mishap, prompting a comically futile attempt to assign blame amongst themselves. In a final act of retaliation, MacGillicuddy orchestrates a mock photo shoot, wherein the Stooges unwittingly pose for a photograph just before MacGillicuddy fires a deck gun, leaving behind three pairs of smoking boots.

Production notes

''Half Shot Shooters'' was filmed on March 18–21, 1936. The film's title is a pun on ''

Half Shot at Sunrise ''Half Shot at Sunrise'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film starring the comedy duo Wheeler & Woolsey and Dorothy Lee (actress), Dorothy Lee. Their fourth film together, it was the second starring vehicle for the two, following the success ...

'' (1930), an

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Kei ...

movie with

Wheeler & Woolsey Wheeler & Woolsey were an American vaudeville comedy double act who performed together in comedy films from the late 1920s. The team comprised Bert Wheeler (1895–1968) of New Jersey and Robert Woolsey (1888–1938) of Illinois. Collaboration T ...

. This film marked the inaugural appearance of

Vernon Dent Vernon Bruce Dent (February 16, 1895 – November 5, 1963) was an American comic actor, who appeared in over 400 films. He co-starred in many short films for Columbia Pictures, frequently as the foil, main antagonist, and an ally to The Three ...

, who appeared in more Stooge shorts than any other supporting actor. It also marked the final appearance of the old Columbia Pictures logo of a woman bearing a torch during the credits. Unusually for one of their films, the Three Stooges are killed at the end of ''Half Shot Shooters''. This plot device was used sporadically through their films, also being implemented in 1939's '' Three Little Sew and Sews'', ''

You Nazty Spy! ''You Nazty Spy!'' is a 1940 comedy film directed by Jules White and starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges ( Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard). It is the 44th short film released by Columbia Pictures starring the c ...

'' and '' I'll Never Heil Again'' among others.

Dick Wessel Richard Michael Wessel (April 20, 1913 – April 20, 1965) was an American film actor who appeared in more than 270 films between 1935 and 1966. He is best remembered for his only leading role, a chilling portrayal of strangler Harry "Cue ...

had a minor role as a gunnery soldier but made his first appearance as a character in 1947's ''

Fright Night ''Fright Night'' is a 1985 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Tom Holland, in his directorial debut. The film follows teenager Charley Brewster (played by William Ragsdale), who discovers that his next-door neighbor Je ...

'' (

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 ...

's return). ''Half-Shot Shooters'' has been criticized for its sadistic violence executed against the Stooges, with MacGillicuddy breaking Moe's arm, deafening all three, and then killing them at the conclusion.

Quotes

*Officer: "Where were you born?!" *Curly: (''unable to hear him'') "He says your pants are torn!" *Moe: "I ain't got any horn!" *Larry: "No, not warn! Corn!" *Curly: "What?" *Larry: "CORN!" *Curly: "Oh, corn! I got two on both dogs!" (''to the officer'') "Can you tell where I can get a corn plaster, shorty?" *Officer: "Were you born in this country?" *Larry: "What?" *Officer: "Were you born in this country?!" *Larry: "No,

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

." *Officer: "Would you fight for this great republic and-" *Moe: "Republican? Naw, I'm a Democrat!" *Curly: "Not me! I'm a pedestrian."

References

External links

*
''Half Shot Shooters'' at threestooges.net
{{Authority control 1936 films 1936 comedy films The Three Stooges films American black-and-white films Military comedy films Western Front (World War I) films Columbia Pictures short films American slapstick comedy films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films