''If a Body Meets a Body'' 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

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 86th 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, currently unemployed, sift through job listings in search of employment. While preparing a meal, Curly inadvertently includes a horseshoe in the soup, mistaking it for a juicy bone, prompting frustration from his companions. Their ire escalates when they discover a newspaper article announcing Curly's inheritance from his deceased uncle Bob O. Link. At the reading of the will, the lawyer overseeing the proceedings vanishes, along with the will itself, only to be later discovered murdered. Suspected of foul play, the Stooges, alongside other potential heirs, are confined to the mansion overnight. During the night, eerie incidents unsettle the trio, including encounters with a parrot nesting within a

human skull The skull, or cranium, is typically a bony enclosure around the brain of a vertebrate. In some fish, and amphibians, the skull is of cartilage. The skull is at the head end of the vertebrate. In the human, the skull comprises two prominen ...

, ominous sounds, and the discovery of Link's corpse. In a moment of panic, the Stooges expose the killer, disguised as the maid, whose identity is unveiled when their wig dislodges, revealing the concealed will. Upon perusing the will, the Stooges and Curly learn of the disproportionate allocation of inheritance, with Curly receiving a mere 67 cents compared to his niece's substantial bequest, much to their chagrin.

Production notes

The film title is a pun on a line from the traditional Scottish song by

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

, "Coming Through the Rye" (as in "Should a body meet a body/Coming through the rye/Should a body kiss a body/Need a body cry?"). It is a remake of ''

The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case ''The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case'' is a Laurel and Hardy pre-Code comedy horror film released in 1930. It is one of a handful of three-reel comedies they made, running 28 minutes. It was directed by James Parrott, produced by Hal Roach and dis ...

'' (1930), which also features actor

Fred Kelsey Frederick Alvin Kelsey (August 20, 1884 – September 2, 1961) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. Kelsey directed one- and two-reel films for Universal Film Manufacturing Company. He appeared in more than 400 films betw ...

as the detective.

Curly Howard's decline

''If a Body Meets a Body'' was filmed on March 9–13, 1945.''If a Body Meets a Body'' at threestooges.net
/ref> It was the first film produced after

suffered a mild

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

. As a result, his performance was marred by slurred speech and slower timing. Though the trio did not know it at the time, Curly's health would gradually deteriorate, resulting in languid, sickly performances through his final film with the Stooges, ''

Half-Wits Holiday ''Half-Wits Holiday'' is a 1947 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges ( Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard in his final starring role). It is the 97th entry in the series released by ...

''.Fleming, Michael (2002)

999 999 or triple nine most often refers to: * 999 (emergency telephone number), a telephone number for the emergency services in several countries * 999 (number), an integer * AD 999, a year * 999 BC, a year Media Books * 999 (anthology), ''99 ...

''The Three Stooges: An Illustrated History, From Amalgamated Morons to American Icons''. New York: Broadway Publishing. p. 211. ''If a Body Meets a Body'' premiered the final version of "

Three Blind Mice "Three Blind Mice" is an English nursery rhyme and musical round.I. Opie and P. Opie, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), p. 306. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 3753. ...

" as the Stooges' theme music, an updated rendition of "sliding strings" version previously used regularly from 1938's ''

Flat Foot Stooges ''Flat Foot Stooges'' is a 1938 short subject directed by Charley Chase starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges ( Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 35th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starr ...

'' until 1942's ''

What's the Matador? ''What's the Matador?'' is a 1942 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges ( Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 62nd entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starr ...

''. This revamped version was arranged by John Leipold and Nico Grigor. Due to the timing of this theme's usage, it is often associated with the "ill Curly" period, as this revamped version coincidentally made its debut in the same film that Curly's illness became apparent. This version of "Three Blind Mice" would also be utilized for the first four shorts produced during the

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 ...

era: ''

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 ...

'', '' Out West'', ''

Squareheads of the Round Table ''Squareheads of the Round Table'' is a 1948 short subject directed by Edward Bernds starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges ( Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Shemp Howard). It is the 106th entry in the series released by Columbia Pi ...

'' and ''

The Hot Scots ''The Hot Scots'' is a 1948 short subject directed by Edward Bernds starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges ( Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Shemp Howard). It is the 108th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring ...

''.

References

External links

*
''If a Body Meets a Body'' at threestooges.net
{{Authority control 1945 films 1945 comedy films 1945 short films The Three Stooges films American black-and-white films Films directed by Jules White Columbia Pictures short films American comedy short films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films Remakes of American films Films about inheritances Films set in country houses Films about murder English-language short films