WOMAN HATERS
d. Archie Gottler, 1934

PUNCH DRUNKS
d. Lou Breslow, 1934

19 January 2009

It occured to me as I was watching it that I'd never seen WOMAN HATERS all the way through, or at least do not recall doing so. Several things about it struck me. The first was how similar it is to the two-reelers of other comedians of the time. It fits right in there with Patsy Kelly or Edgar Kennedy shorts, albeit without losing the distinction of being a Three Stooges vehicle. I was also struck by the completeness of the Stooges' persona - individually and as a team - at the time of this first solo Columbia short. I would not have been surprised by rough edges, or moments out of character from the later Stooges, but nothing like that was in evidence. WOMAN HATERS is as much a Three Stooges short as any later entry in the series.

Larry shows what makes him Larry.

That PUNCH DRUNKS is only the second Columbia short further demonstrates that the team was fully mature in their characterizations at the outset of the series. I've always assumed that PUNCH DRUNKS was a somewhat later effort, being as it is perhaps THE archetypally Stoogiest of all Stooges shorts. But no, it is only the second outing and it is perfect. If PUNCH DRUNKS were the only surviving Curley-era Stooges short, their work could be accurately judged by it alone.

Curley throws that first
Pop Goes The Weasel-inspired punch.

When 30s two-reelers went outside, a kind of comedy verite occured which I find irresistably fascinating. When Larry's broken fiddle sends him in search of Pop Goes The Weasel, we are allowed to witness L.A. (or environs) as it was, rather than as it would have been if recreated on a back lot. These throw-away shots are a direct window into the past. The radio shop window alone evokes an entire era. That slapstick comedy is being performed right on the streets adds a layer of unintended but satisfying surreality.

Larry's quest.