Grips, Grunts and Groans - the Three Stooges | clown ministry

You are here: Three Stooges short films >Grips, Grunts and Groans - the Three Stooges

Grips, Grunts and Groans—starring the Three Stooges (Moe, Larry, Curly) - originally released January 13, 1937

In Grips, Grunts and Groans, the Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard) are hobos, traveling by rail—until the railway guards find them, that is. Narrowly escaping, they dash into an athletic club as a place to hide, where they are quickly hired as sparring partners—and they tickle the funny bone of Bustoff, a professional wrestler, who hires them and takes them out to lunch. While there, gamblers offer to pay the Three Stooges $100.00 (a very large sum in 1937) to keep him from drinking, so that he’ll be in good shape for the championship bout that night. The Stooges fail at this, however, and try to sober Bustoff up at the ring.

It almost succeeds, too, until Curly accidentally drops a series of dumbbells on Bustoff—and then the cabinet. The gamblers make it very clear that the Stooges’ health is on the line is Bustoff doesn’t win his match, and so Moe decides to disguise Curly to appear in Bustoff’s stead. Curly is getting creamed, until Moe sees a lady with a bottle of perfume—the same perfume (Hyacinth) that drove Curly crazy earlier in the restaurant. After Moe sprinkles him with the perfume, Curly goes wild and (with very funny slapstick with the poor wrestler) pins his opponent, and starts throwing everybody out of the ring. A very funny film, (a reworking of an earlier short film, Punch Drunks) and recommended viewing. Grips, Grunts and Groans is available on Moe, Larry and Curly: Yeah, another turkey!

Moe: Listen, Bustoff you can’t drink that. That’s alcohol.
Ivan Bustoff: That’s not alcohol. That’s just a little tequila, vodka and cognac.
Curly: Oh, that’s different go ahead.

Curly: I don’t know how to wrestle! He’ll kill me!
Moe: So what! Tony’s gonna kill us anyway! It’s better for one to die than three, and we’ve chosen you.
Curly: A victim of circumstance!

Moe: What’s a matter, kid, ya nervous?
Curly: Nooo, I’m scared.