Half-Wits Holiday - the Three Stooges
Betting one of his colleagues that he can turn the Three Stooges into gentlemen within 60 days, a professor tries to teach the boys proper manners with the help of his pretty daughter. After many frustrating attempts, he introduces the Stooges at a high society party. At first things go all right, but the party soon turns into a wild pie fight.
Half-Wits Holiday (1944) is a funny, yet bitter-sweet short film by the Three Stooges - Moe Howard, Larry Fine and the final performance by Curly Howard. Half-Wits Holiday is a remake of an earlier Three Stooges short film, Hoi Polloi. In Half-Wits Holiday, two college professors make a bet whether or not the Three Stooges can be turned into gentlemen. Highlights of the short film include the Three Stooges pantomiming eating soup as they attempt to learn manners (failing miserably), Moe having a discussion with a dinner guest about the sword of Damocles (a long-time favorite scene) at the climatic coming-out party, and Moe hitting Curly in the stomach, only to have stolen silverware fall out—a sight gag reminiscent of Harpo Marx. The film culminates in a massive pie fight, with Moe, Larry and various party guests throwing and receiving pies in the face.
Why are there no scenes of curly in the pie fight? Because, sadly, it was during the filming of Half-Wits Holiday that Curly Howard suffered from the stroke that necessitated his retirement from the screen. This is why, although Half-Wits Holiday is a very good Three Stooges short film, I always have mixed emotions while watching it. It is available on the