Half-Wits Holiday

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Half-Wits Holiday

Half-Wits Holiday is the 97th short subject

Short subject

Short subject is a format description originally coined in the North American film industry in the early period of Film. The description is now used almost interchangeably with short film....
starring American slapstick

Slapstick

Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated extreme physical violence or activities which exceed the boundaries of common sense, such as a character being hit in the face with a heavy frying pan or running into a brick wall....
comedy team the Three Stooges

Three Stooges

The Three Stooges was an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid?20th century best known for their numerous short subject films....
. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an United States film production company and distribution company. It was one of the so-called studio system among the eight major film studios of Hollywood Cinema of the United States#Golden Age of Hollywood....
between 1934

1934 in film

Events*January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000.*February 19 - Bob Hope marries Dolores Hope...
and 1959

1959 in film

The year 1959 in film involved some significant events....
.

he second Stooge adaptation of Pygmalion
Pygmalion (play)

Pygmalion is a Play by George Bernard Shaw loosely inspired by Pygmalion . It tells the story of Henry Higgins, a professor of phonetics who makes a bet with his friend Colonel Pickering that he can successfully pass off a Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, as a refined society lady by teaching her how to speak with an upper class...
, the trio are repairmen who make a scene in the presence of two psychologists, Professors Quackenbush (Vernon Dent

Vernon Dent

Vernon Bruce Dent was a comic actor who co-starred in many short films for Columbia Pictures. He was frequently cast as the irascible foil to the Three Stooges' comic antics....
) and Sedletz (Ted Lorch

Theodore Lorch

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Encyclopedia

Half-Wits Holiday is the 97th short subject

Short subject

Slapstick

Three Stooges

Columbia Pictures

1934 in film

Events*January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000.*February 19 - Bob Hope marries Dolores Hope...
and 1959

1959 in film

The year 1959 in film involved some significant events....
.

Plot

In the second Stooge adaptation of Pygmalion
Pygmalion (play)

Pygmalion is a Play by George Bernard Shaw loosely inspired by Pygmalion . It tells the story of Henry Higgins, a professor of phonetics who makes a bet with his friend Colonel Pickering that he can successfully pass off a Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, as a refined society lady by teaching her how to speak with an upper class...
, the trio are repairmen who make a scene in the presence of two psychologists, Professors Quackenbush (Vernon Dent

Vernon Dent

Theodore Lorch

Theodore Lorch was an American film actor. He appeared in 146 films between 1908 in film and 1954 in film.Modern viewers remember Lorch for his commanding performances in several Three Stooges comedies....
). Quackenbush makes a bet with Sedletz that he can turn the boys into gentlemen through environment. Training is slow and painful for the professor, who pull his hair out in disgust. The Stooges take the opportunity to flirt with the professor's daughter, Lulu (Barbara Slater

Barbara Slater

Barbara Slater was an American film actress. She appeared in over 20 films between 1941 in film and 1947 in film.Modern viewers will recognize Slater for her roles in two Three Stooges film from the 1940s....
), while learning table etiquette

Etiquette

Etiquette is a code that influences expectations for social behavior according to contemporary Convention Norm s within a society, social class, or Group ....
. Finally, the winner of the wager will be decided by the boys' behavior at a fancy society party.

The party, naturally, goes awry. Curly greets guest Mrs. Smythe-Smythe (Symona Boniface

Symona Boniface

Symona Boniface , was an American film actress. She appeared in 120 films between 1925 in film and 1956 in film.Boniface is probably best known as a society matron foil for slapstick comedy trio the Three Stooges, in which she intercepted many a flying pie....
) by kissing her hand, and biting off the diamond

Diamond

In mineralogy, diamond is the Allotropes of carbon where the carbon atoms are arranged in an isometric-hexoctahedral crystal lattice. After graphite, diamond is the second most stable form of carbon....
in her ring. Realizing this, Moe and Larry take Curly to a secluded area to lecture him, only to find that the kleptomania

Kleptomania

Kleptomania is the condition of not being able to resist the urge to collect or hoard things. People with this disorder are compelled to steal things, generally things of little or no value, such as pens, paper clips, tape, small toys....
c Stooge has swiped a load of silverware as well.

Curly then grabs a pie from a pastry table, and tries to eat it whole. Moe sees this, swipes the pie, and pushes Curly out of the way. Seeing the approaching Mrs. Smythe-Smythe, Moe tosses the pie straight up, resulting in it sticking to the ceiling. Noticing his nervousness and frequent upward glances, she sympathetically comments, "young man, you act as if the Sword of Damocles

Damocles

Damocles is a figure featured in a single moral anecdote concerning the Sword of Damocles, which was a late addition to classical Greek culture....
is hanging over your head." Moe tells Mrs. Smythe-Smythe she must be psychic

Psychic

The word psychic refers to a proposed ability to perception information hidden from the senses through what is described as extrasensory perception, or to those people said to have such abilities....
and leaves. Bewildered, Mrs. Smythe-Smythe says "I wonder what's wrong with that young man?" and looks up to see what had him so concerned. At that moment the pie comes crashing down in the society matron's face. This sparks off a massive pie melee involving all the guests.

So long, Curly

Half-Wits Holiday marked the final appearance of Curly Howard

Curly Howard

Curly Howard was an American comedian and vaudeville, best known as a member of the American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges, along with his older brothers Moe Howard and Shemp Howard, and actor Larry Fine....
as an official member of the slapstick comedy team. During filming on May 6, 1946, Curly suffered a severe stroke

Stroke

A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. According to the National Stroke Association, a "stroke" occurs when a blood clot blocks and artery or a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain....
and was rushed to a nearby hospital. The superstooge had suffered a series of minor strokes since early 1945, and had become a ticking time bomb ever since.

Curly was actually supposed to be featured prominently in the pie-fight scene, but after Moe found Curly with his head slumped on his shoulder, it was apparent Curly was seriously ill. Moe quietly alerted director Jules White

Jules White

Jules White born Jules Weiss was a movie director and producer. He is best known for his short-subject comedies starring the Three Stooges....
of Curly's unfortunate situation, leading White to quickly rework the scene to be divided between Moe and Larry. Reaction shots from the supporting cast were spliced in more frequently to hide Curly's absence.

Supporting actor Emil Sitka

Emil Sitka

Emil Sitka was a veteran American actor who appeared in hundreds of movies, short films, and television shows, and is best known for his numerous appearances with the Three Stooges?nearly 40....
, who made his debut with the Stooges in Half-Wits Holiday, remembers:

Even before the day Curly suffered his debilitating stroke, the Stooge had been having problems taking direction from White during filming. Many of the lines intended for Curly were either given to Larry or disposed of altogether. One scene in particular took much longer to film than it should have.

The Stooges are supposed to behave like proper, dignified gentlemen, and communicate fluently to the hoi polloi

Hoi polloi

Hoi polloi , an expression meaning "the many" in Greek language, is used in English language to denote "the masses" or "the people", usually in a Pejorative....
:

- Larry: "Delighted."
- Moe: "Devastated."
- Curly: "Dilapidated."

- Larry: "Enraptured."
- Moe: "Enchanted."
- Curly: "Embalmed."

White later said, "I had a devil of a time getting that scene. Curly just couldn't get the hang of it. I should have realized then that he was deteriorating even further."

Quotes

Professor Quackenbush: "There is definite evidence of vacancy of the cranium."
Curly: "Gee, thanx!"

Mrs. Smythe-Smythe: "Young man, you act as if the Sword of Damocles is hanging over your head."
Moe: "Lady, you must be psychic."

Half-Wits Holiday

Plot

So long, Curly

Quotes

External links

Further reading