The Three Stooges’ “Half-Wits Holiday” is one of the saddest comedies ever made, not so much because of its content – which tries but mostly fails at being amusing – but because of its troubled production history. On May 6, 1946, the final day of the four-day shoot, Curly Howard suffered a massive stroke during the production that effectively ended his career. Curly’s health had been in decline since mid-1944 and it is believed that he endured several mini-strokes prior to making this short.
“Half-Wits Holiday” is a reworking of the trio’s 1935 “Hoi Polloi,” where they find themselves the subject of a bet between two psychologists over whether a person’s behavior is defined by hereditary factors or the environment where they exist. The Stooges are inept plumbers – “We always fix it right the second time!” boasts Larry Fine – who are recruited as the subjects of the psychologists’ experiment.
The film has two lengthy and none-too-funny segments that clog up the action: where the Stooges learn table manners using imaginary utensils and meals and when they are given a reading lesson using elementary school-level books. A fast-forward in time brings them their tuxedoed debut in high society, but Moe Howard is apoplectic as Larry and Curly revert to their natural uncouth behavior. Not surprisingly, the Stooges disrupt the party’s dignified vibe and the evening devolves into a feral pie fight among the well-heeled guests.
To its credit, the film is gifted with Stooges’ regulars Vernon Dent as one of the psychologists, Symona Boniface as (what else?) a society doyenne, and Emil Sitka making his debut with the team as Sappington the butler – he gets trampled by the roughneck trio at one point and received a pie in the face during the pastry-filled climax. The pie fight footage is typical Stooges slapstick – it is fun, but not as wildly inventive as “In the Sweet Pie and Pie” from 1941 – and the mayhem was recycled several times later including for the 1958 remake “Pies and Guys” with Joe Besser taking Curly’s role.
Unfortunately, most of the material with Curly is pretty weak – his enervated performance is a far cry from the manic genius of his peak years, and he looks worn and tired for most of the film, particularly in a moment when he applies and then eats lipstick. Curly’s stroke occurred just prior to the pie fight, which forced director Jules White to quickly reconfigure the segment without Curly’s involvement. Indeed, Curly’s exit occurs just before the climactic mayhem starts and watching him walk off-screen is heartbreaking when one considers his scene exit was also the end of his brilliant career.