Review of Punch Drunks

Curly becomes an all-out crazed fighting madman whenever he hears the song "Pop Goes the Weasel." So irritable boxing manager Moe, assisted by bumbling musician Larry, decides to promote Curly as a boxer which eventually culminates in a big match against fearsome heavyweight champion Killer Killduff (the formidable Al Hill). Director Lou Breslow maintains a constantly snappy pace throughout and stages the plentiful slapstick gags with considerable brio. Sidesplitting highlights include Curly beating up a bunch of guys in a restaurant (the manager of said restaurant winds up hanging from the ceiling fan after Curly socks him right in the jaw!), Moe having a car dropped on his foot, Larry frantically searching for a radio after his violin gets smashed, and a heated feud between a bratty little boy and the man who rings the bell at the boxing match. The big fight itself is a total gut-busting doozy. Dorothy Granger as a fetching young lady makes for a nice foil for our lovably oafish trio. The Stooges are on the top of their goofy game here, with Curly in particular a stand-out. Kudos are also in order for the crisp black and white cinematography by Henry Freulich; note the nifty use of fades and dissolves during a cool montage sequence. An absolute hoot.