The Three Stooges became independent in the summer of 1934 after the three broke away from their long-time manager and straight man Ted Healy. Inking a short-term contract with Columbia Pictures, the trio released their first 20-minute short film, May 1934's "Woman Haters," followed by July 1934's "Punch Drunks." Unusual for a Stooge film, the story was written by Moe Howard and refined into a working script by screenwriter Jack Chuett. Moe gave credit to himself, his younger brother Curly and acting partner Larry Fine for the story idea, the only one the team had ever composed from scratch.
"Punch Drunks" opens with each Stooge not knowing the other two, a most unusual introduction for them. Moe is a manager for three disgruntled boxers. He's having lunch with them when Larry, a violist who plays for food, walks in and opens his set with the song "Pop Goes The Weasel." The tune triggers the restaurant's timid waiter Curly into a frenzy. He proceeds to knock out the three boxers as well as the restaurant owner. Moe sees a golden opportunity. Gathering the two strangers, he has Larry play the song on his violin at ringside while Curly easily clobbers his opponents on the boxing circuit, sending him upwards in the ranks towards the title.
"Punch Drunks" established several firsts for the Stooges. Curly is first heard saying he's a "victim of soycumstance (circumstance)!" a phrase he uses to defend himself. When Curly gets excited hearing "Pop Goes The Weasel," he voices "woo-woo-woo" for the first time, which he'll use in future Stooges' films whenever he gets overly hysterical. "Punch Drunks" sees Curly agitated by either a song, a smell or a sight of something that will send him into a violent spasm, a pattern he'll use repeatedly. The film also exhibits Larry's talents on the violin, an instrument he took up as a child to strengthen his arms after he sustained an injury.
Like many Stooges' films where injuries occurred during filming, "Punch Drunks" proved no exception. Curly suffered a bloody nose and a cut lip when actor Al Hill, his boxing opponent named Killer Kilduff, was wailing away at him. In another sequence, Larry steals a truck broadcasting "Pop Goes the Weasel" over its loudspeakers. While he drives away, character actor Charles King, standing on the the back of the truck, was sent sprawling onto the pavement. King suffered a broken leg. In a rarity for a Stooges' film, Moe hits someone other than Curly or Larry. This occurs when one of his assistants gives Curly a rubdown in the ring between rounds, which causes Moe to smack him on the back of the head.
The title for the Stooges' second short was originally called 'A Symphony of Punches.' It was changed to "Punch Drunks" to reflect how a fighter is hit so many times he's stumbling like a person who has had too much liquor. The plot was later redeveloped by the Stooges, one with Shemp and another with Joe Rita in a feature film. Columbia Pictures prized the 1934 short so much the studio included a clip of it in Eddie Murphy's 2003 "Daddy Day Care." And the Library of Congress gave "Punch Drunks" the honor of being the only Three Stooges' film to be permanently preserved by its United States National Film Registry.
"Punch Drunks" opens with each Stooge not knowing the other two, a most unusual introduction for them. Moe is a manager for three disgruntled boxers. He's having lunch with them when Larry, a violist who plays for food, walks in and opens his set with the song "Pop Goes The Weasel." The tune triggers the restaurant's timid waiter Curly into a frenzy. He proceeds to knock out the three boxers as well as the restaurant owner. Moe sees a golden opportunity. Gathering the two strangers, he has Larry play the song on his violin at ringside while Curly easily clobbers his opponents on the boxing circuit, sending him upwards in the ranks towards the title.
"Punch Drunks" established several firsts for the Stooges. Curly is first heard saying he's a "victim of soycumstance (circumstance)!" a phrase he uses to defend himself. When Curly gets excited hearing "Pop Goes The Weasel," he voices "woo-woo-woo" for the first time, which he'll use in future Stooges' films whenever he gets overly hysterical. "Punch Drunks" sees Curly agitated by either a song, a smell or a sight of something that will send him into a violent spasm, a pattern he'll use repeatedly. The film also exhibits Larry's talents on the violin, an instrument he took up as a child to strengthen his arms after he sustained an injury.
Like many Stooges' films where injuries occurred during filming, "Punch Drunks" proved no exception. Curly suffered a bloody nose and a cut lip when actor Al Hill, his boxing opponent named Killer Kilduff, was wailing away at him. In another sequence, Larry steals a truck broadcasting "Pop Goes the Weasel" over its loudspeakers. While he drives away, character actor Charles King, standing on the the back of the truck, was sent sprawling onto the pavement. King suffered a broken leg. In a rarity for a Stooges' film, Moe hits someone other than Curly or Larry. This occurs when one of his assistants gives Curly a rubdown in the ring between rounds, which causes Moe to smack him on the back of the head.
The title for the Stooges' second short was originally called 'A Symphony of Punches.' It was changed to "Punch Drunks" to reflect how a fighter is hit so many times he's stumbling like a person who has had too much liquor. The plot was later redeveloped by the Stooges, one with Shemp and another with Joe Rita in a feature film. Columbia Pictures prized the 1934 short so much the studio included a clip of it in Eddie Murphy's 2003 "Daddy Day Care." And the Library of Congress gave "Punch Drunks" the honor of being the only Three Stooges' film to be permanently preserved by its United States National Film Registry.