Ted Healy
Director
The Three Stooges (1934)
The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 4: 1943-1945
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total Stooges appeared over the act's run (with only three active at any given time); Moe Howard (born Moses Horwitz) and Larry Fine (born Louis Feinberg) were mainstays throughout the ensemble's nearly 50-year run, while the "third stooge" was played in turn by Shemp Howard (born Samuel Horwitz), Curly Howard (born Jerome Horwitz), Shemp Howard again, Joe Besser, and "Curly Joe" DeRita (born Joseph Wardell).
Released May 5, 1934
Episode 42 min
None+
S4E1 - They Stooge to Conga
The Stooges are inept repairmen who undertake the task of repairing the doorbell of a sprawling residence, unaware that it serves as the clandestine headquarters for a group of Nazi agents, led by the formidable Hans. Despite their earnest efforts, the Stooges inadvertently wreak havoc within the premises, causing extensive damage to the house's infrastructure and unwittingly disrupting the city's telephone wire system.
Jan. 1, 1943, midnight
S4E2 - Dizzy Detectives
Following a series of mishaps during a door installation endeavor, the Stooges find themselves recruited as police officers by the police commissioner. Tasked with apprehending the notorious "Ape Man," a thief disguised in a gorilla suit, they face the ultimatum of capturing the criminal or risking their positions.
Feb. 5, 1943, midnight
S4E3 - Spook Louder
During an interview with a newspaper reporter, Professor J.O. Dunkfeather narrates the story of Graves, a proficient master spy. Commencing with the Stooges portraying traveling salesmen, their unsuccessful attempts to market the "Miracle Reducing Machine" prompts their continued journey in dire need of funds to meet rent obligations. Fortuitously, the trio stumbles upon Graves' residence, where they are mistakenly assumed to be the new caretakers. Graves, en route to Washington, D.C., entrusts his eerie mansion to the Stooges, intending to return after testing his revolutionary death ray machine. Meanwhile, nefarious spies in Halloween costumes emerge, unsettling the Stooges. The Stooges become further agitated by unexplained cream pie projectiles, seemingly propelled by an enigmatic pie-throwing apparition.
April 2, 1943, midnight
S4E4 - Back from the Front
The Stooges embark on a patriotic endeavor, bidding farewell to their romantic partners and enlisting in the Merchant Marines to contribute to the war effort. While aboard ship, they engage in a brief altercation with Lieutenant Dungen (later revealed as a Nazi spy) before encountering a torpedo mistaken for a beached whale. Mistaking it for a threat, Moe commands its destruction, resulting in an unexpected explosion.
May 28, 1943, midnight
S4E5 - Three Little Twirps
Employed as poster hangers, The Stooges effortlessly sabotage a circus advertisement they were tasked with affixing to a billboard, leading to their dismissal by their boss, Herman. Upon realizing their sole compensation is tickets to the circus, they seize the opportunity to profit by selling them at a discounted rate. However, their illicit ticket-scalping activities attract the attention of authorities, prompting a pursuit.
July 9, 1943, midnight
S4E6 - Higher Than a Kite
The Stooges want to fly for the Royal Air Force but find themselves relegated to the role of mechanics in an airport garage. Assigned the task of remedying a mysterious squeaking noise emanating from the Colonel's car by his assistant, Kelly, the Stooges embark on a series of misadventures. Moe's mishap, resulting in his head becoming lodged in a pipe, sets the tone for their subsequent escapades.
July 30, 1943, midnight
S4E7 - I Can Hardly Wait
The Stooges are defense workers at the Heedlock Airplane Corp. (a pun on the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation). Their late night feast begins with a mistaken attempt to crack open a refrigerator, believing it to be a safe, leading to a humble late-night meal of ham, egg, bread, and coffee. Curly's misfortune strikes when he breaks a tooth on the ham bone, resulting in a severe toothache.
Aug. 13, 1943, midnight
S4E8 - Dizzy Pilots
The Stooges are aviators known as the Wrong Brothers in the Republic of Cannabeer, P.U. who are confronted with an army draft notice. This document grants them a temporary reprieve from service, citing their purported innovation in the creation of the "Buzzard" aircraft as grounds for deferment. Despite their misattribution of greatness, likening themselves to luminaries of invention, their progress is stymied by a succession of mishaps.
Sept. 24, 1943, midnight
S4E9 - Phony Express
In the besieged environs of Peaceful Gulch, threatened by a marauding contingent of bandits and brigands, the town's mayor, formulates a stratagem to deter the encroaching menace. This plan entails the dissemination of a fabricated report heralding the imminent arrival of three resolute marshals (the Stooges), their identities appropriated from a wanted poster portraying vagrants, valued at a nominal price. Despite this intricate scheme, the Stooges nearly face expulsion from the township subsequent to a misguided endeavor to administer a purported panacea to the ailing sheriff, afflicted with lumbago, which imperils his well-being.
Nov. 18, 1943, midnight
S4E10 - A Gem of a Jam
The Stooges are janitors employed at a medical facility during the nocturnal hours. The narrative unfolds through a series of comedic mishaps, commencing with Moe's inadvertent electric shock incident, resulting in an impromptu performance resembling a Cossack dance. Subsequently, Curly becomes ensnared with his head trapped inside a fishbowl, prompting a sequence wherein Moe and Larry endeavor to dislodge the vessel, eventually succeeding but inadvertently evoking sensations of internal tickling within Curly instigated by an ingested goldfish.
Dec. 30, 1943, midnight
S4E11 - Crash Goes the Hash
Fuller Bull, the beleaguered chief of the failing Daily News, chides his hired reporters for failing to secure a story to rival that of their competitor, the Daily Star Press. Mistakenly identifying three tradesmen as journalists from the rival publication, Bull promptly recruits them to procure a photograph of visiting dignitary Prince Shaam of Ubeedarn, who is rumored to be planning nuptials with local socialite Mrs. Van Bustle. Disguised as servants, the trio infiltrates a party at Mrs. Van Bustle's residence held in honor of the prince.
Feb. 4, 1944, midnight
S4E12 - Busy Buddies
The Stooges, proprietors of the Jive Cafe, find themselves grappling with significant financial indebtedness. In a bid to alleviate their financial woes, they reluctantly undertake a secondary occupation, affixing posters for a modest remuneration of one penny per poster. Their attention is captivated by a particular poster advertising a lucrative cow milking competition promising a grand prize of $100.
March 18, 1944, midnight
S4E13 - The Yoke's on Me
The Stooges attempt to join the army during World War II, but are labeled 4-F by the draft board due to Curly having water on the knee. Transitioning from thwarted aspirations of enlistment to the realm of agricultural endeavor, the trio, spurred by paternal encouragement, embraces farming as a means to contribute to the war effort. Symbolically shedding their urban trappings, they embark on a venture marked by resourcefulness and determination, epitomized by the sale of their car to acquire a dilapidated farm.
May 26, 1944, midnight
S4E14 - Idle Roomers
As bellhops at the esteemed Hotel Snazzy Plaza, the Stooges find themselves entangled in a series of misadventures. Their initial aspiration to court an attractive woman on the premises is thwarted by the presence of her formidable and ill-tempered husband, proficient in the art of knife throwing. Complicating matters further is the clandestine importation of Lupe the Wolf Man, a creature prone to uncontrollable fits of rage upon hearing music.
July 15, 1944, midnight
S4E15 - Gents Without Cents
The Stooges are a troupe of aspiring performers navigating the challenges of the entertainment industry. Faced with the obstacle of noisy neighbors disrupting their rehearsals, the trio unexpectedly encounter three talented dancers, Flo, Mary, and Shirley, residing in the apartment above them. A fortuitous friendship ensues, leading the group to seek representation from talent agent Manny Weeks.
Sept. 22, 1944, midnight
S4E16 - No Dough Boys
The Stooges find themselves inadvertently embroiled in a series of comedic misadventures while donning yellowface attire for a photo shoot depicting Japanese soldiers. Directed by their boss to maintain their costumes during their lunch break to expedite the shoot, the trio unwittingly becomes entangled in a case of mistaken identity.
Oct. 24, 1944, midnight
S4E17 - Three Pests in a Mess
The Stooges endeavor to secure a patent for their fly-catching invention. Unbeknownst to them, their conversation regarding the need to capture 100,000 flies to obtain the patent is overheard by a group of nefarious individuals residing across the hallway. Mistakenly believing that Curly possesses $100,000, one of the crooks, employing flirtatious tactics, attempts to coerce him into relinquishing the purported funds. However, upon discovering that the sum refers to flies rather than currency, she turns against them and mobilizes the crooks to pursue the Stooges.
Jan. 19, 1945, midnight
S4E18 - Booby Dupes
The Stooges are fish peddlers who opt to bypass intermediaries by catching their own fish. Procuring fishermen uniforms and a boat, they encounter a series of comedic misadventures, including Curly inadvertently acquiring a navy captain's uniform while flirting with the captain's partner.
March 17, 1945, midnight
S4E19 - Idiots Deluxe
Moe stands trial for assaulting Larry and Curly, presenting a defense centered on his purported illness and the need for peace and quiet as advised by his physician. The tranquility he seeks is disrupted by the duo's loud rehearsal of their musical routine, "The Original Two-Man Quartet," featuring "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain." In a moment of frustration, Moe restrains Larry and Curly with a trombone slide.
July 20, 1945, midnight
S4E20 - If a Body Meets a Body
The Stooges, currently unemployed, sift through job listings in search of employment. While preparing a meal, Curly inadvertently includes a horseshoe in the soup, mistaking it for a juicy bone, prompting frustration from his companions. Their ire escalates when they discover a newspaper article announcing Curly's inheritance from his deceased uncle Bob O. Link. At the reading of the will, the lawyer overseeing the proceedings vanishes, along with the will itself, only to be later discovered murdered. Suspected of foul play, the Stooges, alongside other potential heirs, are confined to the mansion overnight.
Aug. 30, 1945, midnight
S4E21 - Micro-Phonies
In their roles as handymen at radio station KGBY, the Stooges engage in a series of mishaps while attempting to connect a pipe to a radiator. Their antics lead to a confrontation with their boss, resulting in further chaos as they inadvertently damage property and irritate an Italian baritone singer and pianist in a neighboring session. Seeking refuge, they stumble into the recording room of aspiring singer Alice Van Doren, where they serendipitously discover her record, "Voices of Spring."
Nov. 15, 1945, midnight
Episode Runtime: 42 min.
Season Runtime: 42 min.
Released: May 5, 1934
Last Air Date: June 4, 1959, midnight
Status: Returning Series
Certification: NR
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