“Half Shot Shooters” (1936) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Half Shot Shooters (1936)

Director:  Jack White

Screenplay: Clyde Bruckman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Stanley Blystone and Vernon Dent

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

As the last battle of World War I rages, Sgt. MacGillicuddy (Blystone) finds the Stooges (Moe, Larry and Curly) sleeping.  When the war ends, the Sarge gives the boys a beating for being cowards.  After the Stooges are discharged they see Sgt. MacGillicuddy on the street.  They thank him and show the medals they received for being wounded in action!  Moe, Larry and Curly then give the Sarge a taste of his own medicine.

17 years later… The boys are tricked into re-enlisting!  Want to guess who their commanding Sargent will be?  Yep, good ole Sgt. MacGillicuddy.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Half Shot Shooters is one of the most violent of all the Stooges shorts.  Usually we get eye-pokes, punches, slaps and the like, but no real damage is shown.  In this one Moe gets a broken arm, the boys are made deaf by the Sargent and it ends with the Stooges being killed!  Of course, the violence is not graphic but at the time was considered too intense for kids.  Half Shot Shooters was actually banned in Holland!

Half Shot Shooters marks the first appearance of Vernon Dent.  Dent would go one to appear in 60 Stooges’ shorts!

Half Shot Shooters earns 3 of 5 stars.