“Punch Drunks” (1934) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View
Punch Drunks (1934)
Director: Lou Breslow
Screenplay: Jack Cluett, story by Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Jerry Howard
Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard and Dorothy Granger
Tagline: A Columbia 2 Reel Broadway Comedy
The Plot…
Moe discovers that any time Curly hears “Pop Goes the Weasel” he gains super strength and becomes violent. With Larry on the violin and Moe as fight manager, Curly becomes a professional boxer known as K.O. Stradivarius. What could go wrong?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
Punch Drunks contains several firsts…
- Punch Drunks is the first and only Three Stooges film selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
- It contains the first time Curly exclaims his famous “Woo-woo-woo!”
- Punch Drunks also features the first time Curly used his catch-phrase he’s a “victim of soycumstance!”
- It is the first time Larry plays the violin (which he would go on to do in 8 other shorts)
- Punch Drunks contains an obscene gesture – during introductions for the fight, an audience member can be seen “shooting a bird”
Punch Drunks is one of the Three Stooges most beloved shorts. Punch Drunks contains funny gags, but it doesn’t resonate with me as well as some of their other shorts. I like Punch Drunks, but feel it lags a bit when Larry has his two “running” scenes. I expected more laughs from Curly’s big fight. I think Punch Drunks is good, but most folks feel it is one of the boys’ best. Your mileage may vary.
Punch Drunks earns 3 of 5 stars.
