Grips, Grunts and Groans

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Grips, Grunts and Groans

Directed by	Preston Black
Produced by	Jules White
Written by	Herman Boxer Clyde Bruckman Searle Kramer
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Curly Howard Harrison Greene Casey Colombo William Irving Herb Stagman Blackie Whiteford Elaine Waters
Cinematography	Benjamin H. Kline
Editing by	Charles Nelson
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	January 13, 1937
Running time	18' 44"
Country	United States
Language	English
Preceded by	Slippery Silks
Followed by	Dizzy Doctors
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Grips, Grunts and Groans is the 20th short subject starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1959.

1 Plot
2 Notes
3 Quotes
4 Further reading

[edit] Plot

After escaping from the railroad police after stowing away on a train, the Stooges befriend a champion wrestler named Ivan Bustoff (Harrison Greene). His trainers, who are part of the mob, have a large bet placed on Bustoff to win the big match. But Bustoff likes to go out drinking, so the mobsters hire/force the Stooges to become Bustoff's managers and get him to the ring sober. Eventually, Bustoff goes down, drunk and hit by dumbbells and a locker.

In fear, the Stooges substitute Curly, who possesses a tendency to get violent in reaction to the smell of the Wild Hyacinth. This can be used to their advantage. But the subsequent wrestling match is not a good time for Curly as he performs poorly. Moe then spots a bottle of Wild Hyacinth from a woman spectator and gets it from her. (By this time, the mobsters got wind of Bustoff's non-participation and are threatening the Stooges with harm if Curly does not win as planned). The Wild Hyacinth is then applied to Curly, and soon the challenger is knocked out cold along with nearly everyone else in attendance as Curly goes on a rampage using the match bell as a cudgel. The bell then slips out of Curly's hands and lands on his head, knocking him out as well.

[edit] Notes

Curly has a violent reaction to the smell of the perfume, Wild Hyacinth. The only cure is for someone to tickle his feet. This is similar to the device used in Punch Drunks and Horses' Collars.
This is the first short in which the Stooges attempt to escape a room but wind up simply running in circles. This would be a recurring joke in the Stooge shorts.

[edit] Quotes

- Tony: "I got my shirt bet on Bustoff to win a wrestling match tonight, and you mugs got him out getting him stewed."
- Curly: "Yeah, but he's payin' for it!"
- Moe: "Shut-up"(Slaps Curly.)

- Moe: "Listen, Bustoff...you can't drink that! That's alcohol!"
- Bustoff: "No, that's not alcohol. That's just a little tequila, vodka, and cognac."
- Curly: "Oh, that's different. Go ahead."

- Moe: "Pin him down! Pin him down! puddin head!"
- Curly: "But I ain't got no pins!"
- Moe (exasperated): "He ain't got a pin..."
- Larry: "Get him one!" *SLAP!*

The trio drag a drunk Bustoff (Harrison Greene) out of the restaurant in Grips, Grunts and Groans.

- Tony: "Your guy is in there wrestlin' for my dough! And if he loses..." (Tony gestures to Moe as if threatening to shoot him)
- Moe (sniffing something) "Wild hyacinth! oh boy(takes bottle of perfume from woman nearby) Gimme that, Lady! (to Tony) If this doesn't win the match, I'll eat the ring!"

[edit] Further reading

Moe Howard and the Three Stooges; by Moe Howard [1], (Citadel Press, 1977).
The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion; by Jon Solomon [2], (Comedy III Productions, Inc., 2002).
The Three Stooges Scrapbook; by Jeff Lenburg, Joan Howard Maurer, Greg Lenburg [3](Citadel Press, 1994).
The Three Stooges: An Illustrated History, From Amalgamated Morons to American Icons; by Michael Fleming [4](Broadway Publishing, 2002).
One Fine Stooge: A Frizzy Life in Pictures; by Steve Cox and Jim Terry [5], (Cumberland House Publishing, 2006).