Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb

Not to be confused with Healthy, Wealthy and Wise.
Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb
Directed by Del Lord
Produced by Jules White
Written by Searle Kramer
Starring Moe Howard
Larry Fine
Curly Howard
James C. Morton
Bud Jamison
Lucille Lund
Jean Carmen
Earlene Heath
Cinematography Allen G. Siegler
Edited by Charles Nelson
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release dates
  • May 20, 1938
Running time
16' 24"
Country United States
Language English

Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb is the 31st 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.

Plot

Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb boasts two of the most widely circulated publicity photos of the Stooges, both which feature Curly on the receiving end of abuse.

Curly wins $50,000 from writing a catchy jingle for a radio contest. The boys quickly spend their loot, and check in at the Hotel Costa Plente. Their suite is furnished with many expensive items which they systematically destroy. In the process, three gold diggers connive their way into the boys' room, under the guise that they are three rich widows looking to remarry. This works perfectly, as Curly quickly discovers that all the tax deductions reduce his winnings to a minuscule $4.85. The boys hastily agree to marry the ladies, who soon find out the Stooges are broke and give them what for.

Another popular publicity photo of the Stooges. Publicity shots from Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb are some of the most widely circulated of the Stooges at their zenith.

Production notes

The title Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb is parody a of Benjamin Franklin's proverb "early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."[1] It would be remade as 1952's A Missed Fortune, with minimal stock footage.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Solomon, Jon. (2002) The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion, p. 131; Comedy III Productions, Inc., ISBN 0-9711868-0-4

External links