Slippery Silks (1936) starring the Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard) and Vernon Dent
Slippery Silks begins with a photograph of the Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard) dressed as young children, which a lawyer is trying to use, with the help of the police, to find these three nephews of a recently-deceased man. “That’s the only photograph we could find among his effects. The old man died very suddenly.” “Probably took a look at the picture and couldn’t stand the shock.” It turns out that the Three Stooges have inherited a “swanky dress shop.” In the meantime, those three missing nephews are working as “artistic woodworkers” where the rich Mr. Morgan (played by Three Stooges regular Vernon Dent) is bringing his $50,000 ornate box from a museum, to have a duplicate made. The inevitable destruction of that poor little Chinese box is hilarious, slowly building up to a crescendo of slapstick, and is the highlight of the film.
Running away from their expensive mistake, the Three Stooges think that they’re about to be arrested by the police, but instead they’re being taken to their newly-inherited dress shop. In a funny bit mocking women’s fashions, the Three Stooges decide to put their woodworking experience to work, and design a new line of dresses, based on furniture. It’s a hilarious visual joke that’s displayed at their first fashion show.
At that fashion show, Mrs. Morgan (played by Three Stooges recurring actress Symona Boniface) is attending, where Mr. Morgan spots the three people responsible for destroying his expensive Chinese box. Soon, the very first Three Stooges pastry fight breaks out (since the Stooges conveniently provided them for their fashion show). Slippery Silks is a very funny Three Stooges short film, well worth watching.
Curly for President T-shirt
Slippery Silks is available on DVD as part of The Three Stooges Collection, volume 1.
Funny movie quotes from Slippery Silks (1936) starring the Three Stooges (Moe, Larry, Curly)
Moe (Moe Howard): I’ve always wanted to make a cabinet like that! It’s been in my mind since I was 10 years old!
Curly (Curly Howard): Oh, aged wood, eh?
Morgan Morgan (Vernon Dent): Are you sure this work will be in competent hands?
Curly (Curly Howard): Sure, we’re all incompetent!
Larry (Larry Fine): [once told they inherited their uncle’s gown shop] Water… give me water.
[a car drives by and splashes all three of them]
Moe (Moe Howard): Water you had to have, eh? [slaps Larry]
Moe (Moe Howard): [critiquing a dress] A trifle too much train.
Curly (Curly Howard): Yeah, two cars and a caboose!
Larry (Larry Fine): I’ve never designed women’s dresses before.
Moe (Moe Howard): You designed furniture, didn’t ya?
Larry (Larry Fine): What’s that got to do with it?
Moe (Moe Howard): The crazier they look, the more women will pay for them.
Fat Fashion Show Guest: [seeing one fashion called “The Hunter”] I think I’d look stunning in that riding abbot.
Curly (Curly Howard): [whispers to Moe] I think there’d be trouble figuring out which one was the horse.
Moe (Moe Howard): Go see if the coast is clear.
Larry (Larry Fine): [raises his head from behind the counter, gets immediately hit by a pastry] It’s clear.
Trivia for Slippery Silks (1936)
- The first Three Stooges short film to feature a pie in the face.
- In his autobiography, Moe claimed that 150 pies were thrown.
- Symona Boniface’s first speaking appearance with the Stooges.
- Released December 27, 1936.
Cast of characters
- Curly Howard (No Dough Boys) … Curly
- Larry Fine (Disorder in the Court) … Larry
- Moe Howard (If a Body Meets a Body) … Moe
Additional cast
- Loretta Andrews (42nd Street) … The Hunt Model (uncredited)
- Gail Arnold (Hoi Polloi) … June Bride Model (uncredited)
- Beatrice Blinn (False Alarms) … Sales Clerk (uncredited)
- Symona Boniface (Vagabond Loafers) … Mrs. Morgan Morgan (uncredited)
- Beatrice Curtis (Back to the Woods) … Sales Clerk (uncredited)
- Lew Davis (Even as IOU) … Lawyer (uncredited)
- Vernon Dent (Malice in the Palace) … Morgan Morgan (uncredited)
- Helen Dickson (Half-Wits Holiday) … Fashion Show Guest (uncredited)
- Mary Lou Dix … ‘Lingerie’ Model (uncredited)
- June Gittelson (Dizzy Doctors) … Fat Fashion Show Guest (uncredited)
- William Irving (Grips, Grunts and Groans) … Mr. Romani (uncredited)
- Eddie Laughton (They Stooge to Conga) … Manager of ‘Madame de France’ (uncredited)
- Caryl Lincoln (Charlie Chan’s Courage) … For Sun & Beach Model (uncredited)
- Jack ‘Tiny’ Lipson (Back from the Front) … Chief of Missing Persons Bureau (uncredited)
- Gertrude Messinger (Dizzy Doctors) … Model’s Assistant (uncredited)
- Blanche Payson (Cookoo Cavaliers) … Woman on Street (uncredited)
- Charles Phillips (From Nurse to Worse) … Policeman (uncredited)
- Aileen Ransom … Fashion Show Model (uncredited)
- Harry Tenbrook (3 Dumb Clucks) … Mulvaney (uncredited)
- Martha Tibbetts … Hosiery Customer (uncredited)
- Hilda Title (Ants in the Pantry) … Card Changer, ‘Madame de France’ (uncredited)
- Kay Vallon (Termites of 1938) … Fashion Show Guest (uncredited)
- Ellinor Vanderveer (Pop Goes the Easel) … Lady Wanting Dress Adjustment (uncredited)
- Elaine Waters (Three Little Sew and Sews) … Sales Clerk (uncredited)
- Blackie Whiteford (Three Hams on Rye) … Big Cop who escorts Mr. Morgan-Morgan (uncredited)
- Robert B. Williams (Uncivil War Birds) … Boss (uncredited)
- Bert Young (Malice in the Palace) … Policeman (uncredited)
[Updated July 14, 2022]