So Long Mr. Chumps, starring the Three Stooges – Moe, Larry and Curly, originally released February 7, 1941
So Long Mr. Chumps is a personal favorite of the Three Stooges short films. It begins with Moe, Larry and Curly as street sweepers, cleaning up a park, and in general assaulting each other with their brooms – a very funny sequence. Curly then finds some papers that turn out to be bonds, which our honest Stooges decide to return to their rightful owner. The man is delighted and offers the Stooges a reward – if they can find an honest man with executive ability.
The Three Stooges then try to find an honest man, baiting a ‘lost’ wllet, but to no avail. It’s a very funny sequence, where several “dishonest” people steal the money out of a wallet, including a faux “blind man” — and the only “honest man” they find is a dog, who leads them to a crying woman, whose fiancee is an honest man! Where is he? In jail, of course (for something he didn’t do, naturally). In a funny bit, the Stooges then try to get themselves thrown into jail, but keep failing. Unintentionally they manage to get arrested at the police station where police officer Vernon Dent refuses to arrest them, and they finally get arrested while saving a police officer. While “working” at the prison they find the man who they will help break out of prison.
Easier to get into Jail than Out of It
In one of the best-remembered Stooge moments, they paint over their prison stripes, to make them look like guard uniforms — but neglect to paint the back sides. Trying to walk out of prison, they see none other than the ‘honest’ man who originally hired them, who turns out to be a swindler.
Curly for President T-shirt
The short ends with the Three Stooges on the rock pile, in a very funny moment where they are putting rocks on Curly’s head, and breaking them with a sledgehammer. What appears to be a bit of ad-libbing occurs here, when Larry picks up a real rock, and Curly says “Hey, wait a minute! That’s a real one! I’m no fool! Nyuk, yuk!” and all three smile broadly.
So Long Mr. Chumps is a very funny Three Stooges short film, and highly recommended.
Funny movie quotes from So Long Mr. Chumps starring the Three Stooges – Moe, Larry, Curly
Moe (Moe Howard): Can we have some money on account?
Curly (Curly Howard): On account of we’re broke!
Moe (Moe Howard): [to Curly] remind me to have you stuffed.
Moe (Moe Howard): The only honest man we’ve found all day, and he’s a dog.
Curly (Curly Howard): He wouldn’t make a good business executive. Or would he?
Larry (Larry Fine): I wonder where he hangs out?
Curly (Curly Howard): They generally hang out on the gallows.
Trivia for So Long Mr. Chumps
- The title is a play on Goodbye, Mr. Chips the 1939 Oscar-winning film
- At the very end, Larry picks up a real rock and Curly notices. He comment “Hey, wait a minute! That’s a real one, I’m no fool.” You can see Larry cracking up at the attempted joke.
Cast of characters
- Curly Howard … Curly
- Larry Fine … Larry
- Moe Howard … Moe
- Eddie Laughton (Disorder in the Court) … Percy Pomeroy
- Dorothy Appleby (What’s the Matador?) … Pomeroy’s Girlfriend
- John Tyrrell (A Gem of a Jam) … B.O. Davis / Lone Wolf Louie
Additional cast
- Bruce Bennett (Beer Barrel Polecats) … Prison Guard / Truck Driver
- Lynton Brent (Boobs in Arms) … Prison Guard
- Stanley Brown (Spook Louder) … Officer in charge of Lone Wolf Louie
- Lew Davis (Pop Goes the Easel) … Laughing Pedestrian
- Vernon Dent (Squareheads of the Round Table) … Desk Sergeant
- Kit Guard … Gyp dePeople
- Bud Jamison (Movie Maniacs) … Policeman
- Johnny Kascier (Brideless Groom) … Wallet Finder #2
- Sam Lufkin (Playing the Ponies) … Policeman
- Louis Mason (Pop Goes the Easel) … Policeman #2
- Blackie Whiteford (Uncivil War Birds) … Policeman
- Bert Young (Loco Boy Makes Good) … Policeman #1