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Three Little Beers

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The short film Three Little Beers is one of the most popular of the Three Stooges shorts, and with good reason – who can resist the combination of the Three Stooges, the game of golf, beer, and the slapstick destruction of a golf course?

Three Little Beers (1935) starring the Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard) and Bud Jamison

Three Little Beers begins with A. Panther (played by Three Stooges regular Bud Jamison) in his office, dealing with his beer company’s difficulties in delivering their products on time, when his foreman assures him that he’s hired three new delivery men. They are, of course, the Three Stooges, loading barrels of beer in the most precarious way on one of the company’s delivery trucks, with Curly on top of the pyramid of beer barrels.  Moe is handed a flyer about the company’s upcoming annual golf outing, with a top prize of one hundred dollars — a small fortune in the 1930’s.  Soon, after dropping a breakable barrel of beer on poor Bud Jamison, they’re off to make a delivery — to the golf course, where the second half of the short film takes place.

At the golf course

Once at the golf course, their first impediment is that the course is closed for the day for a journalist’s outing, leading to the Three Stooges standard “Press! Press! Pull!” routine; shortly afterward, they “borrow” some golfers’ clothes, and try their hand at golfing.  The slapstick starts fast and furiously, as the Stooges obviously know nothing about golfing, and start interfering with the others’ golfers game, while destroying the golf course.  Some highlights here include:

Curly for President T-shirt

 

 


 

  • Curly taking the other golfers’ balls, eventually dropping dozens of them when Moe hits him
  • Moe launching a hail of golf balls, with other golfers diving for cover
  • Curly washing his laundry at the ball cleaner
  • Curly hunting for his ball like a bloodhound, ball caught in tree, trying to get it down, chopping the tree down
  • Larry pulling a ‘root’ out of the ground, destroying the green

The chase is on!

Soon, the greens keeper, staff, and other golfers are chasing the Three Stooges, who escape in their beer truck.  However, they lose two of their beer barrels rolling down a hill, and start chasing after them.  The truck’s brake gives way, however, and soon all of the barrels are rolling down the hill, chasing the Three Stooges and other pedestrians, with Moe trying to do “log rolling” on top of a barrel, Curly hiding behind a telephone pole (and betting bonked on the head by a beer barrel anyway) and Larry trying to climb a tree to avoid them, only to get knocked into wet cement, where Moe and Curly soon join him, ending the short film.

Three Little Beers is one of the most popular Three Stooges short films, with good reason.  The comedy, both verbal and slapstick, comes fast and furious, with never a break in the comedy.  Three Little Beers is available on DVD as part of The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 1: 1934-1936

Funny movie quotes from Three Little Beers

A. Panther (Bud Jamison): Why can’t we make deliveries on time?
Foreman: We just hired three new men, and everything will be all right


Curly (Curly Howard): What do we have to do?
Moe (Moe Howard): Shoot golf.
Curly (Curly Howard): Oh, hunting!


Moe (Moe Howard): A golf place!
Curly (Curly Howard): I don’t see any golfs!
[Moe hits him]
Curly (Curly Howard): Ooh, ooh, look at the golfs!


Curly (Curly Howard): How do we shoot golf without guns?
Moe (Moe Howard): This way, Buffalo Bill. [pulls Curly along]


Desk Relief Clerk: Pardon me gentlemen.
Moe (Moe Howard): You mean us?
Desk Relief Clerk: Yes, are you mebers of the press?
Moe (Moe Howard): Why uh…
Curly (Curly Howard): I used to be! But I didn’t do any pressing. I went through the pockets, sort of a “dry cleaning”! Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!


[overhearing golfers talking about shooting a birdie]

Moe (Moe Howard): What do you shoot yesterday, Jasper?
Curly (Curly Howard): [pantomimes rolling dice] I shot a seven, but they wouldn’t give me the money!


Golfer 1: Sorry, old man, you’re in the trap?
Curly (Curly Howard): What do they trap around here?
Golfer 2: [angry at the Three Stooges] Pests!
Curly (Curly Howard): They got those around here, too?


Third Gardener: [Curly chops down a tree to get his ball, an Italian Gardener runs to him] Whats-a matt-a wit’ choo? Whats-a matt-a wit’ choo? Choppin’-a down a tree. You think-a you George Wash’?


[Moe leaving dozens of divits, destroying the green]
Moe (Moe Howard): I’m getting better, see? The pieces are smaller.
Curly (Curly Howard): He’s pointin’ where you are!
Moe (Moe Howard): Ya mean he’s pointin’ where I was! C’mon, let’s get outta here!


Cast of characters

Additional Cast

Trivia for Three Little Beers

  • This was the first Three Stooges short to give on-screen credit to producer Jules White.
  • The name of the beer brewing company, “Panther Pilsner,” is a reference to the derogatory slang term for poor quality beer.
  • This is considered to be a definitive favorite among Stooge fans and was one of the most voted in an episode of Stooge-a-Palooza where host Rich Koz asked viewers to vote for their favorite short.

Updated November 11, 2023

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