Three Little Sew and Sews (1939), starring the Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard), Vernon Dent, Bud Jamison
The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard) are sailors working in a ship’s’ tailor shop. When they can’t get passes to go ashore, Curly “borrows” an admiral uniform, and promptly gets Moe and Larry thrown into the brig for assaulting an officer — and after a little bit of blackmail, the “admiral” has Moe and Larry released, and once they’re all in “borrowed” uniforms they go to a party — the invitation was in the Admiral’s pocket.
Unknown to them, the only reason that the Admiral (James Morton) was attending the party was to uncover the suspected spies throwing the party. At the party, Curly is sitting on a couch — with a beautiful spy (Phyllis Barry) on his lap — when he gets a large couch spring stuck to his posterior. Curly did this bit in other short films, but nowhere better than here, with Stooge regular Vernon Dent laughing himself silly watching. The real admiral comes in, brought by police officer Bud Jamison — who’s taken away to the police station when the Stooges refuse to admit the charade.
Curly’s beautiful spy, with a confederate, tricks the Stooges into stealing a new submarine, but the Stooges turn the table on the spies and capture them. When the real Admiral shows up, Curly’s reenacts the capture and accidentally detonates a bomb, blowing them all to kingdom come.
Funny movie quotes from Three Little Sew and Sews
Moe: I’m gonna change my socks… what an experience!
Curly: Gasoline don’t taste so good since Prohibition. They ain’t so careful like when they used it for makin’ gin. [drinks some] But it ain’t bad!
Curly: Smells like somebody’s fryin’ onions.
Spy: [on couch with Curly] Oh, Admiral, don’t you trust me?
Curly: Sure, but I don’t trust myself!
Curly: [with large spring attached to his trousers] I think I’ve got spring fever!
Spy: One move out of you, and I’ll kill you.
Curly: If you do, I’ll never talk to you again
[Inside the submarine, the Stooges hear meowing sounds]
Moe: What was that?
Curly: [looking through periscope] A school of catfish just went by!
Trivia for Three Little Sew and Sews
- The title Sew and Sew is a play on “so and so,” an insulting term.
- Three Little Sew and Sews is one of several Stooge shorts in which a sofa spring manages to become attached to someone’s backside. This gag was also used in Hoi Polloi, An Ache in Every Stake, Hugs and Mugs and Have Rocket, Will Travel.
- Footage of war scenes from this short were later used in Boobs in Arms and They Stooge to Conga.
- Three Little Sew and Sews is also the fifth of sixteen Stooge shorts with the word “three” in the title
Cast of characters
- Curly Howard … Curly
- Larry Fine … Larry
- Moe Howard … Moe
- Phyllis Barry (Moonstone) … Miss Olga Arvin
- Harry Semels (Movie Maniacs) … Count Alfred Gehrol
Additional Cast
- Lane Chandler (A Ducking They Did Go) … Shore Patrolman
- Lew Davis (Grips, Grunts and Groans) … Party Guest
- Vernon Dent (Idle Roomers) … Party Guest
- Charles Dorety (Dizzy Pilots) … Policeman
- Ned Glass (Flagpole Jitters) … Sailor with Telegram
- John Ince (Cash and Carry) … Butler
- Bud Jamison (Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb) … Policeman
- James C. Morton (A Pain in the Pullman) … Admiral H.S. Taylor
- Cy Schindell (Crime on their Hands) … Guar
- Al Thompson (If a Body Meets a Body) … Party Guest
- John Tyrrell (What’s the Matador?) … Lieutenant on Ship
- Elaine Waters (Ants in the Pantry) … Party Guest
- Bert Young (No Census, No Feeling) … Shore Patrolman
Updated June 4, 2022