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Uncivil Warriors

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Uncivil Warriors
The Stooges were not professionally known as "The Three Stooges" when this film was released as they were billed by their individual names
Directed byDel Lord
Written byFelix Adler
Produced byJules White
Starring
CinematographyJohn Stumar
Edited byCharles Hochberg
Music byR.H. Bassett
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • April 26, 1935 (1935-04-26) (U.S.)
Running time
19:33
LanguageEnglish

Uncivil Warriors is a 1935 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Jerry Howard). It is the eighth entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

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Amidst the tumult of the American Civil War, a strategic imperative is established as a Union General deploys Larry, Moe, and Curly — designated as Operators 12, 14, and 15 respectively — to undertake a clandestine mission behind enemy lines. Tasked with securing vital intelligence, the trio assumes the guise of Southern officers, adopting the aliases Lieutenant Duck, Captain Dodge, and Major Hyde, respectively. Their infiltration of the mansion belonging to Confederate officer Colonel Butts marks the commencement of a series of misadventures.

Against the backdrop of preparations for a dinner party, Curly's amorous inclinations towards Colonel Butts' daughter, Judith Butts, precipitates a whimsical episode as he inadvertently mistakes a quilted potholder for a culinary confection, resulting in a farcical sequence punctuated by fits of feather-induced coughing. The narrative crescendos with Larry and Curly donning elaborate disguises as Captain Dodge's father and wife. Major "Bloodhound" Filbert's inquiry about Captain Dodge's purported offspring prompts Moe to produce a swaddled infant from the nearby railroad station, whose unexpected racial identity unveils the Stooges' subterfuge.

As the ruse unravels, the trio's desperate bid for escape culminates in a frenetic pursuit, culminating in their improbable refuge within a concealed cannon disguised as a log. The ensuing chaos finds the Union General incredulously pondering the whereabouts of the elusive spies, only to be startled by the Stooges' unanticipated descent from the sky.

Cast

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Credited

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Uncredited

  • Bud Jamison as Colonel Buttz
  • Ted Lorch as Major "Bloodhound" Filbert
  • James C. Morton as Union Army General
  • Phyllis Crane as Judith Buttz
  • Celeste Edwards as Clementine Buttz
  • Jenifer Gray as Judith Buttz's friend
  • Marvin Loback as Colonel
  • Ford West as Lieutenant Colonel
  • Si Jenks as Major
  • Billy Engle as Captain
  • Charles Dorety as Bugler
  • Lew Davis as Orderly
  • Heinie Conklin as 1st Confederate sentry
  • John Rand as 2nd Confederate sentry
  • Lou Archer as Charlie
  • Charlie Phillips as General Buttz's aide
  • George Gray as Pursuing soldier
  • Hubert Diltz as Confederate cannoneer
  • Harry Keatan as Confederate cannoneer
  • Charles Cross as Soldier
  • Wes Warner as stuntman[1]

Production notes

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Uncivil Warriors was filmed on March 13–18, 1935.[2] It is the first short in which the Stooges mention "Good Time Charlie". When the Stooges meet a guard, they often reference Charlie. The guard asks who Charlie is, and a Stooge replies that "everybody knows Charlie. He walks like this." The Stooges then demonstrate a silly walk until they get clear of the guard, at which point they take off running. This is a recurring joke in the Stooge shorts. In Uncivil Warriors, they actually meet a soldier named Charlie, who asks the Stooges, "Are you all looking for me?"[3]

The potholder gag would later appear in the Shemp-era short Three Hams on Rye during a live theatrical production.[3] A similar sequence also appears in the 1947 short All Gummed Up, also featuring Shemp. The scene is nearly identical, with bubblegum being used in the place of a potholder, the stooges coughing up bubbles rather than feathers as a result.

When Moe brings the black baby into the Colonel's office he attempts to explain how the baby got his dark complexion ("We had him down the beach all summer...he got quite sunburned!"); this is sometimes deleted for U.S. television broadcasts.[3]

The introductory music over the titles is a medley of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (most popular marching song of the Union Army) and "Dixie" (which had the same status in the Confederate Army).[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Uncivil Warriors (1935)". threestooges.net/. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  2. ^ Pauley, Jim (2012). The Three Stooges Hollywood Filming Locations. Solana Beach, California: Santa Monica Press, LLC. p. 295. ISBN 9781595800701.
  3. ^ a b c d Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Glendale, California: Comedy III Productions, Inc. pp. 62–64. ISBN 0-9711868-0-4.
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