Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise
Original lobby card
Directed byJules White
Written byAndrew Bennison
Mauri Grashin
Produced byJules White
StarringMoe Howard
Larry Fine
Curly Howard
Dick Curtis
Eddie Laughton
James Craig
Eva McKenzie
Dorothy Moore
Lorna Gray
Dorothy Comingore
Richard Fiske
CinematographyHenry Freulich
Edited byCharles Nelson
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • October 6, 1939 (1939-10-06) (U.S.)
Running time
18:16[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise is a 1939 short subject produced and directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 42nd entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

The Stooges are three hapless tramps. After nearly destroying a farmer's (Richard Fiske) pile of firewood, and destroying some of his equipment, they hit the road on foot. Curly wishes they had a car after they stop for a break. By accident they think they've found a car for free and take it. After driving around for a bit, and in their distraction nearly having a few collisions, the boys come to the assistance of the farm Widow Jenkins (Eva McKenzie) and her three daughters. Just as Curly had wished, she graciously gives them a huge meal and in return they offer to fix her broken outdoor water pump.

As the Stooges attempt to fix the pump, they discover oil hidden under the farm when the pump turns into an oil geyser, staining their clothes and spewing Curly high in the air. They are happy for the lady and her beautiful daughters, until she regretfully tells them she had just sold the farm. The Stooges realize she was cheated out of her land by a trio of swindlers (Dick Curtis, Eddie Laughton, James Craig). Curly wishes they could get their hands on the swindlers, his wish his granted when they discover the tree walking on the road, as the Stooges took their car when they saw a sign saying 'FREE AUTO' on the it. The crooks prove to the Stooges that it is their car when they produce the deed of the Widow Jenkins' farm. After a hair-raising road chase with the swindlers, they manage to retrieve the deed to the land before it is recorded at the court house, and are allowed to marry the now wealthy Widow Jenkins' daughters.

Production notes

Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise was filmed on March 16–20, 1939.[2] The film's title is a parody of Benjamin Franklin's, "early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."[1]

Towards the end of the film, Moe tells Curly to wish for quintuplets and Curly responds that honeymooning in Canada with their new found loves is how to make the wish come true, a reference to the Dionne quintuplets.[1]

The studio crew can be heard laughing when Curly accidentally hits his head on Widow Jenkins' kitchen door while trumpeting and singing "A-Pumping We Will Go."[1]

The shot of Curly riding the oil gusher up into the sky would be reused in Oil's Well That Ends Well.[1]

Moe's injury

Moe Howard recalled in his autobiography that he received a glob of goo (representing oil) directly under his eyelids during shooting:

I remember once when the prop man concocted a smorgasbord of gook: chocolate, whipped cream, asbestos chips, linseed oil, ketchup, and other unknown goodies. The plot had us in one scene trying to repair a water pump. After many attempts, I took a screwdriver, knelt down, peered into the mouth of the pump, and jiggled the screwdriver inside of it. Gazing up the opening, I jiggled again and then looked up a third time. Suddenly, a blob of assorted gunk got me right in the eye ... and ... it took hours to clean me up for the next scene.[3]

Moe would have a similar ordeal while filming 1946's The Three Troubledoers, when chunks of black soot became lodged under his eyelids.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Glendale, California: Comedy III Productions, Inc. p. 94. ISBN 0-9711868-0-4.
  2. ↑ Pauley, Jim (2012). The Three Stooges Hollywood Filming Locations. Solana Beach, California: Santa Monica Press, LLC. p. 188. ISBN 9781595800701.
  3. ↑ Howard, Moe (1977). Moe Howard and the Three Stooges. Citadel Press. pp. 95, 101. ISBN 0-8065-0723-3.
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