The Sitter Downers

The Three Stooges has always been some of the many actors that I have loved. I love just about every one of the shorts that they have made. I love all six of the Stooges (Curly, Shemp, Moe, Larry, Joe, and Curly Joe)! All of the shorts are hilarious and also star many other great actors and actresses which a lot of them was in many of the shorts! In My opinion The Three Stooges is some of the greatest actors ever and is the all time funniest comedy team!

One of the most unique Three Stooges shorts is The Sitter-Downers. In this short are James C. Morton, Bert Young, June Gittelson, Marcia Healy, with Betty Mack and Robert McKenzie. The acting by these actors are good especially by Morton. There are many funny scenes here that I think most Three Stooges fans will love! In My opinion this one of the most different Three Stooges shorts. I strongly recommend this one!

"Corabelle," "Florabell" and and "Dorabell".....where else but in a Three Stooges flick would hear those names? Where else would three guys ask, for the 100th time, "Will you marry us," and get a reply, "Oh, this is so sudden."

Of the girls, the plump "Corabelle" (Betty Mack) is the best. When she hugs you, start counting the broken ribs! She played the "heavy" in a number of Three Stooges shorts and was always funny.

The boys need permission from the girls' father before they will agree to marriage. "Mr.Bell," played by James C. Morton, is adamant in saying "No!" I recognized Morton's gruff voice. He, too, was in a number of Three Stooges shorts including the famous "Disorder In The Court"

This story gets ludicrous fast as the boys go on a sit-down strike until the old man gives in.....and it gets national attention in the newspapers!!! "Persistent Lovers Win Nation's Sympathy As Gifts Pour In" blares one headline. Are you kidding me? It must have been a slow time for news.

Anyway, it gets wilder and wilder as the boys get married (drawing names out of hat) and then try to build a house. There are some classic slapstick scenes in here, such as with Curly and the cement. It's total insanity.....just the way we Three Stooges fans like it.

In the Three Stooges' November 1937 "The Sitter Downers," the film capitalizes on that period's ongoing work stoppages occurring in several industries, especially General Motors' huge sit-down strike in April. The Three Stooges stage their own personal strike when their (hopefully) future father-in-law (James Morton) refuses his three daughters' hands in their marriage proposal. In a highly publicized protest in the in-law's home, the Stooges finally get him to agree to their marriage, where to boot they receive a donated house-which they have to assemble. The subsequent adventures in constructing their home in the most crazy-quilt fashion imaginable was copied from a similar situation in Buster Keaton's famous 1921 classic "One Week."

One of the Stooges' wives is Dorabell, played by Marcia Healy. She was the sister of Ted Healy, the manager and straight man for the Stooges before they branched out on their own. After the three left him, Healy remained employed with MGM, who loaned him out to other studios on several occasions where he appeared in secondary roles in both dramatic and comedic parts. "The Sitter Downers" was the last Three Stooges' film Healy got to see before his untimely death on December 21, 1937, at 41. The night before he died Healy was celebrating the birth of his son at a nightclub on Sunset Strip in Los Angeles when he purportedly got in a fight with three "college fellows." Later, rumors emerged that actor Wallace Beery and Albert Broccoli, later producer for the James Bond movies, were the participants in the brawl. The L. A. coroner ruled that an inflammation of Healy's kidneys caused by his acute alcoholism was the medical reason for the actor's death. Through his generosity to many down-and-out friends, Healy died broke, leaving his wife and child in poverty. Besides playing a big role in the Stooges' career, Healy served as a mentor and was a major influence for several comedians, including Milton Berle, Bob Hope and Red Skelton.

Sitter Downers, The (1937)

** (out of 4)

The Three Stooges want to marry their loved ones but their father refuses because, well, because they're the Stooges. The boys refuse to leave his house until he gives permission, which eventually makes the national news and soon letters from across the country are coming to them. The father finally gives his okay and the group decide to take one of the letter's offer of a new house. The only catch is that they have to build it themselves. This was an extremely bland short for the trio because of some rather lazy writing, which constantly goes for the routine joke instead of trying anything new or original. The first half of the short works the best as we get a few minor laughs mainly with the girl's father who at one point accidentally gets beat up by the boys. The second half is just rather bland as we get the boys trying to build the house but end up fighting amongst each other more. The reaction to girls have to their fighting is boring and things really don't pick up until the very end when the house is done.

Yes, time for the Stooges to settle down and get married? The brides to be(?) are Flora Bell (June Gittelson), Dora Bell (Marcia Healy) and Cora Bell (Betty Mack). But... but Mr. Bell (James C. Morton) is against the whole darn thing.

So what do the guys do? They go on a "sit down strike," obviously patterned after the famous Detroit auto strike! They win the war, and better yet, win a contest for a prefab house, which they must build on their own?

What happens when Curly burns up the plans??? I agree with the last reviewer, shades of LAUREL AND HARDY, who knew how to destroy a house. Moe, Larry and Curly decide to improvise and put the place together their OWN WAY, and its laugh out loud stuff. Ewart Adamson's script had some truth to it all, due to the fact prefab homes required skill to assemble -- and you needed plans!

Historically, this film was a prelude to the prefab market that hit the US during WWII, where the housing market exploded, and new homes had to be built ASAP.

Notable cast; plump June Gittelson returns to the series, in a featured role, also western and comedy actress Betty Mack. Marcia Healy co-stars, the sister of Ted Healy, long time friends with Moe Howard, who began a comedy act with him in vaudeville. Always a treat to see slow burn James C. Morton, who worked with Laurel and Hardy and Our Gang/Little Rascals.

Director Del Lord turns this one upside down, and with some clever pokes at the construction business. Amen.

Always on remastered Columbia dvd, generally released by decades, 30s, 40s, and 50s episodes. Thanks to METV for running these golden oldies Saturdays.