Grips, Grunts and Groans is the twentieth Columbia Pictures pictures short subject starring the Three Stooges.
Plot[]
After escaping from the railroad police after stowing away on a train, the Stooges befriend a champion wrestler named Ivan Bustoff (Harrison Greene). His trainers, who are part of the mob, have a large bet placed on Bustoff to win the big match. But Bustoff likes to go out drinking, and after a wild night out with the boys, Bustoff downs a mixture made of "a little tequila, vodka and cognac", which he believes is not alcohol and a different kind of drink, then passes out from drinking the mixture. The mobsters hire/force the Stooges to become Bustoff's managers and get him to the ring sober. In the locker room at the arena, the boys are trying to wake Bustoff up, but Curly ended up knocking him out with dumb bells by accident and causing the locker to fall on him. Bustoff remains unconscious.
In fear, the Stooges substitute Curly, who possesses a tendency to get violent in reaction to the smell of Wild Hyacinth perfume. Moe and Larry realize that this can be used to their advantage. But the subsequent wrestling match is not a good time for Curly as he performs poorly. Moe then spots a woman spectator holding a bottle of Wild Hyacinth and gets it from her. By this time, the mobsters get wind of Bustoff's non-participation and are threatening the Stooges with harm if Curly does not win as planned. The Wild Hyacinth is then applied to Curly, and soon the challenger is knocked out cold along with nearly everyone else in attendance as Curly goes on a rampage using the match bell as a cudgel. The bell then slips out of Curly's hands and flies up in the air, only to land back onto his head and knock him out as well.
Cast[]
- Moe Howard as Moe
- Larry Fine as Larry
- Curly Howard as Curly
- Harrison Greene as Ivan Bustoff
- Casey Colombo as Tony
Notes[]
- The title Grips, Grunts and Groans is a parody expression of "gripes, grunts and groans."
- This is one of the few films where Curly goes berserk caused by an external stimulus, the others being Punch Drunks, Horses' Collars, and Tassels in the Air.