Christine McIntyre


Christine Cecilia McIntyre was an American actress and singer who appeared in various films in the 1930s and 1940s. She is mainly remembered as the beautiful blonde actress who appeared in many of The Three Stooges shorts produced by Columbia Pictures.

Early career

A native of Nogales, Arizona, McIntyre was one of five children. A classically trained singer, McIntyre received a Bachelor of Music degree at Chicago Musical College in 1933. It was here that she developed her operatic soprano voice, which would be put to good use in several Three Stooges films in the 1940s.
McIntyre began singing in feature films at RKO Pictures, and made her film debut in 1937's Swing Fever. She then appeared in a series of B-westerns featuring the likes of Ray Corrigan and Buck Jones. She appeared with dark hair in these early roles, and also appeared occasionally in "mainstream" feature films. She sang songs such as "The Blue Danube" and "Voices of Spring" in a Vienna-themed short Soundies musical film, and her performance was singled out as the best of the inaugural series. Her singing in this soundie may have given the Three Stooges the idea of using "Voices of Spring" in their short film Micro-Phonies.

The Three Stooges and Columbia Pictures

In 1944, Columbia Pictures producer Hugh McCollum signed McIntyre to a decade-long contract. At Columbia, she appeared in many short subjects starring Shemp Howard, Harry Langdon, Andy Clyde, Joe Besser, Bert Wheeler, and Hugh Herbert. The Herbert comedy Wife Decoy is actually a showcase for McIntyre, who is the principal character. In this film, she appears as a brunette who dyes her hair blonde. From then on in her screen appearances, she remained a blonde. In all of her Columbia comedies she played charming heroines, scheming villains, and flighty socialites.
Her debut appearance with the Three Stooges was in Idle Roomers, followed by a solo Shemp Howard short, Open Season for Saps. McIntyre's singing voice was featured prominently in 1945's Micro-Phonies, as she sang both "Voices of Spring" and "Lucia Sextet" and was also featured in 1947’s Out West and its 1954 remake Pals and Gals. She again sang "Lucia Sextet" in 1948’s Squareheads of the Round Table and its 1954 remake, Knutzy Knights.
Her performance as Miss Hopkins in Brideless Groom featured an acclaimed knockabout scene in which she repels suitor Shemp Howard—right through a door. Director Edward Bernds remembers:
McCollum and Bernds recognized McIntyre's abilities and often tailored material especially for her, allowing her to improvise as she saw fit.
McIntyre also won a feature-film contract with Monogram Pictures. After playing a newspaper publisher in News Hounds, a comedy with The Bowery Boys, she usually played opposite Monogram's cowboy stars in low-budget Westerns.
McIntyre married radio personality John Donald Wilson in 1953. By this time, McCollum and Bernds had left Columbia, leaving Jules White in charge of short subjects. White favored strenuous, extremely physical humor, and forced the ladylike McIntyre to submit to low comedy; in a single film, her character was tackled, hit with messy projectiles, covered with cake batter, and knocked into a cross-eyed stupor. When her contract at Columbia expired in 1954, she was all too happy to retire from show business, eventually developing a career in real estate. Columbia continued to use old footage of McIntyre through 1957, which is why she received billing in films made after her retirement.

Filmography

with The Three Stooges, Andy Clyde, El Brendel, Joe DeRita, Joe Besser and Shemp Howard

His Tale is Told – Mrs. A.S. SteeleDefective Detectives – Mrs. Rodney BoodleIdle Roomers – Mrs. LeanderOpen Season for Saps – IreneNo Dough Boys – Celia ZweibackThree Pests in a Mess – Cheatham's SecretaryOff Again, On Again – EdithPistol Packin' Nitwits – Queenie LynchWhere the Pest Begins – Annie BattsMicro-Phonies – Alice Andrews – aka Alice Van DorenThe Blonde Stayed On – MaisieJiggers, My Wife! – TrixieThe Three Troubledoers – Nell the BlacksmithSociety Mugs – Muriel AllenMr. Wright Goes Wrong Slappily Married – Mrs. BatesThree Little Pirates – Rita YolandaBride and Gloom – Maisie KeelerTwo Jills and a Jack – BettyOut West – NellBrideless Groom – Miss Lulu HopkinsWife to Spare – Honey JacksonWedlock Deadlock – BettyAll Gummed Up – Mrs. Serena FlintShivering Sherlocks – Gladys HarmonSquareheads of the Round Table – Princess ElaineJitter Bughouse – MyrtleThe Hot Scots – Lorna DooneCrime on Their Hands – BeaWho Done It? – Goodrich's NieceFuelin' Around – Hazel SneedWaiting in the Lurch – Mae KnottVagabond Loafers – Mrs. Ethel AllenPunchy Cowpunchers – NellHugs and Mugs – LilyDopey Dicks – LouiseLove at First Bite – KatrinaThree Hams on Rye – JaniebelleStudio Stoops – Dolly DevoreBubble Trouble – Pals and Gals – NellKnutzy Knights – Princess ElaineScotched in Scotland – Lorna DooneOf Cash and Hash – Gladys Harmon Hot Ice – Bea Husbands Beware – Lulu Hopkins For Crimin' Out Loud – Delores – Goodrich's Niece Hot Stuff – Hazel Sneed Scheming Schemers – Mrs. Allen Fifi Blows Her Top – Katrina Stop! Look! and Laugh! – Alice Andrews

Other films

Sea Racketeers – Mrs. Wilbur CraneThe Rangers' Round-Up – MaryMissing Daughters – Ruth Blondie Takes a Vacation – Resort Singer The Gunman from Bodie – Alice BordenForbidden Trails – Mary DoranMan from Headquarters – Telegraph GirlThe Power of God – Charlotte HaleRock River Renegades – Grace RossRiders of the West – Hope TurnerDawn on the Great Divide – Mary HarkinsCinderella Swings It – SecretaryBorder Buckaroos – Betty ClarkThe Stranger from Pecos – Ruth MartinBeautiful But Broke – Telephone Operator Partners of the Trail – Kate HiltonLouisiana Hayride – Christine – Female Star West of [the Rio Grande] – Alice DarcyKansas City Kitty – Hat Check Girl Men in Her Diary – Ms. Simmons The Crimson Canary – Anita's Roommate Frontier Feud – Blanche CoreyBehind the Mask – Minor Role The Gentleman from Texas – Flo VickertValley of Fear – Joan TraversLand of the Lawless – Kansas City KateThe [Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947 film)|The Secret Life of Walter Mitty] – Miss Blair – Lingerie Dept. Manager News Hounds – Jane P. ConnellyGun Talk – Daisy CameronA Modern Marriage – NurseCorky of Gasoline Alley – MyrtleColorado Ambush – Mae StarWanted: [Dead or Alive (1951 film)| Dead or Alive] – Spangles Calhoun