Movie Maniacs


Movie Maniacs is a 1936 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 13th 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 stowaways aboard a boxcar bound for Hollywood, envisioning themselves as future movie stars although they lack any qualifications. They trespass into a movie studio, where the studio boss, who is awaiting the arrival of three New York executives poised to assume control, mistakes the Stooges for the executives and grants them complete authority over film production. The trio's tenure begins on a tumultuous note when they arrive noisily onto a set where a romantic drama is being filmed, destroying the scene and angering the director. Tensions mount as Moe repeatedly interrupts the filming to complain that there is too little action, while Larry and Curly, in a quest for more dynamic performances, annoy the actors by manipulating them like puppets. This prompts the departure of key personnel, leaving the trio to assume acting roles themselves.
Their charade unravels when the studio receives a telegram from the genuine executives, explaining that their arrival has been delayed. Realizing that the Stooges are imposters, the studio boss and the film's crew angrily pursue them. The trio inadvertently take refuge in a lion's den, from which they attempt a hasty escape into a nearby car, but a lion follows them into the vehicle before they drive chaotically away.

Cast

Uncredited

Production notes

Movie Maniacs was released on February 20, 1936, only two weeks after the previous release, Ants in the Pantry. It was filmed, though, in October 1935, two months before Ants in the Pantry.
The sign at the studio gate reads "Carnation Pictures: From Contented Actors" The gag refers to Carnation milk, which was long advertised as "from contented cows."
The railroad boxcar at the beginning of the short reads "C. M. & St. P. R.R." which alludes to the Milwaukee Road. The railroad was bankrupt when this short was released
The scene with the Stooges demonstrating kissing techniques was deleted when originally released to television in 1958 by Columbia Studio's television distribution subsidiary Screen Gems, as it was deemed too risqué for children's programming. Home video versions present the completed film with the scene intact.
The original ending involved the Stooges setting fire to the movie set and fleeing the site.
The lions seen at the end of the short were named "Tanner" and "Jackie", both trained by Mel Koontz. The two lions were previously used as Metro-Goldwyn Mayer's mascot. The two would appear in other Stooges shorts.