Uncivil War Birds
Uncivil War Birds is a 1946 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 90th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.
| Uncivil War Birds | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Jules White |
| Produced by | Jules White |
| Written by | Clyde Bruckman |
| Starring | Moe Howard Larry Fine Curly Howard Eleanor Counts Marilyn Johnson Faye Williams Ted Lorch Joe Palma Cy Schindell John Tyrrell Lew Davis |
| Cinematography | Philip Tannura |
| Edited by | Charles Hochberg |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 17:31 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
It is the American Civil War, and the Stooges enlist in the service. Moe and Larry accidentally join the Union Army, while Curly manages to correctly sign up with the Confederacy. Before the error can be corrected, several Union soldiers order Moe and Larry to lock up their "prisoner." A few moments later, a Confederate general sees Curly being released and, upon seeing Moe and Larry, thinks he has captured two Union soldiers. This mix up goes back and forth several times, until Moe and Larry finally find Confederate uniforms, only to be caught in Union army headquarters. They eventually escape by performing minstrel song-and-dance routine in blackface, with Curly playing a Mammy-type character and Larry strumming a banjo.
Production notes
Uncivil War Birds was filmed on August 24–25, 1945.[1] It is a remake of the 1939 Buster Keaton short Mooching Through Georgia; the stock shot of the union lieutenant on horseback with his battalion of eight was borrowed from that film.[2] The song "Dixie" replaces the Stooges' regular opening theme of "Three Blind Mice" for this film, and continues as background music for approximately twenty seconds into the opening scene.[2]
This short marked the final appearances of long-time Stooge regulars the late Lew Davis and the late John Tyrrell, who died in 1948 and 1949, respectively.[2]
Curly's illness
The film was produced after Curly Howard suffered a mild stroke. As a result, his performance was marred by slurred speech, and slower timing, though Curly was more energetic and displayed better timing than in previous shorts. In addition, Moe Howard and Larry Fine are paired together and given the lion's share of the film's dialogue.[2]
References
- Pauley, Jim (2012). The Three Stooges Hollywood Filming Locations. Solana Beach, California: Santa Monica Press, LLC. p. 291. ISBN 9781595800701.
- Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Glendale, California: Comedy III Productions, Inc. p. 275. ISBN 0971186804.
