Muscle Up a Little Closer

Muscle Up a Little Closer
Directed by Jules White
Produced by Jules White
Written by Felix Adler
Starring Moe Howard
Larry Fine
Joe Besser
Maxine Gates
Ruth Godfrey
Harriette Tarler
Matt Murphy
Cinematography Irving Lippman
Edited by Harold White
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release dates
  • February 28, 1957 (1957-02-28)
Running time
 16:46
Country United States
Language English

Muscle Up a Little Closer is the 176th short film released by Columbia Pictures in 1957 starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Joe Besser). The comedians released 190 short films for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

Moe, Larry and Joe are about propose marriage to their sweethearts. But later, the boys discover that Joe's fiancee's ring has been stolen. The Stooges suspect it is Elmo, a muscular bully who works at their plant. The Stooges come face to face with him in the company gym, but when they try to make him give the ring back by physical force, the plan backfires and Moe and Larry are knocked senseless. But Joe's girl (Maxine Gates) is tougher and knocks out Elmo. She retrieves the ring and she can now marry Joe.

Production notes

Filmed on June 27-29, 1956,[1] Muscle Up a Little Closer was the first film to feature Moe and Larry's more "gentlemanly" haircuts, first suggested by Joe Besser. However, these had to be used sparingly, as most of the shorts with Besser were remakes of earlier films, and new footage had to be matched with old.[2]

The title of the film parodies the Otto Harbach/Karl Hoschna 1908 song "Cuddle up a Little Closer, Lovey Mine".[3]

References

  1. ↑ Muscle Up a Little Closer at threestooges.net
  2. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff; Howard Maurer, Joan; Lenburg, Greg; (1982). The Three Stooges Scrapbook, p. 264, Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-0946-5
  3. ↑ Solomon, Jon. (2002) The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion, p. 487; Comedy III Productions, Inc., ISBN 0-9711868-0-4
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