| Dizzy Pilots | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Jules White |
| Written by | Clyde Bruckman |
| Produced by | Jules White |
| Starring | Moe Howard Larry Fine Curly Howard Richard Fiske Harry Semels Al Thompson |
| Cinematography | Benjamin H. Kline |
| Edited by | Charles Hochberg |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 16:53 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Dizzy Pilots is a 1943 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 74th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.[N 1]
The Stooges are aviators known as the Wrong Brothers in the Republic of Cannabeer, P.U. who are confronted with an army draft notice. This document grants them a temporary reprieve from service, citing their purported innovation in the creation of the "Buzzard" aircraft as grounds for deferment. Despite their misattribution of greatness, likening themselves to luminaries of invention, their progress is stymied by a succession of mishaps.
Foremost among their challenges is the recurring misfortune befalling Moe, who finds himself inadvertently immersed in quick-drying melted rubber on multiple occasions. Attempts at alleviating this predicament lead to whimsical exploits involving hydrogen and a shotgun, culminating in Moe's aerial ascent and subsequent descent into a well. Subsequent obstacles emerge as they endeavor to maneuver the unwieldy aircraft out of its hangar and initiate its propulsion system, resulting in Moe's involuntary flight and subsequent immersion in the aforementioned rubber medium.
Their aspirations to demonstrate the Buzzard to representatives of the Sky Aircraft Company are marred by a cascade of mechanical failures and errors. The Stooges' endeavors spiral into chaos, culminating in an uncontrolled flight and a subsequent descent into a well, effectively drenching both themselves and the aforementioned officials.
Transitioning from the realm of invention to military service, the trio's antics persist. Encounters with a disciplinarian drill sergeant serve as a testament to their irreverence, ultimately precipitating an audacious act of insubordination and their subsequent escape from military jurisdiction.
Dizzy Pilots was filmed on April 6–9, 1943.[1] The boot camp segment is stock footage from 1940's Boobs in Arms, with the exception of the ending shot where the Stooges escape from the base itself.[2]
The gag of an aircraft being too large to take out of a hangar was reused in 1972 on The New Scooby-Doo Movies episode featuring the Stooges as guest stars ("The Ghost of the Red Baron").[2]
Dizzy Pilots marks the final appearance of co-star Harry Semels.[2]
DVD Talk critic Stuart Galbraith IV noted that Dizzy Pilots was the "last genuinely excellent Curly short" with "a set-up similar to Higher Than a Kite though executed infinitely better."[3]
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The Three Stooges filmography (1934–1946)
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| 1934 |
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| 1935 |
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| 1936 |
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| 1937 |
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| 1938 |
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| 1939 |
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| 1940 |
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| 1941 |
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| 1942 |
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| 1943 |
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| 1944 |
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| 1945 |
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| 1946 |
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| 1947 |
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