Grips, Grunts and Groans (1937) User Reviews

The pro wrestling stooges!

[Captain_Couth · 8/10 · 27 August 2005]

Grips, Grunts and Groans (19370 was another classic short form the team of Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curley Howard. The three lovable losers are traveling hobos who make an unscheduled last stop. A couple of engineers chase the vagrants away. Whilst hiding in the nearest building "The Hangover Gym", the boys are giving a gig as sparing partners for one of their prize fighters. The poor boxing skills with comedic end results amuse a local pro wrestler named Bustoff. He takes an immediate liking to the three and wants them to party with him. That doesn't seem like a good idea considering Bustoff has a big match tonight.

Can the boys keep Bustoff from enjoying himself too much? Will they get their promised sparring partner money? To find out what happens next you'll just have to watch GRIPS, GRUNTS & GROANS. One of their most famous shorts.

Highly recommended.

EXTRA!! EXTRA!! Curly Becomes Samson!

[redryan64 · 7/10 · 22 January 2007]

One thing about the Stooges is you either love 'em or hate em. There's not much room for neutrality here. Another thing is the better portion of their Columbia output is numbered with the best of all the comedy sound shorts.

Another element of their productions is that they would take a particular premise,and work work some variation on it. In this case it's having Curley inflicted with some unknown malady that results in his having aversion to one particular element. This always (well at least in 4 films)results in Curley's going wild until some sort of antidote ritual is administered..* This is among their best, because it has a better overall look to it, it has some out of doors filming and use of great inside sets.(probably borrowed from some other productions,but so what? Why not use wherever is available?

These are 20minutes of farce, relief from the real world. It's no BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN or some other masterpiece.) Having had a brief stint as a p art time pro wrestler (generally called a "Job Man" in the trade) in my younger days, the fact that it uses Pro Wrestling so prominently in the story makes it a top entry in the series.**

It tells us that Americans of the 1930's were already quite well acquainted with the mat game. This should dispel the old, false notion that professional wrestling was an invention of Television as TV was about 8 or 10 years away from a reality as commercial enterprise.(at the time that GRIPS, GRUNTS and GROANS was released to the movie houses.)

In a nut shell, the Stooges, fleeing from the Law, (in this case they're Railroad Dicks) become involved with Wrestling Manager. They are given charge of delivering Russian Pro Grappler, Bustoff, to the Arena that evening, sober and prepared to meet the Champion in the main event.

Of course hard drinking Bustoff has other ideas and after an unsuccessful attempt to render him sober only put him in worse condition. What else to do, except that one of the Stooges has to masquerade as the bearded Russian.

Naturally, Curley gets the going over until Moe spots a Lady (Bess Flowers), seen earlier applying her Wild Hyacinth perfume. Once reapplied, Curley goes bananas, vanquishing his opponent and all others entering the Ring by using the ring clanger bell as weapon. It surely looked like Samson slaying the Philistines!

At last we see a whole mound of humanity, including the other wrestler, Moe and Larry, and a great pile of unconscious Cops and Ring Officials , all lying in middle of the ring. Then the clapper string breaks, projecting the bell high into the air, landing on Curley's head. With a short, proper mugging to the camera, he falls out on top of the heap of police. Then, it's Fade to Black and the signature music.........................

It is one of their best films and sure a favourite of this writer.

* Over the years, the same 'DRIVES HIM WILD" items are: hearing any musical rendition of 'Pop Goes The Weasel', seeing mice, seeing tassels and of course the above mentioned 'Wild Hyacinth'

** It demonstrates both how much pro wrestling has changed, yet also at the same time, remained the same.

Anarchy In The Ring

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 19 August 2011]

Although the chaotic ending of Grips, Grunts, and Groans is pretty much stolen from the Marx Brothers Animal Crackers it still works well. The Three Stooges throughout their career always were using stuff that other comics did and adapting for themselves. I think part of the reason is that they were not feature film comics like the Marx Brothers or Abbott& Costello, nor did they have the creative freedom that Laurel&Hardy did with Hal Roach. They worked fast and cheap and ground out the product and Harry Cohn at Columbia loved them for that.

The boys become trainers of a contending wrestler whom they accidentally knock out and Curly with false beard has to take his place. Curly has a phobia about the perfume wild hyacinth, some painful memories associated with same. It works on him the same way that the phrase Niagara Falls works in that famous 'Slowly I Turn' burlesque routine that Abbott&Costello use.

If you remember how Harpo demolished the entire cast of Animal Crackers than you know how this one ends. Grips, Grunts, And Groans I'd like to think is the Stooges homage to the Marx Brothers.

The Absolutely-Insane Ending To This Kills Me Every Time!

[ccthemovieman-1 · 10/10 · 22 February 2008]

The last five minutes of this insane Three Stooges story almost puts me in tears laughing, and I've seen it many times. It features Curly as a pro wrestler! Regarding those last few minutes, it's one of those "you have to see it, to believe it" cases. I've never seen Curly go this berserk before, which is saying a lot.

Actually, this Three Stooges classic isn't just pure lunacy at the end: it's crazy and funny from start-to-finish, with a great 1930s look and feel to it. From the opening bums-in-the-railroad car scene, to knocking over a woman's baby carriage to the boxing gym scenes, on and on it goes until the incredibly wild finish.

Included in this story was a theme - used in several Three Stooges films - in which Curly would go bananas by smelling something, or hearing something.....and then he would be unstoppable. This worked to great advantage in the ring, whether it was boxing or wrestling or whatever. In this story, he becomes a wrestler, only "out of soy-cumstance." The real wrestler, a bearded Russian-looking guy named "Bostoff," gets blitzed with a combination of alcoholic drinks and Curly - to save the Stooges butts from the mob boys who have bet on Bostoff - has to take his place.

What happens just kills me. As other reviewers here state, this is a classic Three Stooges, one of the best.

The Boys take on the WWF: Nothing short of Hilarious

[dozanddoz · 11 January 2003]

In 1937, the Stooges were coming into their prime, and though this one is not the best entry, it's close. The Trio is suppose to watch over the wrestler "Bustoff." But when they get him drunk and then drop dump-bells and a locker on his head, Curly is forced to take Bustoff's place in the ring. But once Wild Hyicene purr-fume gets on Curly, he goes nuts, and tears the joint apart. Great sound effects, goofs, and a great rousing ending. This one will have you laughing out loud.

Bottom Line: One of the top 10 Stooge Shorts. 9/10

Grips, Grunts and Groans!

[Movie Nuttball · 10/10 · 10 March 2003]

This funny Stooge short is really good.I like the how Curly performs as the wrestler.The looks he gets on his face are unforgettable and the sparing stuff he wears is so funny.This is a great one to check out!

generally good

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 24 February 2020]

Larry, Curly, and Moe are hobos. They are found hiding in a train and chased into a gym. They are looking for work and the trainer Bustoff hires Curly to be a boxing partner for $5. Bustoff likes the boys so much that he takes them out for dinner. The problem is that he has to stay sober for his wrestling match and the boys are hired to keep him from the drink.

I like Bustoff. As always, Curly is great. The only problem is that any crooked promoter would never hire the boys to do anything. Instead, the boys should know about Bustoff's match and would try to stop his drinking out of the friendship. If they find out that Bustoff's gym is at stake, the boys would still do the same thing. This is generally fun.

One of the best stooges film

[Maniac-9 · 10/10 · 15 March 2012]

This is the Three Stooges short where they accidentally stumble into wrestling gym and to get money for a meal Curly volunteers to be a sparring partner. The champ Bustoff who trains at the gym happens to be watching nearby and finds the stooges hysterical. So he takes them out for a big meal but the stooges get him drunk and he can't go for his big match. So the Stooges have to dress Curly up as him. But Curly can only fight if Curly smells the perfume Wild Hyacinth and can only be stopped by tickling his feet.

The movie came out in the prime of the Three Stooges the Curly era. Not that Shemp isn't good in his own right it's just that the Stooges lineup is best with Curly in addition to the main stays of Moe and Larry.

The powerful Wild Hyacinth perfume!!!

[elo-equipamentos · 8/10 · 1 December 2019]

Just as information Grips, Grunts and Groan was between those chosen shorts that were on seven volumes DVD release here in Brazil, they are running and hide a wrestling gym, there the owner invites Curly to be a sparring to get 5 dollars, without a penny to buy food they agree, but they were knockout on first punch, however accidentally Curly smell a specific perfume Wild Hyacinth from Bustoff's girlfriend and becomes wild on fight, due it the Boss is willing to pay 100 hundred dollars to the Stooges take care the champion until the night, where he will fight for high money, sadly they didn't get and Bustoff was drunk at night, at arena trying recover the sleeping and drunk champion, Curly once more puts everything to lose, he dropped weights on his head, knockout him for good, then trapped, they decides disguise Curly as Bustoff with a fake bear, he goes to fight, certainly the highlight when he is losing, somehow saves by the wild Hyacinth smell, one the most funniest episode from the classic Stooges's line up!!!

Resume:

First watch: 1971 / How many: 4 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8.5

Stooges Repeat Curly's Crazy Aggressiveness in the Ring

[springfieldrental · 9/10 · 15 September 2023]

The Three Stooges were already copying some hilarious sequences from their earlier shorts. But they ingeniously found a way to make these repeats refreshing. In January 1937 "Grips, Grunts and Groans," the trio revisit the theme of Curly going berserk during a contest when something sets him off. In this case, it's the smell of a woman's perfume, specifically Wild Hyacinth, that throws him for a loop. He later finds himself inside a wrestling ring getting mauled by his opponent when Moe comes across a woman in the audience dabbing some Wild Hyacinth on herself. He grabs her bottle and sprinkles the perfume on Curly's face, turning him into a raging physical maniac.

"I used to think 'Bull Durham' was the greatest sports movie ever made," writes reviewer Richard Hanania. "Now I think it just might be the Stooges' 'Grips, Grunts and Groans.' For one thing, even the title smacks of the Stooge aesthetic." The berserk motif was first introduced in 1934's "Punch Drunk," where the song Larry plays on his violin, "Pop Goes the Weasel," makes Curly crazy. Unlike a mouthful of cheese in the earlier short that calms him down, "Grips, Grunts and Groans" shows the tickling of the bottom of Curly's right bare foot settles him. Wrestler Ivan Bustoff (Harrison Greene, who's seen earlier in the Stooges' 1936 "Ants in the Pantry.") is the gangsters' wrestler to face opponent Ironhead (Casey Columbo), and they bet heavily on him. The Stooges become personal friends of Bustoff, who finds the three funny. They become responsible for his behavior before the match, which is challenging since Ivan gets absolutely blotto from drinking liquor on their watch. He passes out, requiring Curly to disguise himself as Bustoff to take his place in the ring. This sets off one of the screen's wildest melees. The film is included in Phil Hall's listing as '10 Notable Wresting Movies From the Golden Age of Hollywood.'

Punch Drunks reloaded

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 2 February 2016]

"Grips, Grunts and Groans" is one of the more famous "Three Stooges" short films. As usual, it runs for slightly under 20 minutes, is in black-and-white and was directed by the prolific Jack White. This one is not from the very early days of the trio, but also far from their later works. It is also not yet World War II, so this one has no political references. Instead, it is basically a poor man's version of their short film "Punch Drunks" from three years earlier. Curly (easily the biggest star of the trio at this point) is back in the ring, but Larry is not playing the violin this time, and they gang runs into a bunch of professional criminals, probably mobsters. The girls are missing in this one here though, if we don't count the woman at the ring who is a true game changer for Curly. Unfortunately, the humour and comedy in here is not a game changer for the audiences. Not among my favorite Stooges films. Thumbs down.

Classic Comedy

[Michael_Elliott · 25 January 2009]

Grips, Grunts and Groans (1937)

**** (out of 4)

Three Stooges short has the boys finding themselves in a jam so they duck into a wrestling gym where the top guy takes a liking to them. The four go out for drinks but the wrestler gets too drunk and can't enter the ring so Curly has to take his place. Even though Curly doesn't know what he's doing he can still go psycho whenever he smells a certain type of perfume. The storyline is pretty similar to their Pop Goes the Weasel but I won't hold it against this film as it's certainly one of their funniest. There were countless scenes that had tears flowing from my eyes due to laughter and I'm not sure I've ever seen Curly go so crazy. There are countless great scenes here including one where the boys are being chased off a train and eventually run over a baby carriage. Another classic is the getting drunk sequence but there's no doubt the highlight is the final sequence where Curly smells too much perfume and flips out on everyone. This is certainly one of the funniest films out there.

The Three Stooges: The Innovators of Hardcore Violence....

[simeon_flake · 10/10 · 29 March 2014]

I've always looked at this film as an improved version of "Punch Drunks." Not that "Drunks" was a bad film, mind you, but it was made during the very beginning of the stooges careers when their characters had yet to fully develop plus the pacing of "Punch Drunks" was a bit on the slow side.

No such problems here, because in 1937, the stooges were clicking on all cylinders and "Grips, Grunts and Groans" is one of the funniest films done by anybody.

It's hard to believe that Bustoff is the same guy who played A. Mouser in "Ants in the Pantry" but I would put him on the list of role players who should have been used in more stooge shorts. And of course, Bustoff's resemblance to Curly leads to one of the greatest scenes in all of stoogedom.

Curly's wrestling match: That scene alone is worth a 10 star rating, just about everything in that scene had me rolling, particularly Moe's statement that Curly was just warming up, then they cut to a shot of Curly being flung through the air. Or how about Curly trapped in an ankle-lock and still managing to procure himself a sandwich and soda.

And of course, the riotous ending with everybody getting knocked out by the ring bell. Funniest stooge ending ever!

In short, if you love the stooges, then this short is required viewing.

Curly, The K.O. Champion

[StrictlyConfidential · 8/10 · 6 July 2021]

"Grips, Grunts And Groans" was originally released back in 1937.

Anyway - As the story goes - When the Stooges get a prizefighter drunk, Curly has no choice but to step in and take his place inside the ring.

Punches, kicks, and woo-woo-woos!

[slymusic · 21 October 2007]

"Grips, Grunts and Groans" is an excellent Three Stooges comedy directed by Preston Black. Larry, Moe, and Curly are vagrants who end up at the Hangover Athletic Club as managers of Bustoff (Harrison Greene), the famed wrestler. When Bustoff gets drunk before the championship bout, the Stooges' lives hang in the balance, until Larry comes up with a scheme: since Curly resembles Bustoff (at least with his girth & shaved head), he can take Bustoff's place in the ring!

My favorite scenes from this wonderful short include the following. When a waiter asks the Stooges if they'll have dessert, they reply in unison, "Yeah, another turkey." As Larry and Curly try to revive the drunken Bustoff in the locker room, Curly accidentally drops some dumbbells on Bustoff's head! As Moe tells a bedtime story to the passed-out Bustoff, he says, "And so the big chief went riding through the woods, and he met two little Indians"; Larry and Curly then do a few savage whoops, and Moe says, "Quiet." And during the hilarious championship wrestling match, Curly gets a whiff of Wild Hyacinth perfume, which drives him violently insane, enabling him to clobber his opponent in the ring; not even Moe, Larry, nor anyone else can calm Curly down as he manages to knock out everyone in sight!

"Grips, Grunts and Groans" bears a resemblance to an earlier Three Stooges short titled "Punch Drunks" (1934), in which Curly goes insane whenever he hears the tune "Pop Goes the Weasel," so he becomes a heavyweight boxer. Other Stooge films in which Curly goes insane over the silliest causes include "Tassels in the Air" (1938) and "Horses' Collars" (1935).

The Funniest Thing I Have Ever Seen!

[christopher_greenleaf · 16 June 2000]

Out of all the Three Stooge' shorts that Columbia produced, this one is the hands down winner! It starts with our heroes fleeing from a railway car they have been stowing away in.They flee the police and railway detectives (knocking over an occupied baby carriage in the process and not stopping!), then finding refuge in a local gym.Once there they are hired by a crooked wrestling promoter to look after his star attraction, an amiable but violent, womanizing and hard drinking wrestler named Bustoff.Without posting a spoiler, I can tell you that Curly ends up on the receiving end of more violence than even he is used to,This one is the absolute funniest things I have ever seen in my life, Dr Strangelove being #2! See this one.