Directed by Jules White, "Rhythm and Weep" casts the Stooges as struggling actors/musicians. The major problem with this short is Curly. He was not a well man by this time; his speech was slurred, his energy was virtually gone, and he just wasn't the Curly that we all know from his classic era of Stooge shorts from 1935 to 1941. In fact, after "Rhythm and Weep," Curly would appear in only two more shorts as a Stooge ("Three Little Pirates" [1946] and "Half-Wits Holiday" [1947]) before he suffered his disabling stroke.
Despite Curly's alarming physical condition, "Rhythm and Weep" still manages to get in a few laughs. The best and funniest scene in the whole short involves the Stooges playing some lively swing music with a daffy millionaire pianist (Jack Norton) on a rooftop; Larry and Curly just can't seem to prevent themselves from accidentally jabbing Moe in the face as they bow their string instruments. The Stooges dance with a trio of pretty ladies atop a skyscraper (to the tune of "Turkey in the Straw"), but Curly cannot move his feet because he nailed his shoes to the roof in order to prevent himself from falling off. Before the Stooges embark to the rooftop that they intend to jump off, Curly whips out a pie and prepares to eat it; when Moe asks him what's with the pie, Curly answers, "So I can die-gest right!" And at the end, when the boys discover that the piano-playing millionaire (who offered them and the girls a spot in his new show) is a lunatic, Curly bangs his head on a wall, and Moe and Larry repeatedly drop sandbags on their heads.
One final piece of trivia for "Rhythm and Weep": When the Stooges and the girls discover the pianist on the rooftop, the song that he plays is "Let's Fall in Love," composed by Harold Arlen. Director Jules White claimed that he loved this song, and it was used in two other Three Stooges shorts: "Punch Drunks" (1934) and "Sweet and Hot" (1958).
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