Uncivil War Birds

Uncivil War Birds
Directed by	Jules White
Written by	Clyde Bruckman
Produced by	Jules White
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Curly Howard
Cinematography	Philip Tannura
Edited by	Charles Hochberg
Production company	Columbia Pictures
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	March 29, 1946 (1946-03-29)
Running time	17:31
Country	United States
Language	English

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.

Plot

Amidst the backdrop of the American Civil War, the Stooges inadvertently enlist in opposing factions: Moe and Larry in the Union Army, and Curly in the Confederacy. Complications arise when each faction mistakes the others as captives, leading to a series of mistaken identities and comedic misunderstandings.

As the confusion escalates, Moe and Larry, seeking to evade capture, resort to donning Confederate uniforms. However, their ruse is short-lived as they find themselves ensnared within Union army headquarters. In a bid for freedom, the trio resorts to a theatrical minstrel show performance, adopting blackface disguises. Despite the absurdity of their antics, they manage to elude their captors and escape.

Ultimately, the narrative culminates in matrimonial bliss for the Stooges as they wed their respective brides. However, the joyous occasion takes an unexpected turn when the brides promptly retaliate against their newlywed husbands with physical aggression following their first kiss.

Cast

Production notes

Uncivil War Birds was filmed on August 24–28, 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 would mark the final appearances of three long-time Stooge regulars Lew Davis, John Tyrrell, and Bobby Burns, who all died in 1948, 1949 and 1966, 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