Half Shot Shooters

Half Shot Shooters
Director	Preston Black
Writer(s)	Clyde Bruckman
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Curly Howard Stanley Blystone Vernon Dent
Release date	April 30, 1936
Running time	18:29
Preceded by	Movie Maniacs
Followed by	Disorder in the Court
Full film

Half Shot Shooters is the fourteenth Columbia Pictures short subject starring the Three Stooges.

Plot

The film opens in 1918, where, upon receiving medals for "wounds in action" (being beaten up by their sergeant after sleeping through an attack), the Three Stooges are discharged from the army immediately following the end of World War I; they subsequently take revenge on Sgt. MacGillicuddy (Stanley Blystone) in retribution for his attack and overall poor treatment of them. The film then cuts to 1935. The Stooges are traveling the streets hungry and are tricked into signing up for the army again. Unfortunately for them, MacGillicuddy is again the sergeant in charge. In the office of their colonel at the army base they have been sent to, the still-hungry Stooges fall upon some tomatoes MacGillicuddy had brought in. He orders them to throw away the tomatoes, and, demonstrating, throws one away himself, inadvertently hitting the colonel. As punishment, MacGillicuddy is ordered to polish spittoons. Moe, Larry, and Curly are then assigned to coast artillery, and begin practicing their "skills". They first hit a smokestack, followed by a house, a bridge, and lastly, a battleship, which just happens to be the flagship of a navy admiral. Sgt. MacGillicuddy and a group of officers rush up to investigate; when they question the Stooges as to whom is responsible for hitting the admiral's flagship, Moe and Larry hit, slap and kick Curly for shooting the wrong target. The vengeful sergeant asks them to line up for a photo shoot. The Stooges agree, glad to be rewarded for their sharp shooting, and pose as Sgt. MacGillicuddy swings a deck gun at them and fires, leaving three pairs of smoking boots behind.

Cast

• Moe Howard as Moe
• Larry Fine as Larry
• Curley Howard as Curley
• Stanley Blystone as Sergeant MacGillicuddy

Trivia

• This is the only time Dick Wessel appeared in a Curly short. This short marks the first time that stooge supporting actor Vernon Dent appears in. Vernon Dent has appeared in more 3 Stooges films than any other supporting actor.