Grips, Grunts and Groans

Grips, Grunts and Groans is a 1937 short subject directed by Preston Black starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 20th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who appeared in 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot
Following their evasion of railroad authorities, the Stooges forge an acquaintance with Ivan Bustoff, a renowned wrestler embroiled in a high-stakes match orchestrated by his mob-affiliated trainers. Despite the trainers' wager on Bustoff's victory, his predilection for revelry leads to an inebriated stupor, jeopardizing his performance. In a bid to salvage the situation, the mob coerces the Stooges into managing Bustoff and ensuring his sobriety for the impending bout.

However, a mishap in the locker room ensues, resulting in Bustoff's incapacitation and necessitating an impromptu substitution with Curly. Leveraging Curly's susceptibility to Wild Hyacinth perfume-induced aggression, Moe and Larry devise a strategy to exploit this peculiarity to their advantage. Yet, Curly's performance in the ensuing wrestling match falls short of expectations. Amid mounting pressure from the mobsters, who threaten the Stooges with dire consequences for Curly's failure to secure victory, Moe seizes an opportunity to acquire Wild Hyacinth perfume from a spectator. Subsequently applying the fragrance to Curly, the resulting chaos sees Curly inadvertently incapacitating himself and the challenger, triggering a chain of comedic mishaps culminating in Curly's own knockout.

Production notes
The filming of Grips, Grunts and Groans took place from October 30 to November 5, 1936. Its title parodies the expression "gripes, grunts and groans."

An external stimulus that causes Curly to go berserk was also used as a plot element in Punch Drunks, Horses' Collars, and Tassels in the Air.

A production still shows that Solomon Horwitz — father to Moe, Curly and Shemp Howard — appeared as a spectator during the wrestling scenes.