Movie Maniacs

Movie Maniacs is a 1936 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 13th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot
The Stooges are stowaways aboard a boxcar bound for Hollywood, envisioning themselves as future movie stars without merit. Upon trespassing into a movie studio, they are mistaken for executives poised to assume control, granting them unwarranted authority over film production. Their tenure begins on a tumultuous note when Curly's misstep with a match disturbs a silent film star, prompting the departure of key personnel and leaving the trio to assume acting roles themselves.

Their charade unravels when genuine executives arrive, exposing the trio's ruse and instigating a pursuit by the studio and crew. Fleeing their pursuers, the Stooges find themselves in a precarious encounter with lions, leading to a chaotic escapade as they attempt to evade danger in a runaway car.

Credited
{{Cast listing|
 * Moe Howard as Moe
 * Larry Fine as Larry
 * Curly Howard as Curly
 * Mildred Harris as Leading lady
 * Kenneth Harlan as Leading man
 * Bud Jamison as Fuller Rath
 * Harry Semels as Cecil Z. Swinehardt, Director

Uncredited

 * Heinie Conklin, Blackie Whiteford as studio guards
 * Jack Kenney as Fuller Rath's assistant
 * Charlie Phillips as surveyor
 * Elaine Waters as "Marie," maid actress
 * Hilda Title as script girl
 * Lois Lindsey as Moe's kissing partner
 * Althea Henley as Larry's kissing partner
 * Eve Reynolds as Curly's kissing instructor
 * Eddie Laughton as	grip
 * Tanner The Lion as Lion
 * Jackie The Lion as Lion
 * Antrim Short as cameraman
 * Charlie Phillips as assistant cameraman
 * Harry Tenbrook as lighting technician
 * Lew Davis as boom operator
 * George Gray, Harry Keatan, Bert Young, Charles Dorety as studio crewman
 * John Barrymore as	Himself (photograph) }}

Production notes
Movie Maniacs was released on February 20, 1936, only two weeks after the previous release, Ants in the Pantry. It was filmed, though, in October 1935, two months before Ants in the Pantry.

The sign at the studio gate reads "Carnation Pictures: From Contented Actors" The gag refers to Carnation milk, which was long advertised as "from contented cows."

The railroad boxcar at the beginning of the short reads "C. M. & St. P. R.R." which alludes to the Milwaukee Road. The railroad was bankrupt when this short was released (its first bankruptcy was 1925.)

The scene with the Stooges demonstrating kissing techniques was deleted when originally released to television in 1958 by Columbia Studio's television distribution subsidiary Screen Gems, as it was deemed too risqué for children's programming. Home video versions present the completed film with the scene intact.

The original ending involved the Stooges setting fire to the movie set and fleeing the site.

The lions seen at the end of the short were named "Tanner" and "Jackie", both trained by Mel Koontz. The two lions were previously used as Metro-Goldwyn Mayer's mascot. The two would appear in other Stooges shorts (Tanner being the most frequent of the two).

Quotes
Curly: "If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking 'til you DO succeed "

Larry: "What are we doing in Hollywood? We don't know nothing about making pictures!" Moe: "There's a couple hundred guys out there NOW who don't know nothing about it. Three more won't make any difference."