Three Little Sew and Sews

Three Little Sew and Sews is a 1939 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 36th 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 sailors stationed at a naval base, where they are gainfully employed within a tailor shop. The inciting incident arises when Curly, driven by impulsive folly, pilfers the uniform of Admiral Taylor, harboring intentions of leveraging its authority to engage in romantic dalliances. This act of subterfuge sets the stage for a series of misadventures that propel the trio into a labyrinthine plot involving espionage.

Under the guise of the counterfeit Admiral and his purported aides, Moe and Larry, the Stooges unwittingly become ensnared in the machinations of nefarious agents, Count Alfred Gehrol and Miss Olga Arvin, who serve as operatives of an antagonistic regime. Deceived by their adversaries, the trio is coerced into perpetrating a scheme involving the theft and hijacking of a submarine, thus unwittingly becoming pawns in a larger geopolitical game.

Despite their unwitting complicity, the Stooges eventually succeed in apprehending the spies, thereby thwarting their malevolent designs. However, their triumph is short-lived as a twist of fate intervenes during a reenactment of the capture for the genuine Admiral Taylor. In a calamitous turn of events, Curly inadvertently triggers an explosion due to a moment of hapless clumsiness. As a result, the Stooges are depicted as celestial beings ascending to the realm of heaven. However, they find themselves pursued by the ireful Admiral, who also assumes a celestial form.

Credited
{{Cast listing|
 * Moe Howard as Moe
 * Larry Fine as Larry
 * Curly Howard as Curly
 * Phyllis Barry as Miss Olga Arvin
 * Harry Semels as Count Alfred Gehrol

Uncredited

 * James C. Morton as Admiral H. S. Taylor
 * Ned Glass as Sailor
 * Pat Lane as Lieutenant
 * Cy Schindell as Brig guard
 * John Ince as Butler
 * Vernon Dent as laughing party guest
 * Bud Jamison as Policeman
 * John Tyrrell as Naval Officer
 * Bert Young, Charles Dorety as S.P.'s on submarine
 * Lew Davis, Earlene Heath, Elaine Waters, Al Thompson as party guests }}

Production notes
Three Little Sew and Sews was filmed on March 21–24, 1938, and was the last entry to utilize "Listen to the Mockingbird" as the Stooges' official theme song. It was filmed directly after Violent Is the Word for Curly but before Flat Foot Stooges, the latter being the first film to employ "Three Blind Mice" as the Stooges' official theme song.

The title Sew and Sew is a euphemism on "so and so," a softly worded insult for a person one finds unimpressionable. (generally a "son-of-a-bitch").

Three Little Sew and Sews is one of several Stooge shorts in which a sofa spring manages to become attached to someone's backside. This gag was also used in Hoi Polloi, An Ache in Every Stake, Hugs and Mugs and Have Rocket, Will Travel. In addition, footage of war scenes were later used in Boobs in Arms and They Stooge to Conga. The short is also the fifth of sixteen Stooge shorts with the word "three" in the title.

Unlike most Stooge films, Three Little Sew and Sews ends with the trio being killed. This plot device was only used in a handful of their shorts, among them being You Nazty Spy!, I'll Never Heil Again and Half Shot Shooters.