What's the Matador?

What's the Matador? is a 1942 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 62nd 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 vaudeville entertainers who embark on a journey to Mexico to showcase their comedic prowess. Central to their act is a farcical interpretation of bullfighting, with Curly assuming the role of the intrepid matador, while Moe and Larry don the guise of a bovine adversary. En route to their performance destination, they encounter Dolores Sanchez, an enchanting señorita whose presence adds intrigue to their expedition. However, their interactions are soon complicated by the appearance of Dolores' husband, José, characterized by his malevolent disposition and vehement aversion to perceived romantic overtures towards his spouse.

Upon their arrival at the bullfighting arena, José's simmering animosity reaches its zenith when he orchestrates a perilous retaliation against Curly, motivated by his jealousy and disdain for the perceived transgressions against his marital union. In an act of retribution, José clandestinely arranges for the release of a live bull into the arena during the comedic enactment. Despite the ensuing chaos and peril, Curly remains oblivious to the impending danger, steadfastly committed to his performance. Consequently, he unwittingly confronts the bull, culminating in a confrontation that elicits a mixture of trepidation and admiration from the spectators.

Ultimately, Curly emerges triumphant, albeit through unwitting bravado, and is ceremoniously heralded by the jubilant crowd, echoing their acclaim with the traditional exclamation, "Olé, Americano!"

Production notes
What's the Matador? was the last short filmed in 1941, shot on August 14–18 of that year. It was remade in 1959 as Sappy Bull Fighters, using minimal stock footage from the original. Footage was reused in the 1960 compilation feature film Stop! Look! and Laugh!

The film's title is a pun on the question "what's the matter?" The film itself is inspired by the popularity of the 1941 film Blood and Sand. While bullfighting is the reference, the two stories otherwise have nothing in common.

The Stooges have a frustrating exchange with an old Mexican local (Don Zelaya) when they ask if he has seen Dolores. Though his lengthy, involved, Spanish-language directions are incomprehensible to them, he actually says the following:
 * "Go down the street three blocks, turn right and go two more blocks, turn right, cross the square, and turn right. Walk down that street until you find an alley, but keep walking. Go down that street until you find another alley, but do not enter that alley. Turn right. There you will find a river. Do me a favor: jump into the river and drown yourself!"

DVD Talk critic Stuart Galbraith IV noted the beginnings of Curly Howard's physical decline, observing that "one can see the earliest signs of Curly's pre-stroke personality change. It's very subtle, and while he's still quite funny, one can see little changes in his screen persona, and about here he begins to age dramatically, with lines suddenly etched deep in his face."