Oil's Well That Ends Well
The Stooges strike oil to pay for their father's surgery.
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In 1958, Jules White directed the Three Stooges—Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe Besser—in the short film Oil's Well That Ends Well. This Columbia Pictures release was the 188th of the team’s 190 shorts produced for the studio from 1934 through 1959.
Plot
The Stooges, unemployed and facing their father's need for surgery, seek financial support. The father proposes searching for uranium on his mining property. While exploring, they encounter peril, including a dangerous encounter with dynamite.
Attempting to repair a water pump, they trigger an oil eruption. Joe sits atop the pump to stem the flow, launching into the air when it stops. His wish for the flow to cease is fulfilled, but he restores it, giving them a lucrative oil source to cover medical expenses.
Production notes
This short is a reworking of Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise, but it keeps none of that film's plot. The only recycled footage is Curly Howard riding an oil gusher into the sky. The idea of Joe getting wishes that come true was taken from the earlier film. It was filmed on August 26 and 27, 1957.
Along with Self-Made Maids, it is one of only two Stooge films with no supporting cast. There is a rare moment where the Stooges break the fourth wall: after Moe scolds him, Joe turns to the camera and mouths "I hate him!" before leaving. The title is a pun on "all's well that ends well."
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More in The Three Stooges Film Remakes
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Oil's Well That Ends Well (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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