In the Three Stooges' November 1937 "The Sitter Downers," the film capitalizes on that period's ongoing work stoppages occurring in several industries, especially General Motors' huge sit-down strike in April. The Three Stooges stage their own personal strike when their (hopefully) future father-in-law (James Morton) refuses his three daughters' hands in their marriage proposal. In a highly publicized protest in the in-law's home, the Stooges finally get him to agree to their marriage, where to boot they receive a donated house-which they have to assemble. The subsequent adventures in constructing their home in the most crazy-quilt fashion imaginable was copied from a similar situation in Buster Keaton's famous 1921 classic "One Week."
One of the Stooges' wives is Dorabell, played by Marcia Healy. She was the sister of Ted Healy, the manager and straight man for the Stooges before they branched out on their own. After the three left him, Healy remained employed with MGM, who loaned him out to other studios on several occasions where he appeared in secondary roles in both dramatic and comedic parts. "The Sitter Downers" was the last Three Stooges' film Healy got to see before his untimely death on December 21, 1937, at 41. The night before he died Healy was celebrating the birth of his son at a nightclub on Sunset Strip in Los Angeles when he purportedly got in a fight with three "college fellows." Later, rumors emerged that actor Wallace Beery and Albert Broccoli, later producer for the James Bond movies, were the participants in the brawl. The L. A. coroner ruled that an inflammation of Healy's kidneys caused by his acute alcoholism was the medical reason for the actor's death. Through his generosity to many down-and-out friends, Healy died broke, leaving his wife and child in poverty. Besides playing a big role in the Stooges' career, Healy served as a mentor and was a major influence for several comedians, including Milton Berle, Bob Hope and Red Skelton.
One of the Stooges' wives is Dorabell, played by Marcia Healy. She was the sister of Ted Healy, the manager and straight man for the Stooges before they branched out on their own. After the three left him, Healy remained employed with MGM, who loaned him out to other studios on several occasions where he appeared in secondary roles in both dramatic and comedic parts. "The Sitter Downers" was the last Three Stooges' film Healy got to see before his untimely death on December 21, 1937, at 41. The night before he died Healy was celebrating the birth of his son at a nightclub on Sunset Strip in Los Angeles when he purportedly got in a fight with three "college fellows." Later, rumors emerged that actor Wallace Beery and Albert Broccoli, later producer for the James Bond movies, were the participants in the brawl. The L. A. coroner ruled that an inflammation of Healy's kidneys caused by his acute alcoholism was the medical reason for the actor's death. Through his generosity to many down-and-out friends, Healy died broke, leaving his wife and child in poverty. Besides playing a big role in the Stooges' career, Healy served as a mentor and was a major influence for several comedians, including Milton Berle, Bob Hope and Red Skelton.