A Missed Fortune is the 137th short subject starring American slapstick

Slapstick

Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...

 comedy team the Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...

 between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

Shemp wins $50,000 for accidentally guessing the correct make of a car for a radio contest. The boys check in at the Hotel Costa Plente, and quickly spend their winnings. Their suite is furnished with many expensive items, which they systematically destroy. The hotel manager (Vernon Dent

Vernon Dent

Vernon Bruce Dent was a comic actor who appeared in over 400 films in his career. He co-starred in many short films for Columbia Pictures, frequently as the foil to the Three Stooges.-Early career:...

) then delivers a telegram to the stooge's suite, and discovers the destruction. The telegram reveals that taxes withheld from Shemp's winnings reduce the $50,000 windfall to a minuscule $4.85.

Just then, three attractive gold diggers (Nanette Bordeaux

Nanette Bordeaux

Nanette Bordeaux was a French Canadian-born American film actress. Born Hélène Olivine Veilleux, Bordeaux made over 15 film appearances between 1942 and 1957.-Career:...

, Vivian Mason

Vivian Mason

Vivian Mason was an American actress who appeared in over 30 television shows and films between 1937 and 1955.-Career:...

, Suzanne Ridgeway

Suzanne Ridgeway

Suzanne Ridgeway was an American film actress who appeared in approximately 115 films between 1933 and 1959.-Career:...

), who are also guests at the hotel, connive their way into the boys' room. After twice drenching the girls with ice water from champagne buckets, the girls hit the stooges over the head with champaign bottles.