We Want Our Mummy
Encyclopedia
We Want Our Mummy is the 37th short subject
starring American slapstick
team the Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures
between 1934
and 1959
.
, James C. Morton
) hire the Stooges (as private detectives) to locate Professor Tuttle of Egyptology
, who went missing while attempting to find the mummy
of Egyptian King Rootin'Tootin' in Cairo
. They hail a taxicab
in New York City
, and inform the bewildered driver they are bound for Egypt.
Upon their arrival, the Stooges learn that Tuttle is being held hostage by a group of thieves. While the Stooges wander around in the underground tunnels, the thieves have the professor bound and gagged. Curly finds what the Stooges believe to be the mummy of Rootin'Tootin' in a secret room, activated by a trap door. When Curly tries to pick it up he clumsily drops it, crumbling it to dust.
Then they hear the boss of the gang (Dick Curtis
) threatening the professor to get him to tell where the mummy is. The frightened professor tells them. The Stooges, realizing they will get killed if the crooks discover the crushed mummy, so Moe gets the idea to make a mummy out of Curly. Curly's reply to this is "I can't be a mummy, I'm a daddy!", but he relents. He lies on the stone slab when the crooks arrive. The Boss rifles through Curly with the bandages on his chest open. The boss pulls a newspaper out and reads " 'Yanks
win World Series
'—can you beat that!" Curly blows his cover by replying, "Yeah, and I won five bucks!" The thief says, "No kidding? I had the Cubs
and..." realizing he has been tricked, he charges Curly, but in the process of chasing the Stooges he and his cronies fall into a well Curly had found earlier and hid it using a carpet. The Stooges admit to the professor that Curly had destroyed the mummy, but the Prof says, "That was his wife, Queen Hotsy-Totsy!" He holds up a small mummy case, containing the real mummy of Rootin'Tootin', who was a midget. As the men discuss about all the trouble for a midget, an alligator comes out of the hole in the wall. Curly turns and sees the gator and thinks it is a mummy alligator and tries to take it home to hang it on his wall. When Curly reaches for a piece of rope, the gator bites his butt, Curly cries in pain and tells the fellas the gator bit him. Nobody believes him until they see the gator snap its jaws at them. The men scream and run for their lives to the taxi.
" as the Stooges' official theme song (the song also appeared somewhat prematurely in 1938's Flat Foot Stooges
, due to some confusion in that film's release date). This version of "Three Blind Mice," often affectionately known as the 'sliding strings' version, would be used regularly until 1942's What's the Matador?
. An alternate version of the 'sliding strings' version would be used for a brief period starting with 1945's If a Body Meets a Body
.
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
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...
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
1934 in film
-Events:*January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000.*February 19 - Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade...
and 1959
1959 in film
The year 1959 in film involved some significant events, with Ben-Hur winning a record 11 Academy Awards.-Events:* The Three Stooges make their 190th and last short film, Sappy Bull Fighters....
.
Plot
Two museum curators (Bud JamisonBud Jamison
Bud Jamison was an American film actor. He appeared in 450 films between 1915 and 1944.-Career:...
, James C. Morton
James C. Morton
James C. Morton was an American character actor. He appeared in 187 films between 1922 and 1943.-Career:...
) hire the Stooges (as private detectives) to locate Professor Tuttle of Egyptology
Egyptology
Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century. A practitioner of the discipline is an “Egyptologist”...
, who went missing while attempting to find the mummy
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
of Egyptian King Rootin'Tootin' in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. They hail a taxicab
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and inform the bewildered driver they are bound for Egypt.
Then they hear the boss of the gang (Dick Curtis
Dick Curtis
Dick Curtis was an American actor who made over 230 film and television appearances during his career.-Career:Curtis was born Richard Dye in Newport, Kentucky. A tall, hulking actor, standing at 6' 3", Curtis appeared in films stretching from Charles Starrett to The Three Stooges. In most of his...
) threatening the professor to get him to tell where the mummy is. The frightened professor tells them. The Stooges, realizing they will get killed if the crooks discover the crushed mummy, so Moe gets the idea to make a mummy out of Curly. Curly's reply to this is "I can't be a mummy, I'm a daddy!", but he relents. He lies on the stone slab when the crooks arrive. The Boss rifles through Curly with the bandages on his chest open. The boss pulls a newspaper out and reads " 'Yanks
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
win World Series
1938 World Series
The 1938 World Series matched the two-time defending champion New York Yankees against the Chicago Cubs, with the Yankees sweeping the Series in four games for their seventh championship and record third straight .Dizzy Dean, who had helped carry the Cubs to the National League pennant despite a...
'—can you beat that!" Curly blows his cover by replying, "Yeah, and I won five bucks!" The thief says, "No kidding? I had the Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
and..." realizing he has been tricked, he charges Curly, but in the process of chasing the Stooges he and his cronies fall into a well Curly had found earlier and hid it using a carpet. The Stooges admit to the professor that Curly had destroyed the mummy, but the Prof says, "That was his wife, Queen Hotsy-Totsy!" He holds up a small mummy case, containing the real mummy of Rootin'Tootin', who was a midget. As the men discuss about all the trouble for a midget, an alligator comes out of the hole in the wall. Curly turns and sees the gator and thinks it is a mummy alligator and tries to take it home to hang it on his wall. When Curly reaches for a piece of rope, the gator bites his butt, Curly cries in pain and tells the fellas the gator bit him. Nobody believes him until they see the gator snap its jaws at them. The men scream and run for their lives to the taxi.
Theme change
We Want Our Mummy is the first Stooge film to employ "Three Blind MiceThree Blind Mice
Three Blind Mice is an English nursery rhyme and musical round. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 3753.-Lyrics:The modern words are:-Variations and uses:Amateur music composer Thomas Oliphant noted in 1843 that:...
" as the Stooges' official theme song (the song also appeared somewhat prematurely in 1938's Flat Foot Stooges
Flat Foot Stooges
Flat Foot Stooges is the 35th short subject starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1959.-Plot:...
, due to some confusion in that film's release date). This version of "Three Blind Mice," often affectionately known as the 'sliding strings' version, would be used regularly until 1942's What's the Matador?
What's the Matador?
What's the Matador? is the 62nd short subject starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1959.- Plot :...
. An alternate version of the 'sliding strings' version would be used for a brief period starting with 1945's If a Body Meets a Body
If a Body Meets a Body
If a Body Meets a Body is the 86th short subject starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1959.-Plot:...
.