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.
THE PLOT
The Stooges are vaudeville entertainers who trek to Mexico to perform their gag bullfight shtick, with Curly as the brave matador, and Moe and Larry dressed in a bull costume. Along the way, they cross paths with attractive senorita Dolores Sanchez (Suzanne Kaaren). They also cross paths with her evil jealous, and hot-tempered, man-hating husband named José (Harry Burns). In an act of revenge on Curly for flirting with Dolores, José pays the bullring attendants to release a live bull into the ring. Moe and Larry flee the ring, but Curly is unaware of the switch. He eventually head-butts the wild animal, and is paraded out of the ring to the rousing cheers of "Olé, Americano!"
TRIVIA
What's the Matador? was the last short to be filmed in 1941. It was filmed on August 14–18, 1941. It was remade in 1959 as Sappy Bull Fighters, using minimal stock footage from the original.
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 Spanish response seems unintelligible 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."
PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS
Take a look at Curly's hat in the first Curly Clip below. I love it!
I've seen this short many, many times, and I never knew the English translation of the dialog in the second Curly Clip below. That is simply hilarious.
If you have time, watch each individual Stooge as they are listening to the Mexican local give them directions in the second clip below. Larry's reactions are my favorite.
I watched this entire short, and I have to say that I disagree with Galbraith's opinion about Curly's decline. He seems to be his normal self.
THE CACHE IS NOT AT THE POSTED COORDINATES.
Watch the following short Curly clips
Curly Gets To Mexico: Episode 62 Whats The Matador Clip1
ADD the correct value below to the last three digits of the posted North coordinates:
What does the food cart sell in this clip? Tamales (Use 77) Tacos (Use 37) Burritos (Use 57)
Curly Sees Esther: Episode 62 Whats The Matador Clip2
A = The house number of the address the Stooges are looking for
B = The number of rooms in the house that Curly threatens to haunt if he is killed.
ADD A and B together, then ADD 6 to that. ADD that total to the last three digits of the posted West coordinates.
Have fun! Get the family involved.
Curly Code: 555-145