Topic: Curly Line in "A Bird in the Head"

[Dunrobin]

Curly says a line in A Bird in the Head that's always bugged my brother and me, as we've never been sure what Curly was actually saying.  I think I finally know what it was.

When the Stooges are cornered in the lab by Professer Panzer (Vernon Dent) and he points a machine gun towards them, there's a close-up of Curly as he says "Have you got a permit (something)?"  For years we thought the rest of the line was something like "to be a pain", although that didn't really seem to fit.

This morning, while watching The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, I caught a reference that made me do a little research, and I think I found the answer.  In April 1941, the Roosevelt administration created the Office of Price Administration (OPA) to handle rationing - including weapons and ammunition.  So I think Curly's line was "Have you got a permit from OPA?"

Does that sound right to anyone else?   

[Stooge]

Yeah, that's what he says.  This was in the late Curly era when it was becoming hard for Curly to speak clearly due to his health problems and that's why that line was so hard to understand.

[Pilsner Panther]

I'm not sure I can confirm your guess, Rob, but it at least sounds plausible. The trouble is that "A Bird In the Head" is one of those shorts that was made when Curly wasn't in such good physical shape, and he was slurring his lines a bit.

I tried listening to the line on headphones, and it still doesn't come out any clearer... but given the fact that the Roosevelt/Depression/WWII era Stooges shorts had some occasional, topical political gags in them, your guess is a good one, I think.

"Last one in is a Republican!" —"Three Sappy People"

 

[Pilsner Panther]

Yeah, that's what he says.  This was in the late Curly era when it was becoming hard for Curly to speak clearly due to his health problems and that's why that line was so hard to understand.

Do I hear an echo in here, Stooge? Actually, you beat me to (basically) the same answer by roughly three to six minutes (depending on when you hit the "send" button).

 

[xraffle]

That's what I think Curly said. For years, I couldn't make out what Curly said because I just wasn't able to understand him. It really bugged me. I might know a way that we could find out for sure. "A Bird In The Head" is on the Stop, Look, and Laugh DVD and I think it might be closed-captioned. Unfortunately, I don't have the DVD. So, if anyone has the DVD, try turning on the closed-captions on the TV and play that line and see what it says.