My point was that Curly was STILL making shorts at Columbia's demand even when it was already known that he needed to take an extended leave. No, 32 filming days is actually not that bad, but look at those horrible travel schedules you posted. I am 21, and I would be destroyed by that schedule. The Shemp era needed to start sooner and have end sooner. After Shemp's death, it probably would have been better to cancel the touring arrangements, find a good replacement (which they did NOT do in Joe Besser), and then just make the remaining shorts in a more condensed time frame.