It might just be possible, GreenCanaries, that the cartoon like run may be indicative of a female stunt person. They DID have them in the 30's, ya know. I also wonder ...
Well aware of that, Giff. In fact, I have done much research of "Golden Age" stunt persons, including the ladies (off the top of my head: Mary Wiggins, Betty Danko, Aline Goodwin [wrong dates, IMDb...], Loretta Rush, Ione Reed, et al). It seemed they usually worked in bigger productions though, and it didn't seem a lot of them worked in the quick Columbia two-reelers, where it was probably less time-consuming to just put Teddy Mangean, Johnny Kascier, et al in a wig and a dress for a quick pratfall or bit of rough action.
I won't rule out the possibility (though I'm not quite convinced), but considering that nearly every Columbia short I've seen where an actress is doubled, her double is a stuntman in drag (the only two exceptions - where a woman doubles a woman - I can think of being Symona on the rotating platform in SLIPPERY SILKS and a couple of relatively minor pratfalls in the mid-'40s Shemp solos OPEN SEASON FOR SAPS and WHERE THE PEST BEGINS), I can't help but feel it somewhat unlikely.
Personally, I've thought that the odd run was because the stunt person (whether male or female) was a bit too tall relative to the other stuntmen and the Stooges, and was running while squatting slightly, with the knees bent, throwing the person a bit off balance.
Actually, after the fact, the height issue did cross my mind. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that was why.
