My personal theory re Gottler is that the script for SWEET AND HOT was written in the mid-30s, then shelved when Columbia discontinued its "Musical Novelties" series of shorts in favor of comics like the Stooges, Andy Clyde, etc. in 1934-35. I have no documentation for this hunch, it just feels right. I elaborated on this idea in an essay published in the Three Stooges Journal back in 2002: my hunch is that, in the budget-cutting Besser era, someone, likely Jules White, dug out the script, dusted it off, added a few changes and updates, and used it as the basis for SWEET AND HOT. If I ever have time, I'd like to dig around in LA to see if a script for this short can be found and what it reveals.
I too was surprised gottler was still living as recently as 2005; if I'd known, maybe I would've attempted to contact him and set the story straight! (Assuming his memory had remained sharp enough to recall such info, though it's surprising what acuity many long-lived Hollywooders retain, Ed Bernds being a prime example.)