Half-Wits Holiday

Curly Howard's performance in the previous short (Three Little Pirates (1946)) seemed to indicate that his general health (which had been steadily deteriorating for the previous two years due to suffering a succession of small strokes) had been in a state of recovery. However, it is evident that he'd suffered another small stroke before filming began on this one, plunging him back into his previous state; his movements (as well as speech) slowed considerably; his voice now a dull croak; always looking tired; losing a considerable amount of weight, and unable to remember his lines. On the final day of filming, during a break in preparation for the climactic pie-fight, he suffered a devastating stroke and had to be rushed to the hospital. When shooting resumed Moe Howard and Larry Fine continued causing the usual mayhem, with no reference to Curly's absence. The rest of the cast was unaware of what had happened and were expecting Curly to come running in any second to join in the pie-fight melee. Curly's film career was now at an end, although he did have a cameo role three shorts later, Hold That Lion! (1947) after[Shemp Howard had replaced him. In that film, Curly had a full head of hair on screen for the first time.

When Moe and Larry hit Curly in the stomach, a knife actually falls out of his coat too early.

Edited into Pest Man Wins (1951)