Curtain Call During Filming
During Curly’s steady decline in health, his greatest fears were confirmed after he checked himself into the hospital after filming “Rockin in the Rockies.” Fearing for his friend’s well-being, Moe pleaded with Cohn to allow Curly to rest after being released from the hospital but was denied due to Columbia Pictures’ fear of losing money. After a two month tour with live performances seven days a week, Curly’s health took a turn for the worst with him looking like “a former shell of himself.” He began to lose considerable weight, forget his lines and slur his speech. On May 6, 1946, he suffered a stroke while waiting to film the last scene of “Half-Wits Holiday.”