Hugs and Mugs 1950

After a stretch in prison for jewel theft, three alluring women set out to recover a pearl necklace that law enforcement never captured. Their search leads them to a warehouse that once hid the necklace, now sold to the Shangri-La Upholstering Company, run by the Stooges: [Larry Fine], [Moe Howard], and [Shemp Howard].

Inside, the workshop buzzes with the restoration and pricing of a variety of furniture pieces. The shop’s Clerk, Emil Sitka, is part of the daily routine as the crew goes about their business. It is during this routine that Shemp stumbles upon the necklace, pockets it for himself, and dismisses the find as beads.

The trio of women — Ella Kathleen O’Malley, Lily Christine McIntyre, and Fifi Nanette Bordeaux — attempt a flirtatious distraction to search the shop for the pearls, hoping to unearth the treasure while they charm the workers, and their ruse leads to the accidental damage of an upholstered chair.

Yet while the women lay their plans, the possibility that the pearls are real begins to loom large in the mix of danger and deceit. Their former gangster partners trace the necklace to the shop, closing in with intent to reclaim it, led by Red Joe Palma.

A chaotic six-way altercation erupts as the Stooges defend the women against the aggressors. In the heat of the fight, Shemp lands a decisive blow with an iron, rendering the gangsters unconscious. With the danger past, the women reevaluate their life choices and decide to abandon their criminal past, choosing to return the pearls to their rightful owners.