Category: Humor

Musty Musketeers (1954)

Director: Jules White

Writer: Jules, White, Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Vernon Dent, Philip Van Zandt, Heinie Conklin, Diana Darrin, Virginia Hunter, Norma Randall, Frank Sully and Al Thompson.

Tagline:  It’s a Laugh Riot!

The Plot…

Moe, Larry and Shemp are the famous “fiddlers three” for Old King Cole (Dent).  Our boys want to get married, but the King has ruled that until his daughter, Princess Alicia (Hunter) marries Prince Gallant III of Rhododendron there shall be no marriages allowed.  Working behind the scenes the diabolical magician Murgatroyd (Van Zandt) has his own plans of his own to marry the princess.  It will be up to our boys to foil Murgatroyd’s plans.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Musty Musketeers is a remake of the Stooge’s 1948 short, Fiddlers Three.  The remake makes use of much footage from the original.

Musty Musketeers (1954) rates 3 of 5 stars.

Rip, Sew and Stitch (1953)

Director: Jules White

Writer: Jules, White, Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Phil Arnold, Vernon Dent and Jules White (voice).

Tagline:  A RIOTOUS ROMP… BURSTING AT THE SEAMS!

The Plot…

Larry, Moe and Shemp run a dry cleaning shop and if they don’t get some fast cash, they’re going to lose their business. When a safe cracker ditches the police and leaves his clothes in their shop, the boys find his cash. They get an idea that when he returns they’ll capture him for the reward money. What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Rip, Sew and Stitch is a remake of the Stooges’ short Sing a Song of Six Pants from 1947.  The remakes uses much footage from the original.

For a brief moment, Shemp seems to be doing a Lou Costello impression when one of the thugs questions him.

Rip, Sew and Stitch (1953) rates 3 of 5 stars.

Loose Loot (1953)

Director: Jules White

Writer: Felix Adler, Jack White

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Kenneth MacDonald, Suzanne Ridgway  and Emil Sitka.

Tagline:  A BOFFO BONANZA! of burlesque belly-laffs!

The Plot…

Larry, Moe and Shemp learn that they’ve inherited a good bit of money.  They’ve also come to realize that their broker, Icabod Slipp (MacDonald) is a crook and plans to run off with their dough!  Let the hijinks begin!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

 Loose Loot is a remake of The Three Stooges’ 1947 short, Hold That Lion! and makes use of ample footage from it.  Loose Loot also makes use of a gag used in their 1941 short, I’ll Never Heil Again.  Both feature a figure in a painting that comes to life to steal an object everyone is fighting over.

The extended scene in Icabod Slipp’s office is worth the price of admission. Each Stooge enters separately.  They find Slipp in the office, but Slipp pretends that he just entered as well.  He is there because “Slipp” ripped him off.  He then accuses each Stooge of being Slipp and beats them up!

Loose Loot (1953) rates 4 of 5 stars.

Up in Daisy’s Penthouse (1953)

Director: Jules White

Writer: Clyde Bruckman, Jack White

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard  and Blackie Whiteford.

Tagline:  THEY’RE BLOWING UP! – a gale of guffaws!

The Plot…

When Larry, Moe and Shemp learn that their father has struck it rich and plans to divorce their mother to marry a gold-digger, they know what they have to do: STOP THE MARRIAGE.  Let the good times roll!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Up in Daisy’s Penthouse is a remake of 3 Dumb Clucks, with Shemp taking on Curly’s role.  It also uses some footage from the original.  You can even hear Curly’s famous “Woowoowoo!” during the flagpole scene.

Up in Daisy’s Penthouse (1953) rates 3 of 5 stars.

Cuckoo on a Choo Choo (1952)

Director: Jules White

Writer: Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard  and Victoria Horne.

Tagline: Your Favorite Funsters in Their Happiest Huddle!

The Plot…

Larry and Shemp are living in a stolen railroad car.  Shemp is rich, but also a drunk and in love with a giant, imaginary bird.  Larry wants to marry his girlfriend, Lenore, but her family’s tradition is that the oldest sibling must be married first.  So Larry and his girl are trying to convince Shemp to marry Roberta, the older sister.

Then Moe, a private detective for the railroad shows up.  He’s finally tracked down the stolen railroad car!  He’s about to arrest Larry and Shemp when he spots, Roberta, his old girlfriend that he never got over.  And if you think this all sounds crazy, it gets really nuts…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Cuckoo on a Choo Choo is another of Larry FIne’s favorite Stooges’ shorts.  It could be because he gets to play a tougher character than usual.

This short is also one of the few that has the boys not working together as brothers or a team (which defeats the concept of The Three Stooges).

Lenore (talking about Shemp): “He’s filthy with money.”  Larry: “He’s filthy without it!”

Cuckoo on a Choo Choo (1952) rates 3 of 5 stars.

A Missed Fortune (1952)

Director:  Jules White

Writer: Felix Adler, Jack White

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Vernon Dent and Stanley Blystone.

Tagline: They’re hitting the jackpot in a top hat, white tie and gales of laugher.

The Plot…

When Shemp wins $50,000.00 in a radio contest, the boys decide to live it up.  They check in at the expensive Hotel Costa Plente and begin to live like millionaires.  Meanwhile, three gold-diggers have spotted our guys and plan to make a move.  Get the popcorn, because things are about to get nuts.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

A Missed Fortune is a remake of 1938’s Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb, using a small amount of footage from the original.  They’d probably have used more if Shemp hadn’t replaced Curly.  (Sad to note this is the last Stooges’ short released during Curly’s life.)

A Missed Fortune (1952) rates 3 of 5 stars.

Hula-La-La (1951)

Director:  Hugh McCollum

Writer: Edward Bernds

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Jean Willes, Emile Sitka, Kenneth MacDonald and Heinie Conklin.

Tagline: Oodles of Lulus and Laughs

The Plot…

The boys are dance instructors/choreographers for B.O. Pictures.  The company is planning a big blockbuster musical featuring native dancers.  Unfortunately the island that B.O. Pictures purchased has natives that don’t dance.  So our guys are sent down to teach the islanders how to shake a leg.  Unfortunately, nobody realizes the natives are cannibals!  Let the fun begin!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

This is the only Stooges’ short directed by Hugh McCollum.  He normally worked as a producer and it was thought that his directing style was too restrained for The Three Stooges.

Moe: to Shemp: “You know, for an imbecile, you’ve got some brains.”

Hula-La-La (1951) rates 3 of 5 stars.

Scrambled Brains (1951)

Director:  Jules White

Writer: Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Emile Sitka, Vernon Dent and Pamela Britton.

Tagline: Those cut-up kings in their funniest free-for-all fun frolic!

The Plot…

Shemp is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.  He is hallucinating and nothing seems to help.  In desperation, Larry and Moe call in Dr. Gesundheit (Sitka).  If he can’t help Shemp then it’s back to the  sanatorium.  Let the good times roll.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Larry Fine considered this his favorite of all the Stooges’ shorts.

Muhammad Ali was famous for saying, “I’d fight that chump in a phone booth.”  There is an extended scene with our boys fighting Vernon Dent in a phone booth!

Scrambled Brains (1951) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Don’t Throw That Knife” (1951)

Director:  Jules White

Writer: Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Jean Wiles and Dick Curtis.

Tagline: The nonsense kings take the census – the hard way

The Plot…

The boys are census takers.  They get to the apartment of Mr. and Mrs. Wykoff, a famous knife-throwing act.  The husband isn’t home but the wife is.  The boys barge in to ask her census questions.  She warns them that they must get out of the apartment because her husband is insanely jealous.  He would kill any man caught alone with her.  And wouldn’t you kn0w it, just then, they hear the husband coming through the door.  Let the festivities begin!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The boys: “What does your husband do?”  Mrs. Wykoff: “He’s a magician.  He makes things disappear.”  Shemp: “I got an uncle who can make things disappear.”  Moe: “Is he a magician?”  Shemp: “No.  He’s a kleptomaniac.”

The best scene is when the husband finds his wife is hiding a man… no, two men… wait, three men!! (And the nonsense that follows.)

“Don’t Throw That Knife” (1951) rates 3 of 5 stars.

Three Arabian Nuts (1951)

Director:  Edward Bernds

Writer: Elwood Ullman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Philip Van Zandt, Vernon Dent and Dick Curtis.

Tagline:  Your Favorite Cut-Ups Cut Loose in a Harem-Scarem Comedy Riot!

The Plot…

The boys are warehouse workers unpacking expensive Arabian antiques.  When Shemp comes across a magic lamp, he thinks it is a syrup dispenser.  He wipes it off and a genie appears!  Unfortunately, two Arabian killers are close by and ready to steal the lamp!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Shemp realizes he has a magic lamp, but thinks the genie is called “genius”.

Shemp gets trapped by an Arab with a sword.  Shemp: “I suppose you think I’m scared?” Arab: “Yes!” Shemp: “You’re right!”

Three Arabian Nuts (1951) rates 4 of 5 stars.

Slaphappy Sleuths (1950)

Director:  Jules White

Writer: Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Stanley Blystone, Emil Sitka, Gene Roth and Blackie Whiteford.

Tagline:  The Stooges fuel around with their own brand of laughing-gas.

The Plot…

The boys are detectives hired by an Oil Company to catch crooks who are robbing their gas stations.  The boys are to pose as gas station attendants and catch the robbers in the act.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Ethel is worth the price if you can afford her.

Slaphappy Sleuths (1950) rates 3 of 5 stars.

Three Hams on Rye (1950)

Director:  Jules White

Writer: Clyde Bruckman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Christine McIntyre, Emil Sitka, Ned Glass and Blackie Whiteford.

Tagline: THE STOOGES’ SLAP-HAPPIEST LINE-UP OF GAGS AND GALS!

The Plot…

The boys are stagehands and bit actors for a theater production.  Already on the bad side of the producer, he orders them to keep a theater critic from sneaking in.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Although this one ends with a positive outcome for the Stooges, it just doesn’t resonate with me.  Your mileage could vary.

Three Hams on Rye (1950) rates 2 of 5 stars.