Category: Humor

“Let’s Go Collegiate” (1941) starring Frankie Darro & Mantan Moreland / Z-View

Posted on by

Let’s Go Collegiate (1941)

Director:  Jean Yarbrough

Writer:  Edmond Kelso

Stars: Frankie Darro, Marcia Mae Jones, Jackie Moran, Keye Luke, Mantan Moreland, Frank Sully, Gale Storm, Barton Yarborough, Frank Faylen and Tristram Coffin 

Tagline: Hollywood’s young stars put a new kind of zig in the old kind of zag…in the freshest college story ever filmed…A riot!

The Plot…

Frankie (Darro) and Tad (Moran) are on the rowing team for Rawley University.  When the boys learn that top rowing recruit, Bob Terry has been drafted, they don’t have the heart to tell their girls who have planned a big welcoming party.  Then the boys meet Hercules ‘Herk’ Bevans (Sully).  Frankie and Tad decide to pass Herk off as Bob Terry.

Soon Herk is on the rowing team and trying to steal Frankie and Tad’s girls.  And what neither Frankie or Tad know is that Herk is a wanted criminal!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I wanted to see Let’s Go Collegiate because of Mantan Moreland.  Sadly, he’s given little to do.  But of course it’s Mantan, so he makes the most of it.

Let’s Go Collegiate is a low-budget feature that gives little thought to logic.  Frankie and Tad know the top rowing recruit has been drafted into the army, but no one else does?  Herk is brought on the team and entered into the college and there are no issues with proper identification?  Later in the film, a cop is knocked out so that Herk can row in a race.  The cop wakes up and isn’t upset since Herk’s team won.  These are just a few things that viewers have to “go with”.

If it wasn’t for Mantan, I’d have passed on this one.

Let’s Go Collegiate (1941) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Income Tax Sappy (1954)” starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Posted on by

Income Tax Sappy (1954)

Director:  Jules White

Writer: Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Vernon Dent and Benny Rubin.

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

Our boys fake some deductions on their taxes and get away with it.  Thinking this is an easy way to make money, they bill themselves as “tax experts” and begin cheating on other people’s taxes.  It makes them rich!  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Income Tax Sappy is notable for a couple of reasons:

1) It is one of two Stooges shorts in 1954 that features all new footage. Although it did recycle the gag where something in the soup fights with the person about to it it.

2) Shemp’s hair isn’t greasy and slicked back.  This is because Shemp had started dying his hair and the grease wouldn’t work well with the hair dye!

Income Tax Sappy (1954) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Hokus Pokus” (1949) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Posted on by

Hokus Pokus (1949)

Director:  Jules White

Writer: Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Vernon Dent, David Bond and Ned Glass.

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

Our guys have been taking care of Mary.  She lives upstairs and has been left unable to walk by an accident.  She’s waiting on an insurance settlement so she can leave the area since she’s scamming the insurance company and our boys.  While at work our guys get hooked up with a hypnotist named Svengarlic (His act will take your breath away!) who plans to use Larry, Moe and Shemp in a publicity.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The funniest scene is when Shemp gets physical with the insurance adjuster!

Hokus Pokus (1949) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Booty and the Beast” (1953) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Posted on by

Booty and the Beast (1953)

Director:  Jules White

Writer: Jack White,  Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Kenneth MacDonald, Heinie Conklin, Vernon Dent, Dudley Dickerson, Sam Lufkin, Blackie Whiteford and Curly Howard.

Tagline:  Bellows! Boffos! And Belly-Laffs!

The Plot…

Our guys are suckered in to helping a crook break into a house and steal money from a safe.  When the crook makes a getaway, our boys follow him on to a train.  They plan to get the money back.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The first half of this short is new with the second part on the train using footage from 1947’s Stooges short, Hold That Lion.  While the recycled footage isn’t great news, the fact that Curly’s cameo is in it is.

Booty and the Beast (1953) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Studio Stoops” (1950) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Posted on by

Studio Stoops (1950)

Director:  Edward Bernds

Writer:  Elwood Ullman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Kenneth MacDonald, Christine McIntyre and Vernon Dent

Tagline: None

The Plot…

Our guys are pest exterminators given a chance to create publicity for a new female star.  The boys come up with the idea to fake her kidnapping.  But when she is really held for ransom, it is up to Larry, Shemp and Moe to get her back.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I love this exchange between Larry and Moe.  Larry is about to leave the room and he wants Moe to lock the door behind him.

Larry: “Say, when I come back, I’ll give you the password.”

Moe: “Brilliant! What’ll it be?”

Larry whispers: “Open the door.”

Studio Stoops (1950) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Crime on Their Hands” (1948) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Posted on by

Crime on Their Hands (1948)

Director:  Edward Bernds

Writer:  Elwood Ullman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Kenneth MacDonald, Christine McIntyre, Heinie Conklin, Ray Corrigan, Cy Schindell and Blackie Whiteford

Tagline: The Stooges’ funniest monkey business!

The Plot…

Our guys are janitors at a newspaper.  They dream of being hotshot reporters.  When they get a tip the whereabouts of the stolen and priceless Punjab diamond, they decide to follow-up.  The lead takes them to a hotspot for tough-guy criminals and a pet gorilla.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Stooges trying to play it like they are tough guys is funny!

Any time you put a gorilla in a Stooges short, you have a winner.

When a woman says, “Any halfwit can see I’m telling the truth.”  Shemp responds, “Yeah, I can see you’re tellin’ the truth.”

Crime on Their Hands (1948) rates 4 of 5 stars.

RIP: Al Jaffee

Posted on by

Al Jaffee, the award-winning cartoonist best known for his work with MAD magazine died yesterday from organ failure.  He was 102.

Al Jaffee attended the High School of Music & Art in New York City.  There he met Will Elder, Harvey Kurtzman, John Severin, and Al Feldstein all of whom would go on to work for MAD magazine and become noted cartoonists.

Mr. Jaffee’s career began in 1942 when he began getting work from Joker Comics, Timely Comics, Atlas Comics and other publishers.  During World War II, Al Jaffee worked as an artist in the military.  After his service, Mr. Jaffee became editor for Timely Comics humor and teenage comics.  In 1957, Mr. Jaffee created the Tall Tales syndicated strip.  It ran for six years.

Al Jaffee’s art first appeared in MAD Magazine in 1955.  In 1964 Al Jaffee created MAD Magazine’s longest-running feature, the fold-in. Jaffee would create a full page illustration with text that when folded vertically in half would present a new illustration with text that served as a punchline to the original drawing.  The fold-in appeared in every issue of the magazine from 1964–2020 except for two.  One issue in 1977 lacked a fold-in although Mr. Jaffee provided a back cover illustration.  One issue in 1980 had a unique Jaffee presentation: the inside back cover and back cover illustrations when held up to a light source merged to create a third image.  Al Jaffee also created MAD’s popular and long-running series “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions.”

In 1971 and again in 1975, Mr. Jaffee won the National Cartoonists Society Special Features Award.
In 1973, Al Jaffee won the National Cartoonists Society Advertising and Illustration Award.
In 1979, Mr. Jaffee won the National Cartoonists Humor Comic Book Award.
In 2008, Jaffee was honored by the Reuben Awards as the Cartoonist of the Year.
In October 2011, Al Jaffee won the Comic Art Professional Society’s Sergio Award.
In July 2013, Mr. Jaffee was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame.
In April 2014, Al Jaffee was elected to the Society of Illustrators’ Hall of Fame.
On March 30, 2016, Mr. Jaffee was awarded the Guinness World Record for the longest career as a comic artist.
In June 2020, Al Jaffee announced his retirement. MAD Magazine published a tribute issue that same month.

Al Jaffee’s sense of humor and artistic talent translated into decades of smiles for countless children and adults.  What better legacy could one hope for?

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Al Jaffee’s family, friends and fans.

“Baby Sitters Jitters” (1951) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Posted on by

Baby Sitters Jitters (1951)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard

Tagline: Howl at the Stooges as Baby-Sitters!

The Plot…

When the Stooges get behind in their rent they agree to become babysitters.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Baby Sitters Jitters is one of the weakest of the Stooges outings.  It’s not terrible, just not one of their best.

Baby Sitters Jitters (1951) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“A Snitch in Time” (1950) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Posted on by

A Snitch in Time (1950)

Director:  Edward Bernds

Writer:  Elwood Ullman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Jean Willes, John Merton, Henry Kulky and Emil Sitka

Tagline: None

The Plot…

When wealthy Mr. Goodrich (Sitka) receives a note from a serial killer saying Goodrich will be his next victim, he hires our boys to guard him.  When our guys arrive they are greeted by Goodrich’s niece who says her uncle is missing.  Little do Larry, Moe and Shemp know, but the niece and her two accomplices are behind this!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Who Done It? is one of my favorite Shemp shorts.  It contains the mansion with hidden panels, a scary looking monster/creep and the hijinks that come when our boys are running for their lives from room to room.

Moe sprained his ankle crashing through a door and so in scenes where he’s limping, the limp is real!

Who Done It? (1949) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Who Done It?” (1949) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Posted on by

Who Done It? (1949)

Director:  Edward Bernds

Writer:  Edward Bernds

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Christine McIntyre and Emil Sitka

Tagline: None

The Plot…

When wealthy Mr. Goodrich (Sitka) receives a note from a serial killer saying Goodrich will be his next victim, he hires our boys to guard him.  When our guys arrive they are greeted by Goodrich’s niece who says her uncle is missing.  Little do Larry, Moe and Shemp know, but the niece and her two accomplices are behind this!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Who Done It? is one of my favorite Shemp shorts.  It contains the mansion with hidden panels, a scary looking monster/creep and the hijinks that come when our boys are running for their lives from room to room.

Moe sprained his ankle crashing through a door and so in scenes where he’s limping, the limp is real!

Who Done It? (1949) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Sock-a-Bye Baby” (1942) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Posted on by

Sock-a-Bye Baby (1942)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Clyde Bruckman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Vernon Dent, Bud Jamison and Dudley Dickerson

Tagline: None

The Plot…

A crying woman leaves a baby on the boys’ doorstep.  So our boys decide to raise the child.  Later Larry sees an article about a kidnapped infant.  When the woman returns with police to retrieve her baby, our guys mistakenly believe the cops think that they’re kidnappers.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The title, Sock-a-Bye Baby, was first used in a Popeye cartoon!

Pearl Harbor had recently been bombed by the Japanese when this short was made. Curly sings a tune where he says, “What am I sayin’? Poo on the Japanese.”

Sock-a-Bye Baby (1942) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Three Missing Links” (1938) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Posted on by

Three Missing Links (1938)

Director:  Jules White

Writer:  Searle Kramer

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Ray Corrigan and Dudley Dickerson

Tagline: None

The Plot…

The boys are janitors at a movie studio when they are discovered!  Curly is perfect to star in the studio’s next feature.  He’ll play the missing link.  Larry and Moe will get parts.  They head to a jungle for location filming.  There they have run-ins with a cannibal/medicine man who sells “love candy”, a lion and a gorilla.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Three Missing Links (1938) is the first Stooges short to be directed by Jules White.  White would go on to produce and/or direct over 130 of the Stooges 190 shorts.

It’s a funny twist that Curly eats the “love candy” and becomes enamored with the gorilla to the point that the gorilla is frightened and runs away.

Three Missing Links (1938) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“No Census, No Feeling” (1940) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Posted on by

No Census, No Feeling (1940)

Director:  Del Lord

Writer:  Harry Edwards, Elwood Ullman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Bruce Bennett, Symona Boniface, Vernon Dent and Frank Mills

Tagline: Those madcap merchants of mirth score a laugh touchdown!

The Plot…

While on the run from the cops, our guys hide in a building hiring census takers.  Soon the boys have jobs. They end up at a rich woman’s mansion and create havoc.  Then they get the bright idea that a stadium full of fans would provide plenty of “customers”.  But when Larry, Curly and Moe are mistaken for professional football players, all bets are off.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

An extended scene where Curly adds alum to the punch and all guests (our guys included) try to talk through puckered lips is hilarious.

Moe asks one man, “Are you happy or married.”  Nyuk-Nyuk-Nyuk.

No Census, No Feeling (1940) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Tassels in the Air” (1938) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Posted on by

Tassels in the Air (1938)

Director:  Charley Chase

Writer:  Al Giebler, Elwood Ullman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Symona Boniface, Vernon Dent and Bud Jamison

Tagline:  They’re Nuthouse Painters!

The Plot…

When Moe is mistaken for the famous painter, Omay, the boys are hired to paint and redecorate a rich woman’s mansion.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The gag that “Curly goes crazy” whenever he sees/smells something is used again in Tassels in the Air.  This time whenever Curly sees tassels, he goes loco until he’s tickled under the chin.  This gimmick was used in three previous Stooges shorts (in Punch Drunks, Horses’ Collars and Grips, Grunts and Groans).

The director, Charley Chase directed and acted in hundreds of shorts and features. In one scene Vernon Dent appears dressed like Oliver Hardy.  Some wonder if this was Chase’s influence as a nod to the comedy great.

Tassels in the Air (1938) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Pop Goes the Easel” (1935) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

Posted on by

Pop Goes the Easel (1935)

Director:  Del Lord

Writer:  Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard and Phyllis Crane

Tagline:  Help! Help! They’re loose again!

The Plot…

The boys on the run from the law, take refuge in an art studio.  There they take on multiple disguises in an effort to not get caught.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Pop Goes the Easel features several Stooges’ firsts:

  • It is the first Stooges’ short directed by Del Lord who would go on to helm more than three dozen.
  • It features the first eye poke
  • It has the first multiple face slap
  • It ends with a big clay fight, which would morph into pie fights in future shorts

There’s a quick scene of two little girls playing hopscotch as the boys run by.  The girls were the daughters of Moe and Larry.

Pop Goes the Easel (1935) rates 4 of 5 stars.