“Husbands Beware” (1956) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Husbands Beware (1956)

Director: Jules White

Writer: Felix Adler, Clyde Bruckman

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

Tagline: Wildest and wackiest battle of the sexes yet!

The Plot…

After Larry and Moe marry Shemp’s sisters, they learn what a terrible mistake they’ve made.  Then Shemp learns that if he marries before the day ends, he’ll inheirit a fortune!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

If the second half of Husbands Beware sounds familiar, it should.  The entire second half except for a few seconds at the end is lifted from the Stooges’ 1947 short, Brideless Groom.

This was the first Stooges’ short released after the death of Shemp.

Husbands Beware (1956) rates 3 of 5 stars.

RIP: The Iron Sheik

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Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, better known as The Iron Sheik, died today at the age of 81.

Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri was born in Damghan, Iran.  He was a talented amateur wrestler and represented Iran on the Greco-Roman wrestling team in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.  Following the Olympics, Mr. Vaziri moved to the United States.  In 1971, he was the gold medalist in the Amateur Athletic Union Greco-Roman wrestling championships.  He then served as an assistant wrestling coach for the 1972 US Olympic team.

Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri began his wrestling career in 1972.  Capitalizing on his heritage, Mr. Vaziri shaved his head, grew a thick mustache and wore wrestling boots with toes that curved up.  He wrestled under the names The Great Hossein Arab and “Hussein Arab” before taking on the moniker of The Iron Sheik.  His character, ability in the ring and to work an audience made him a headliner.  Over the course of his career The Iron Sheik wrestled for all of the major wrestling organizations winning multiple championships in each.  The Iron Sheik was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to The Iron Sheik’s family, friends and fans.

“Confidential Informant” starring Dominic Purcell, Mel Gibson, Nick Stahl & Kate Bosworth – The Trailer is Here!

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Here’s the trailer for Confidential Informant starring Dominic Purcell, Mel Gibson, Nick Stahl and Kate Bosworth.  I’d give it a shot.

This gritty crime thriller starring Mel Gibson tells the tale of two narcotics agents hunting for a cop killer during a crack epidemic. Hoping for leads, Moran (Dominic Purcell, “Prison Break”) and Thorton (Nick Stahl, Sin City) pay off a junkie informant. To provide for his wife (Kate Bosworth, Superman Returns) and son, Moran involves the stool pigeon in a deadly scheme. This causes the partners to come under the scrutiny of a suspicious internal affairs agent, leading to an explosive finale…

RELEASE DATE: June 27th, 2023

CAST: Dominic Purcell, Mel Gibson, Nick Stahl

“Sympathy for the Devil” starring Nicholas Cage & Joel Kinnaman – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Sympathy for the Devil looks pretty good.  Deal me in.

In Theaters and On Demand July 28

Starring Nicolas Cage, Joel Kinnaman
Directed by Yuval Adler
Written by Luke Paradise

After being forced to drive a mysterious passenger (Nicolas Cage) at gunpoint, a man (Joel Kinnaman) finds himself in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse where it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems.

“Hot Ice” (1955) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Hot Ice (1955)

Director: Jules White

Writer: Elwood Ullman, Jack White

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Kenneth MacDonald, Christine McIntyre, Ray Corrigan and Blackie Whiteford.

Tagline:  All tangled up with a girl-crook and a lady-gorilla

The Plot…

After barely graduating from a detective school, Larry, Shemp and Moe apply for jobs at Scotland Yard. They’re hired as janitors. While cleaning the grounds they get a lead on the stolen and priceless Punjab diamond. Our boys 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)…

Hot Ice (1955) is a mash-up of two Stooges’ 1948 shorts, Crime on Their Hands and The Hot Scots.  It makes use of footage from both.  Director Jules White loved recycling old Stooges’ shorts and inserting a few new scenes to create “new” stories.  Despite the fact that Hot Ice used a lot of footage from two shorts directed by Edward Bernds, only Jules White was created as the director.  C’mon, man!

Hot Ice (1955) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Blunder Boys” (1955) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Blunder Boys (1955)

Director: Jules White

Writer: Felix Adler

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Benny Rubin, Kenneth MacDonald, Emil Sitka, Frank Sully and Al Thompson.

Tagline:  Turkish Night In A Ladies’ Bath!

The Plot…

After a stint in the army the boys decide to become detectives.  They graduate with the lowest honors and are assigned to capture a slippery criminal known as The Eel.  What could go wrong?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Sadly, Blunder Boys was the last Stooges’ short to feature new footage of Shemp.  He died of a heart attack within three weeks of its release.

Blunder Boys was a take-off of the popular Dragnet television series.

In one scene Larry holds up his middle finger when making a point.

Blunder Boys (1955) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“The Outlaws” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Meet the Parents with a criminal twist.  Deal me in.

Owen Browning (Adam Devine) is a straight-laced bank manager about to marry the love of his life, Parker (Nina Dobrev). When his bank is held up by the infamous Ghost Bandits during his wedding week, he believes his future in-laws (Pierce Brosnan and Ellen Barkin) who just arrived in town, are the infamous Out-Laws. The Out-Laws on Netflix, July 7.

BRONZE STAR by Mike Baron & Pat Broderick

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BRONZE STAR by Mike Baron & Pat Broderick is live on Kickstarter now.  Here’s the lowdown…

Bronze Star is a suspenseful, weird western tale that explores redemption and revenge, offering a fresh take on the werewolf mythos while delivering heart-pounding scares, glorious artwork, and unexpected twists that will grab readers by the throat and not let go until the final page.

Created by Eisner winning writer Mike Baron (Nexus, Punisher, Star Wars), and beautifully illustrated by Pat Broderick (Micronauts, Alpha Flight, Legion of Super-Heroes), Bronze Star tells a frightening tale of a civil war vet who kills a powerful landowner’s spoiled son after catching him cheating in a poker game. An angry posse soon forces him to flee to a remote mining town where he discovers the town’s sheriff is afflicted with lycanthropy, but this sheriff isn’t the only supernatural danger lurking in this silver mining town…

Click over for more details.  Western horror by Baron and Broderick?  Deal me in!

RIP: Barry Newman

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It was announced that Barry Newman died on May 11, 2023.  He was 93.

Barry Newman didn’t discover his love of acting until after he had served in the Army and earned a degree in anthropology from Brandeis University.  Mr. Newman was working on a Masters Degree when he sat in on an acting class with a friend.  He soon left college to pursue a career as an actor.  After getting parts in off-Broadway and Broadway productions, Mr. Newman decided to try for roles in television and movies.  Barry Newman is probably best known for his starring roles in the feature film Vanishing Point and the television series  Petrocelli.  

Some of Barry Newman’s television appearances include: The Defenders; Naked City; The Edge of Night (3 episodes); Get Smart; The Lawyer; Night Games; Petrocelli (44 episodes); Quincy; The Fall Guy; Fatal Vision (2 episodes); Nightingales (13 episodes); LA Law (3 episodes); Murder She Wrote (3 episodes); JAG, NYPD Blue (2 episodes) and The OC (3 episodes)

Some of Barry Newman’s feature films include: Pretty Boy Floyd; Vanishing Point; City on Fire; Daylight; The Limey; Bowfinger and 40 Days and 40 Nights.

My favorite Barry Newman role was as the defense lawyer Anthony Petrocelli in the television series Petrocelli.  I also enjoyed seeing him in Daylight with Sly Stallone.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Barry Newman’s family, friends and fans.

“Wham-Bam-Slam!” (1955) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Wham-Bam-Slam! (1955)

Director: Jules White

Writer: Felix Adler, Clyde Bruckman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Matt McHugh.

Tagline:  SCORES A GRAND SLAM IN HILARITY!

The Plot…

After Larry and Moe have a series of mishaps trying to remove Shemp’s aching tooth, they decide a camping trip is just the thing they all need.  The only problem is they don’t own a car.  Our guys end up buying a jalopy that needs work.  Let the hijinks begin.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Wham-Bam-Slam! is a reworking of the Stooges’ 1948 short, Pardon My Clutch. It makes use of quite a bit of footage from the original. The funny thing is Pardon My Clutch borrowed from the Laurel & Hardy shorts Perfect Day (1929) and Them Thar Hills (1934).  So Wham-Bam-Slam! is a reworking of a reworked short!

One of my favorite Larry and Moe exchanges occurs in Wham-Bam-Slam!
Moe, “Only fools are positive.”
Larry, “Are you sure?”
Moe, “I’m positive!”

Wham-Bam-Slam! (1955) rates 4 of 5 stars.

RIP: Joe Gayton

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It has been announced that Joe Gayton, the writer, director and producer, died on May 14, 2023, from prostrate cancer.  Mr. Gayton was 66.

Joe Gayton’s first screenwriting credit was on Uncommon Valor starring Gene Hackman and Patrick Swayze. Mr. Gayton co-wrote the feature with Wings Hauser.  Joe Gayton is probably best known for Hell on Wheels the AMC series he created with his brother, Tony Gayton.

I am a huge fan of the under-rated film, Faster, written by Joe and Tony Gayton.  Faster starred Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thorton, Maggie Grace, Tom Berenger and Michael Epps.  Hell on Wheels is a series that is on my to-be-watched list.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Joe Gayton’s family, friends and fans.

“Bedlam in Paradise” (1955) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Bedlam in Paradise (1955)

Director: Jules White

Writer: Felix Adler, Zion Myers

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Vernon Dent, Phillip Van Zandt, Sylvia Lewis and Symona Boniface.

Tagline:  BLUE SKY BUFFOONERY ALL THE WAY!!!

The Plot…

Shemp has died and is at the pearly gates waiting to get into heaven. Shemp has come up short and will be taking the down elevator, when he is given one chance at heaven. Shemp must return to earth, invisible to all, and reform Moe and Larry. It won’t be easy, because Larry and Moe are about to scam some rich business prospects. Can Shemp save his and the other two Stooges’ souls?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Bedlam in Paradise is a remake of the Stooges’ 1948 short, Heavenly Daze.  They added a subplot with the Devil that works.  There’s an extended scene with the Devil tempting Shemp with a sexy dancer before he returns to Earth.  There’s also a payoff at the end where the Devil gets a “pie” to the face.  Despite these additions, Bedlam in Paradise makes much use of footage from Heavenly Daze.

Bedlam in Paradise (1955) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Of Cash and Hash” (1955) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Of Cash and Hash (1955)

Director: Jules White

Writer: Jack White

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Christine McIntyre, Vernon Dent, Kenneth MacDonald, Stanley Blystone, Blackie Whiteford and Duke York.

Tagline:  It takes the cake for laughs!

The Plot…

Our boys wander into the middle of a gunfight between cops and armored car robbers.  Both our guys and the thieves run off with the coppers in hot pursuit.  Of course Larry, Shemp and Moe are identified as the crooks.  They realize that unless they can find the real bad guys, their in big trouble. Let the hijinks begin.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Of Cash and Hash is a reworking of the Stooges’ Shivering Sherlocks from 1948.  New footage was created changing the reason for the boys ending up in a creepy, old house where the crooks are hiding.  The rest is done using footage from the original.

There’s a funny gag involving the cops, our guys and a lie detector.

Duke York plays Angel a big, dumb, scary-looking thug.  Love the look of this character.  And any time a monster is after our guys, it is the best.

Of Cash and Hash (1955) rates 4 of 5 stars.