Description

"A must for all B-movie fanatics" (Video Movie Guide) Male astronauts crash-land on an all-female planet Venus. Zsa Zsa Gabor's most famous movie role. Year: 1958 Director: Edward Bernds Starring:Zsa Zsa Gabor, Eric Fleming, Dave Willock ... Read more

Reviews (10)

fantastic cult classic
QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE is a schlocky piece of hokum that's so bad, it's good!

A group of astronaughts led by Eric Fleming (from "Rawhide") crash-land on the planet Venus, which is entirely ruled by women! Venus is governed by a masked Queen (Laurie Mitchell), who rules with an iron fist.

When poor Eric is called on to seduce the Queen, he unmasks her to find a pock-faced old bat, who despises men. The sexy scientist (Zsa Zsa Gabor) and her two comrades decide to revolt and stop the Queen from her diabolical plan to destroy the Earth with her Beta Disintegrator.

With Lisa Davis, QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE was so poorly made that they had to borrow sets and costumes from other B-movies like FLIGHT TO MARS, FORBIDDEN PLANET and WORLD WITHOUT END.

A must-have for all cult and B-movie lovers!

From Hungarian Beauty Queen to Outer Space Queen
I consider this movie one of the best "camp classics" out there, starring, Zsa Zsa Gabor. If you really love this Beverly Hills, cop slapper, and ex convict, she puts in, one of her best 'bad ' performances ever. The whole premise of the movie is that a space crew from the U.S.A goes on a space mission, and somehow crash lands on the planet Venus. They all realize that they are ok and can even breathe the air on this planet without space suits. They are taken as prisoners by the amazon women guards. (no affiliation with this company) They are then taken to the Queen of the planet and then realize that they are the only men on the whole planet ! OH MY ! (get it, planet Venus, all women ) Seems that they had trouble before when the planet was inhabited by men, so the queen got rid of them, or as Zsa Zsa says ......." all man were sent to the prison colony planet" You just gotta love her way with the English language. Of course there is the mysterious Queen, you see, she wears a mask, and actually as the movie progresses the masks get even more elaborate, to match her outfits! The reason being that, she is so absolutely beautiful that she has to cover her beauty so as not to intimidate the other women ............(Yeah right) Well the queen starts to fall in love with the commander, and she is willing to spare his life, if he rules the planet with her, but not the lives of his crew, well, he will have none of that! Of course he is curious about her beauty , and gets a bit nosey, so she gets upset, and decides to kill them all, but not before she destroys the planet Earth with her deadly ray gun beam that they have built. It actually looks like a big refrigerator box with colored xmas lites, like the kind of creations you made when you were a little kid. Well Zsa Zsa finds out, and since she has moves on the commander too, She really doesn't like the queen herself, as she says in the best line in the movie " I hieght that Kuuuuuveeeeeen ! " She plans on overthrowing the queen and saving the whole crew. She gets her girls together, and ties up the queen and takes her mask, and makes everyone think she is the queen herself ......(all these queens! ) but Zsa Zsa gets found out and they all have to escape. The chase scene is the best! While sneaking through the jungle, which is just house plants painted in neon colors, you notice after a while that it's just the same wall of plants over and over again, they're not going anywhere except from one end of the sound stage to the next. I won't say how the movie ends, but there is a power struggle within the ranks. What I didn't get was, how come all the women had on chiffon miniskirt outfits, and Zsa Zsa had floor length creations with slits on the sides? She still was very gorgeous at this time, but she was rather, how would you say ? Voluptous Zaftig, Porcine ? Dahlings, rush to buy this movie, put on your best chiffon, couture outfit, diamonds, fur and a big bowl of greasy buttery popcorn, and you to, can be Zsa Zsa, or "The Queen of Outer Space"

Campy, but very sexy
Yeah, it's campy, but I loved it! As a child of the fifties, I find the women in this movie very hot. Of course, there was no sex in this film, but the kissing scenes were outstanding. I wish I could have been in the shoes of the Lieutenant, or the commander, who gets but one kiss with Zsa Zsa.

They don't make them like that any more, but I wish they did.

Harmless fun. Probably shot on a dime, too.

Queen if Outer Space
This video was bought by me for my Eric Fleming collection. He was Mr. Favor on RAWHIDE in case no one recognizes him as Zza Zza's leading man. In other words, I never would have bought it except for Eric.

I LOVE zat queen!
Watching "Queen of Outer Space" is akin to watching a 1957 Miss World contest while on hallucinogens. Plot summary: Earthmen's rocket is knocked off course by a mysterious "death beam", where it lands on Venus, which is populated solely by women. The women wear mini-skirted tunics, with the exception of "Queen Iliana", who dresses like an evil, masked Auntie Mame, and "Tolleia", beautiful scientist and rebel leader, played by gorgeous Hungarian Zsa Zsa Gabor, in a series of glamorous gowns. Zsa Zsa is carefully "posed" in every shot, particularly her long-shots, where her leg is "artfully" protruding from the thigh-length slits in her gowns. Tolleia and many other man-hungry females secretly oppose the man-hating, pizza-faced queen (MEN were responsible for her radiation-burned face beneath her mask). Tolleia utters the famous line, "I hate her--I HATE zat queen!" The Earthmen, together with Tolleia and her followers, tamper with Queen Iliana's "Beta Disintegrator", with which she plans to destroy Earth. It blows up, reducing her to a charred mannequin, and Tolleia is proclaimed the new queen. This film is irresistibly enjoyable, from its kitschy sets (The queen's palace looks like a cross between a burlesque theater and a leftover set from "What's My Line?"), to the hubba-hubba women's costumes, to the men's costumes, evidently leftovers from "Forbidden Planet". Evidently, someone at Allied Artists had access to MGM's wardrobe department! Some of Anne Francis' "Forbidden Planet" costumes are worn by Lisa Davis, who plays one of Zsa Zsa's compatriots. The silly dialogue, ridiculous sound effects, and a paper-mache giant beetle add to the general hilarity of this comic-book version of the battle of the sexes. Needless to say, this film has an enormous gay following. How could it not? Zsa Zsa writes in her book, "One Lifetime is Not Enough", that her line, "I hate zat queen", gets big laughs from her many gay friends. The lady is extremely entertaining. I may also add to the unitiated that Zsa Zsa was at the peak of her beauty in this film. It's no wonder she had all the men in a spin. You can't accuse her of not having a sense of humor, and she's certainly NEVER dull! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Im in love with a bad girl after seeing this movie
I think im in love with a bad girl name dollie. She is so sexy and pretty, i hope she does more movies than this one. The acting is not natural which consumes the majority of old classics. You would never ever see modern movies where actor's are just playing the part and realism is not there. You know what, for a classic movie, this one is awesome. I can't get enough of watching this show as i have seen it over and over again. sexploitation movies at its BEST! You have romance, murder, and suspense roll up into one package and it spells MUST SEE.

Great 50s B Movie
one of the best J.D. movies of the 50s with some pretty decent performances by the cast. Yvonne Lime is perfectly cast as the good girl trying to go bad. great film just to watch the girls' styles which so many contemporary rockabilly girls try to emulate. The transfer onto tape is super clear and for the money is one of the best films of this genre you can buy.

One of the best AIP teen films from the 50s!
Good girl Yvonne Lime gets involved with bad girl Jana Lund and her gang of Hell-cats, a sorority of not so nice gals who rule the halls of a typical 1950s high school. I am so glad this movie is finally being released on video! It is a really fun film, probably one of the best juvenile delinquint movies of the 50s. Lime is finally given a chance to show her talent (she was wasted in films like I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF) and Lund proves quite capable as a bad girl. But the best role really goes to Susanne Sydney as Jana's jealous co-hort in the Hellcats club. Also in the cast is B-film regular Brett Halsey as Lime's love interest and Rhoda Williams as the kids' understanding teacher. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

The years don¿t erase the magic
WWE has been one of my favorites since I first saw it at the age of 12. When I saw it for the first time in a movie theater in 1956, it seemed awesome. Time has reduced this time-travel sci-fi movie to something a little less than awesome, but it's still a wonderful flick. Granted, the special effects and makeup are only average or somewhat less so and the acting sometimes falls short of credibility (as, for example, in the scene where Morees strikes Timic's daughter). But the magic is in the music. Somehow, the score, which ranges from the deeply eerie to heights of almost cosmic beauty, conveys a mood throughout that's a mixture of overwhelming tragedy and soaring hope--the very elements that make up this story about the fate of a nuked humanity. If you're a sci-fan, you owe it to yourself to buy this one. The cold war may be over, but the threat of nuclear holocaust is still very real.

Good Story Trumps Special Effects
Unquestionably this is one of the most memorable films I have ever seen. I first saw it on Million Dollar Movie in New York City during the early 1960s and saw it many times during that period. It was probably one of the first science fiction films I ever saw. What I remember most was the mood, the sense of wonder, fear, and hopefullness that imbued the film. It placed human beings firmly in the center of their world, able to deal with whatever hardships history dealt them. The special effects were so few they might as well have been nonexistent. Even today when I see it I still get chills during the final scenes, especially the one showing the children of the advanced humans (once sickly and dying but now healthy) playing with the children of the mutant humans. The video could use a re-release in wide screen since there are obviously scenes when characters are speaking out of sight. I recommend this movie highly to one and all.

Dork Trek
A group of dorky-macho scientists winds up 500 years or so in the future, where it encounters all kinds of "Star Trek"-style nonsense. I refer to: skinny, carefully-spoken, pacifist leaders in goofy, uni-sex suits. Voluptuous women in cocktail outfits. D.W.-Griffith-style cavemen with twenty-word vocabularies (verbs and nouns only). Arty but cut-price sets. Multiple grave dangers that yield to redundant dialogue exchanges (followed by short bursts of contrived action). The world needs to be saved, and these intrepid nerds have an extra 15 minutes or so in which to accomplish same, so... why not? After all, they're hundreds of years away from home. They've got nothing else to do, besides future-girl-watch.

Luckily, the film is saved from total lame hilarity by competent, fast-paced direction (Ed Bernds, who also gave us "Return of the Fly" and "Queen of Outer Space"), unusually good acting for something like this, and neat special effects--especially the rocket, as it blasts through space, wriggles about in a time-whatever (a warp? Can't remember), and then crashes into the snowy surface of the future-Earth. No more sexist, macho, or Eisenhower-era-esque than the average "Star Trek" episode (was this one of Gene Roddenberry's favorite films?), "World Without End" is an entertaining time-travel capsule of its day. The fun outweighs the inanity, so I give it two and a half stars. (Three, by default.)

Fairly good production values can't hide a trite story
WWE has several things going for it -
(1) It's in color
(2) The actors are a notch above the usual refugees from Central Casting
(3) The model effects and general production values are good.

HOWEVER,...
The story of a spaceship hurled 500 years into the future to land on a bombed-out Earth was old-hat when the movie was made almost 50 years ago. Why the normal humans in the underground city dress in outfits straight out of the Middle Ages while their environment is all straight-line futurism is beyond me. And however decrepit the men from the future are, whatever made them that way apparently didn't affect the women who all seem to be runners-up in the "Miss I-Survived-The-Apocalypse" beauty contest. Add to that a hefty dose of 1950's male superiority and a lot of old feathers about atomic mutation and this movie stinks faster than a Mob snitch in the East River.
For crying old loud people, the leader of the mutants is a one-eyed cretin who has all of the agility of a dancing bear. SNEAK UP BEHIND HIM!

WWE: The Magic of SF Still Works
I had not seen WWE for more than 25 years. I remember it as a SF movie that shook me to my core. Even then, most movies did not begin with a framing sequence, but this one had the audacity to place the upcoming action in centuries-jumping sequence that quickly and convincingly landed the actors in the far future of an earth ruined by atomic war. As a child, I had just read, Wells' 'The Time Machine' and I connected the similarities: the handsome travelers (one of whom,by the way, was Rod Taylor, star of the 1960 'The Time Machine);the division of humanity into the intelligent but weak humans who are threatened by the savage Morlocks; the abundance of tall, sexy women who could appreciate Rod Taylor's beefcake (Yvette Mimeux in 'The Time Machine' and Nancy Gates in 'WWE'; and the struggle between the two races of a divided humanity. Still, WWE was more than just 'The Time Machine' reborn. Despite the hokey special effects, it became clear that WWE was not a movie of special effects. The focus was on people adjusting to a colossal change in their lives. The time travelers had to learn to adjust to the loss of their known civilization. The weakened humans had to learn to adjust to a savage reminder of their past in the pistol packing personas of the time travelers. And even the mutated beasts had to learn that with the death of their fearsome leader Naga, a new dawn of human reconciliation had begun. The closing scenes of the unity of pre-war man, post-war man, and mutated man still resonate with me. I could sense that humanity might yet survive the horror of atomic war. WWE was one of the first intelligent post-apocalyptic films to suggest that our civilization need not take the detour that the Mad Max films would later travel. ... Read more

Description

After their success on Broadway, the 'Dead End Kids' were recruited by Hollywood. Eventually these young kids from the streets of New York became bonified celebrities, known as the 'Bowery Boys' and starred in over 50 films and serials. In this film the boys are accompanied by the comedy duo of Leo Gorcye and Huntz Hall. The combination of gangster melodrama and slapstick scenarios makes this Bowery Boys series a favorite for young and old alike. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Leo and Huntz end up in the Air Force by mistake.
This is the 31 rst film in the Bowery Boys film series. For this review, I will list the approx. age of the Bowery Boys. Leo Gorcey 38, Huntz hall 33, David Gorcey 32 Bennie Bartlett 33. Bernard Gorcey's (Leo and david's father) plays "Louie". The gang believes their friend Dave (Todd Karns) who is in the U.S. Air Force and came to down to visit, may be in some trouble he can not get out of. So Leo and Huntz go to the Allen Air Force Base to visit Dave. When they get there, Leo wants to go where he thinks its the right location to see Dave, but they end up in the recruiting station. A beatiful lady sargeant asks them to fill out the forms. Then they under go tests. They think its odd to be going through all this just to visit Dave. The lady Sargeant tells them this is just a routine examination to be a "rookie". Boy, they know the word "rookie". They know their goose is cooked. Some how Hunzt ends up in the ladies barracks. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Three Stooges in Orbit has the team playing not only themselves but themselves trying to make it big on a television show. Since they keep breaking leases by cooking in their apartments, they rent a room in a spooky castle that houses not only a wacky professor (played by "the fourth Stooge," Emil Sitka, veteran of many a Stooge short) and his pretty daughter, but a pair of Martians who are waiting for him to perfect his latest invention and use it to conquer the Earth. After an old situation-device in which the craft is too large to leave the workroom, the Stooges make a trip into space that adds nothing to the plot, and finally defeat the invaders by hoisting them on their own petard. The usual chase routine is replaced here by a fairly well done sequence in which the team is outside the craft trying to thwart the two Martians locked inside the craft, while a death ray is wiping out most of California. (The use of stock footage from other monster-invasion films is unintentionally hilarious.)

The love interest, deemed so necessary in films aimed at young audiences, is brief and tinged with mild comedy. The Martian make-up is obviously based on the original Frankenstein head shape, and it is a relief to hear them speak in some babble other than English as subtitles "translate" for us. In fact, the cleverest bit in this film is Moe's reading a subtitle to learn of the proposed destruction of this planet--a gag worthy of Mel Brooks. The film reveals its age when the chief Martian bangs his boot on the table in the manner of Khrushchev and his shoe at the United Nations. But the only real weaknesses are Curly Joe's fright reactions, so much funnier when done by Curly or Shemp in the past. --Frank Behrens ... Read more

Reviews (12)

For the very young, I guess....
I saw this on TV when I was about five or six, and really enjoyed it. I was especially impressed by the submarine/tank/helicopter. Years later there were a special showing at the theater, so I took a young boy. Unfortunately, I wasn't impressed this time--and neither was he. He was apparently too old. Although this movie stars Moe and Larry, it doesn't have Shemp or Curly--it has Joe de Rita, one of the later Curly clones. On the second viewing the only time I really enjoyed it was at the end, when the Martians (who were vaguely Frankenstein-looking) started doing the Twist. Hey, it was shot in the early '60's, remember? So I guess I could recommend this film for the very young. Beyond that, even if you are a Stooges' fan, I think you'll be disappointed.

One of the 4 Best Three Stooges Features
After the huge success of "The Three Stooges Meet Hercules"(1961), Columbia Pictures didn't waste time in signing Normandy Productions(Moe's son-in-law's film studio)to produce another stooge picture. Titled "The Three Stooges In Orbit"(1962), it is one of the team's funniest films and is almost on a par with their best feature "The Outlaws Is Coming."

The plot: After being thrown out of every apartment and hotel in Los Angeles, the Stooges take shelter in Professor Danforth's(Emil Sitka) spooky mansion. The boys are TV stars and they need a place to rehearse their lines for their television show, The 3 Stooges Scrapbook. Soon after their arrival, Danforth starts talking about Martians trying to steal his secret war machine. The trio thinks he's off his rocker, but it doesn't take long for them to learn the truth and the mayhem begins.

The Three Stooges Scrapbook was an actual unsold pilot for an unsold TV series in 1960. The footage of the haunted mansion and the Stooges on their TV show was derived from this show. "The Three Stooges In Orbit"(1962) was Moe, Larry, and Joe's last shining moment at the box-office. Soon their popularity would begin to slip. They had reached their peak in this terrific film. It was directed by Edward Bernds, the talented man who directed Shemp's first short, "Fright Night"(1947) and the classic "Brideless Groom"(1947) among many others. If you liked "Have Rocket, Will Travel"(1959) check out "The Three Stooges In Orbit"(1962).

The question remains of Ogg and Zogg
Gather 'round my friends. That's it make room for everyone. C'mon now kids up in front...everyone comfortable? Can you hear me in the back? Clem, how's your ma doing? Good good. Well folks I've gathered you all here tonight to tell you a tale of intrigue, hope, lost love, sentimental childhood, and the Cold War... That's right Gus, you hit the nail right on the head, The Three Stooges in Orbit.

First off there's the music, that sweet single violin playing those sad notes in a scale of D minor. It always reminded me of the girl I spent one magical summer with on the beach, I'll never forget her.

The plot is rich and has many side stories that the cretons of today's 20 minute SitCom and microwave burritos would fail to appreciate. That being said, let's look at the story and break it down as best we can.....

The Stooges are trying to break into TV amid various problems, sponsor buffoons ("Aw said aw want a whole new type of a cartoon show"), meddling executives ("They'll never make it J.B. They'll never make it") Obviously the Stooges are attacking Columbia Pictures. The Three Stooges are an American icon who's talant was wasted and taken for granted, while the second rate Abbot and Costello team made millions. I salute thee Mr. Howard, not only for your skill of acting the tragic Greek classics, but also for the violence of Shakespeare.

The Cold War was in full swing by 1962. (This was also the year that Marilyn Monroe died, so like all artists with sentimental hearts, the Stooges had to pay tribute to the fallen goddess.) Notice the general in this movie, see how fat he is, the overflowing girth of a belly. He represented all the fat profiteers who keep the war rumors blowing. The weapon contracts, the spy equipment, the NASA program (who would fake a moon landing just 7 years later using the same special effects from this movie!)The Stooges were pacifists who used this film as a cry out to the world to end it's jealous and violent way. After all, it was Shemp who pinted out in 1953 that 'The War to end all Wars' ended 35 years ago.

Now Ogg and Zogg are interesting characters and there is some argument over their meaning. Some took them as a religious symbol. Moe was Jewish as were his two brothers Shemp and Curly. Were Ogg and Zogg a tribute not only to his late brothers, but a warning that could have been influenced by the Torah? Ignore the subtitles and listen to the actual words of Ogg and Zogg. They are speaking an ancient Arabic tongue and are quoting Dead Sea Scrolls. The guy standing in line behind me at the Salvation Army soup kitchen told me this. He was there when the movie was made, he worked as a grip. He said Ogg and Zogg WERE NOT costumes. He claims to have had relations with the woman who has in the shower scene being frightened by the 'aerosubmatank'. Her real name was Shelly and she died shortly after her second Hollywood appearance as a dancing extra in 'Martian Beach Party'. Apparantly she went into a coma after sampling a super diet version of Dr. Pepper that was never put out on the market.

The Stooges were obviously more than the funniest comedy team that ever existed, they were prophets, scholars and finally martyrs. Ya'll come back soon and I'll tell you of the REAL story behind 'The Three Stooges meet Hercules'.

Probably the best of the Three Stooges feature films
By the end of the 1950s Harry Cohn the head of Columbia had died and the shorts department had been shut down, which meant after almost 200 two-reelers the Three Stooges were out of work. Although there would be a big Three Stooges revival on television in the next decade, the boys (Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe DeRita) decided to make feature films. The first was "Have Rocket Will Travel," and "The Three Stooges in Orbit" was their fourth effort.

This 1962 film begins with Moe, Larry and Curly Joe being kicked out of their boarding house because they keep cooking in their room and ending up in the mansion of Professor Danforth (Emil Sitka from the Stooge's stock company of players). The professor has created a new vehicle for the military that is a tank, submarine and helicopter roled into one. However, the brilliant scientist is apparently also a loon, because he insists that Martians want to steal his invention and then take over the world. The Stooges decide the professor is crazy and in fact Danforth is wrong. The Martians, Ogg and Zogg, just want to destroy the Earth, not take it over. For that matter the title of this film is wrong too, because the Stooges ending up in orbit is one of the shorter gags in the film. There is also an uninspiring romantic sub-plot between the professor's daughter, Carol (Carol Christensen) and Captain Tom Andrews (Edson Stroll) that makes the dancing Martians look good.

Still, "The Three Stooges in Orbit" is one of the better Three Stooges film, and the credit goes to writer Elwood Ullman who provides not only a coherent plot (a rarity when it comes to the Stooges) but a lot of pretty good one-liners. Keep in mind that the Stooges were in their Sixties at this point, so the slapping and eye-poking does not work as well when the actors are grandparents. The end result is not classic Three Stooges comedy, but a decent enough effort from the boys at the tail end of their long careers. Still, it is hard not to wonder what this film would have been liked if it had been made 20 years earlier when Curly was in his prime.

Moe, Larry & Curly Joe in Orbit
The Three Stooges play themselves as TV stars. After getting kick out of their apartment and a long day of looking for a place to live, the boys meet up with Professor Danfort (Emil Sitka, a regular after the Curly days). The professor has invented a tank/helicopter/submarine vehicle for the military. The Army doesn't want it since it flies, the Air force doesn't want it since it goes under water, etc. The professor has suspected that the Martins want his device for their world and to destroy the earth. Moe, Larry and Curly Joe wind up baby-sitting the contraption, giving it nuclear capability and almost help the Martins in their quest.

If you like the Three Stooges you will enjoy this movie.

The DVD contains no extras. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Bird in the Dizzy Pilot People,
A BIRD IN THE HEAD is an interesting short. It's the first short made by Edward Bernds, even though he really started with MICRO-PHONIES. Nothing remarkably special about this short. The plot of this was reused in DOPEY DICKS.

DIZZY PILOTS is a better short. So great scenes of the Stooges flying their plane. The rest isn't nearly as good. My only complaint is that the last five minutes is reused from BOOBS IN ARMS (1940). It seemed forced that they had to do that. The stock footage seemed tacked on.

THREE SAPPY PEOPLE- An excellent Three Stooges short. This short is remembered for the Stooges first food fight, though the first one really occured in SLIPPERY SILKS. This is quite funny. The cream puff fight is the highlight. This is the Stooges' last 1930's short, and one of their best.

This tape starts out rough, but gets better. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The plot device is so damned great that it simply had to be revisited: a scientist invents a device that transmits matter by disintegrating it in one chamber and reintegrating it in another. When he attempts to transmit his own body, he accidentally allows a fly into the chamber, and the resulting man-insect hybrid runs rampant across the Canadian countryside. Philippe, the son of that ill-fated scientist, is told the family history by a benevolent uncle (an oddly prim Vincent Price); possessed with the scientific will-to-know, he becomes determined to re-create his father's experiments. The legendarily silly costuming of the original Fly returns, and with it, the perplexing logic of transmogrification--it becomes difficult to decipher which of the man-insect hybrids we're meant to understand as possessing Phillipe's agency. The film is hampered by the lack of a strong female lead, and by performances by all principals that are disappointingly modern in their clear motivation and restraint. Almost normal--even by modern standards--Return of the Fly represents an interesting bridging piece between the arty, abstract, symbolist sci-fi aesthetic of the early '50s and the naturalist, highly mimetic, realist style that quickly came to dominate the genre.--Miles Bethany ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Beware this sequel to the classic original--it needs help...
"The Return of the Fly" attempts to duplicate the success of the original science fiction/horror classic but pretty much trying to duplicate the original plot line. However, instead of achieving horror the end result this time around is completely laughable. Philippe Delambre (Brett Halsey), the son of the original "fly" Andre Delambre, grows to continue his father's teleportation experiments. Once again Francois Delambre (Vincent Price) helps Philippe as he did the boy's father. And, once again, a Delambre trades his head and an arm with a fly. Price, whose performance in the original was wonderfully understated, goes back to overacting and when the fly starts running around the countryside it is impossible not to start laughing so hard you are in danger of choking on your popcorn. Go watch David Cronenberg's remake, where he tells how this story would have "really" happened, instead of "The Return of the Fly." Watching this sequel will only leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Excellent Originals! The FLY x 2 on DVD!
This DVD is a good example of 1950s classic science at its best. You get the original "The Fly" and its sequel. In 1958's "The Fly" man through his science takes experimentation of his environment one step too far. Man's attempts to disrupt nature's harmony leads to destruction and horror to him and his loved ones. This is a well intentioned, poignantly directed and produced film. The horror resulting from Al (David) Hedison's experiments gone awry are devastating and disturbingly represented in the film's images. Once seen, the viewer can never forget them. This is a powerful film even to this day. Vincent Price as François and Charles Herbert as the young Philippe are good. However, David Hedison and Patricia Owens' performances are brilliant and elevate this film a notch higher. This CinemaScope print by cinematographer Karl Struss on this DVD is beautiful. The colors are rich and the Stereo Sound is excellent. Paul Sawtell's lush score is eerily touching. On the flip side, 1959's "The Return of the Fly" is an interesting and imaginative sequel. Brydon Baker's black & white CinemaScope photography gives it a feel of film noir with a twist of science fiction. It looks great on this DVD. Both Vincent Price as François and Bret Halsey as the grown Philippe turn in believable performances. This can be attributed to Director Edward Bernds' choice to concentrate on characterization over the science fiction elements, which had also been effectively accomplished in the original. John Sutton as Inspector Charas (played by Herbert Marshall in the original) turned in his best performance since 1952's "Five Fingers." The score by Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter was very effective to the mood of the piece. This is an excellent and highly underrated film. This is a handsome DVD and highly recommended.

Help...Me...
This is truly a classic sci-fi flick from the 1950's. A man switches head and arm with a fly. The struggle to find the tiny fly with "a white head and a funny looking arm" begins after learning of this tragic mistake. The movie reaches its climax when the fly's head is revealed and the woman screams. At the end, we see a scary ending that kept me up that night. I heard that the only reason Vincent Price and the person who played Chalas didn't talk to each other is that they couldn't help but laugh when they talked due to the squeaky voice of the Fly (What?). The ending is truly a classic. And please...help...me...

A Classic
The Fly is a true classic. A woman is arrested for crushing her husband in a steam press, she seems rather mellow about it, doing what she had to do, and it's up to the detective and her brother-in-law (Vincent Price) to make her tell the story - a flash-back. What follows is a truly disturbing tale of a scientific experiment gone terribly wrong, the concept being hilarious and truly horrible at the same time, while the matter-of-factly treatment sets the perfect mood.
The image-transfer is adequate, but the colours seem a little washed out. Although Return of the Fly is rubbish it's of course an appropriate B-side feature. It has a few incitingly surreal images, the protagonist running around the country side with an enormous bug head for example. Being in black and white it looks better than the first one.

BZZZzzzzzzzzzz...
"The Fly" is a well made / known sci-fi classic. Andre (David Hedison) is a scientist, working on a contraption that disintegrates solid matter, sending it to another location to be re-integrated. Andre wants to develop it for the good of mankind, but that would make for one dull movie! Instead, he accidentally enters the disintegration chamber with an undetected fly. The two become fused into one being. Andre ends up with a fly head and claw. The fly gets Andre's head and upper body. Andre's wife is tested to the depths of her love for her now hideous husband. A frantic search for the tiny fly ensues (maybe they could de-fuse them??) with tragic results. Vincent Price is excellent as Andre's brother. Yes, it's true that "Return Of The Fly" is nowhere near as good as it's predocessor. However, I like having them both together anyway. Andre's son Phillipe is all grown up and decides to continue his father's work. He enlists the help of a guy who turns out to be a sociopathic criminal, bent on stealing the invention and selling it to an accomplice. After killing a nosey cop (by turning him into a guinea pig man), he knocks Phillipe out and puts him in the disintegration cabinet with a suspiciously handy fly. The rest of the film is a revenge story. I like the crooks and the way Phillipe avenges their treachery. A great double feature! Pop some corn, pour the beverages, and check the house for those pesky insects... ... Read more

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Each of the Three Stooges shorts in this video collection contains something a little special. "Fright Night" (1947, short number 98 in series) is the first of the episodes to include Shemp after brother Curly had a severe stroke. Having already worked with Moe and Larry in vaudeville and having appeared in several films already, Shemp had no trouble fitting right in. The plot is negligible, but there is a good chase-around-the-warehouse sequence that does not suffer at all without all the woo-woos of the past.

"Hold That Lion" (1947, number 100) has the only scene of this series in which all four stooges appear! Looking for the archvillain Slipp (the mustached Kenneth McDonald, the eternal baddie of this series), they run across a certain sleeping person (with a full head of hair) who goes woo-woo and barks in his sleep. A very touching moment for actors and for fans. The intrusion of a lion onto the trains adds little past giving the wonderful comic Dudley Dickerson a small chance to do his thing.

There is little originality in the plot of "Who Done It?" (1949, number 114), in which a prominent citizen (played by Emil Stika) is attacked after calling in detectives--who are first seen tied up after a robbery of their own office. They arrive at the usual spooky house and are threatened by sexy Christine McIntyre and three other creeps, and there is little they can do for most of the film except run from room to room, doing more damage to each other than to the crooks. There is the old routine of switching the poisoned drinks around, but Shemp's reaction to drinking the poison--done in quick motion and presumably by a stuntman--is hilarious. There is also a good "turning out the lights" fight that does show some imagination. --Frank Behrens ... Read more

Reviews (7)

The first appearance of Shemp and the last short with Curly
The history outweighs the comedy in this particular collection of Three Stooges videos. "Fright Night" was the 98th short the Three Stooges did for Columbia, but the historical importance was that this 1947 two-reeler was the first in which Shemp teamed with Moe and Larry in the wake of Curly's stroke. Despite the title, this is a boxing comedy, where the Stooges are training a heavyweight named Chopper, but Big Mike tells they boys that their fighter had better lose to Gorilla Watson. Somehow the Stooges end up in a warehouse begging for their lives, and Shemp not only gets to save the day but has a passionate death scene when red paint spills on him. So there was clearly no effort to put the "new" Stooge in the background the first time out.

"Hold That Lion" marks Curly's last moment on film with the Stooges, albeit in a cameo in which he sports a full head of hair. This 1947 comedy was also the 100th for the Stooges at Columbia, so it is nice that fate arranged for this to be the only short with four Stooges. The plot has the boys after an inheritance with which a shady executor, Icabod Slipp (Kenneth MacDonald), is trying to skip town. Slipp gets the better of the Stooges at first, but they track him down to a train, try to wake up Curly, let a lion out of its cage, and eventually get their man and their money. This one is nowhere near as good as "Fright Night," but of equal historical importance.

"Who Done It?" is a 1949 comedy in which rich Mr. Goodrich (Emil Sitka) has hired the Alert Detective Agency (the Stooges) to protect him from the Phantom Gang. They show up too late and then there is a lot of nonsense with Shemp getting a rat poison drink from a beautiful girl and a fireplace shovel. This is a lesser outing for the Stooges that should not even be on the tape with the other two shorts. It is also a shame that this lame effort serves as the title for this Three Stooges video, because fans of the boys would be more likely to recognize either of the other two titles because of their importance.

Shemp at his best.......and craziest!
FRIGHT NIGHT (1947) - A great short. It involves Shemp as a boxer. Before he was a stooge, he actually was a boxer! The warehouse chase scene at the end was simply hilarious.

HOLD THAT LION! (1947) - A stooge classic. The whole thing is laugh-out-loud hilarious! This particular short is also special. It has a cameo appearance by Curly....WITH HAIR!

WHO DONE IT? (1949) - This short is a true stooge gem. The scene where Shemp gets wacked-out from poison is fall-out-of-your-chair funny! As well as the end, when Shemp says his last lines.

FRIGHT NIGHT, HOLD THAT LION!, WHO DONE IT?: All stooge gems. This would have to be one of the best stooge tapes to own!

Well, who done it?
A great tape, with some excellent, fast-paced shorts.

FRIGHT NIGHT is Shemp's first Stooge short, and a very funny one at that. The chase through the warehouse is hilarious. Shemp's boxing scenes are excellent. This is actually Shemp's favorite Three Stooges short because it involved boxing, a sport he admired a lot.

HOLD THAT LION is a hilarious short, with Kenneth MacDonald at his best, as I. Slipp. There is also a cameo by Curly in this short, with a full head of hair. The Stooges pull up a hat off of his face and see Curly. He barks like a dog a does his famous "woo woo woo".

WHO DONE IT? is another great short. The Stooges are all very funny here, and this short has a great supporting cast. According to the back of the box, this short was planned by Edward Bernds as a Curly short. Shemp does the Curly shuffle in his own wonderful style. A great short, even if it does hardly have a plot.

A great tape needed to make a Stooge collection complete.

THAT FRIGHT LION DONE IT!
FRIGHT NIGHT (1947) - This was Shemp's debut short with the Stooges, and he fit right back in perfectly. Since he already had experience with the Stooges in their vaudeville days, he was familiar with the act, and was an original Stooge. This short is one of Shemp's best (and his personal favorite short, since it dealt with his favorite sport - boxing), and features some of his best work, like the scenes with him in the boxing ring. This also has a hilarious chase/fight sequence at the end.

HOLD THAT LION! (1947) - A pretty good short and features Kenneth MacDonald in his best role, but what really makes this special is a cameo from Curly. This was filmed after he retired due to his second stroke, which partially paralyzed him, and he has a small role as a snoring passenger. He's almost unrecognizable with a headfull of hair, and a loss of weight (he almost resembled Joe Penner), but once you hear that familiar snore of his, you know who it is! A brief but great cameo role for Curly, and the only time we see brothers Moe, Shemp, and Curly in the same scene. This is also the boys' 100th short. I wonder if this being their 100th short has anything to do with Curly's special cameo (a possible celebration?), or was it just coincidence?

WHO DONE IT (1949) - One of the best shorts ever made. Everything here was EXCELLENT! The writing and direction (excellent double duty job from Edward Bernds), the great supporting cast, and each of the Stooges are at their best here, especially Larry with his zany, subtle facial expressions. This had many hilarious, fast-paced scenes and lines, and one of the funniest endings. My favorite Shemp short.

Watch "Hold That Lion" for a special scene
In "Hold That Lion", watch for a scene where the three are on a train -- the guy that they wake up is Jerome Howard (aka Curly) in his only post-stroke appearance ... Read more

Amazon.com

Among the many VHS collections issued by Columbia from its resource pool of 190 Three Stooges shorts, most of them are packaged three to a tape with no particular attention paid to chronology or any other kind of -ology. Now and then, however, the films are grouped by subject matter, such as False Alarms, in which all three films concern firefighting. Out West is another such collection and one that will give you a severe case of déjà vu. Included on the tape are "Out West" (1947, short number 99), "Punchy Cowpunchers" (1950, number 120), and "Merry Mavericks" (1951, number 133). All three films have a bumbling hero (Jacques Mahoney in the first two and Paul Campbell in the third), a sexy and zaftig blonde (Christine McIntyre in the first two and Marion Martin in the third), and an evil boss. In the first two, we hear the gallop from the William Tell Overture as help is on the way--too late in both cases.

The sense of "I've seen this before" is compounded when "Merry Mavericks" turns out to be a remake of the Curly version of "Phony Express" (1943). And for the nth time, the gag of holding up a stick of dynamite that inadvertently gets lit is used to frighten off the baddies. There are two interesting moments. The cavalry officer comments in "Out West" that the cavalry has never been late "in the history of motion pictures"; and the "hero" who arrives too late faints at the sight of blood as the punch line to "Mavericks." This collection is a good study in how Columbia recycled the same material over and over to keep the popular moneymaking series alive for all those years. --Frank Behrens ... Read more

Reviews (5)

sort of good
OUT WEST-This is the best three stooges western. the only problem is larry and shemp dont get an slap,eyepoke orhead bonk.shemp and moe trying to get larry out the cell is priceless Merriy Maverics-on the other hand is horrible. the only thing that saves this film is the chase at the end.the ending is the weakes ending i have seen.moe coyping curlys dance is weak. Punchey Cowpunchers- this is in a way like out west.shemp is barly punisted. he only gets a slap.this has a funny chase at the end. this has the same ending as out west.

Pretty good.
This tape is okay, but I'm disappointed that all three shorts are westerns. I don't like real western movies, and even the Three Stooges can't spice them up, at least not very often.

OUT WEST (1947) is actually great. It's Shemp's second short, and one of my top ten Shemp films. Shemp has to go OUT WEST on a vacation so his enlarged vein can heal. Vernon Dent, as a doctor, is his usual funny self. The rest of the short is great, too. They fix the bad guy an "Ickeymay" Finn in one scene. A+

I can't say the same thing for MERRY MAVERICKS (1951). The title made me want to see it. That's how I learned not to judge a Stooge film by it's title. The last scene includes blood. That goes against Stooge polocies. Possibly the worst Shemp film ever made. D+

PUNCHY COWPUNCHERS (1950) well, I don't know. This short, in a way, sort of rips off OUT WEST. Most of the characters repeat their original parts. It's not as bad as MERRY MAVERICKS, but it's just too boring. C+

A pretty good tape. Too bad it had to be an all-western themed video.

PUNCHY-OUT MAVERICKS
One of the worst Three Stooges tapes I've seen. I just don't like westerns at all, not even the Stooge versions, and this is an all-Western tape. To me, Westerns are dry and boring. OUT WEST, PUNCHY COWPUNCHERS, MERRY MAVERICKS. OUT WEST is way too Westerny for my likes. MERRY MAVERICKS is an awful effort from the usually-great director Edward Bernds. As for PUNCHY COWPUNCHERS, I actually like that short a lot since it actually rips on Westerns and it's a well-done hilarious short, but I hate the idea of it being on an allWestern themed collection. If PUNCHY was put on a tape with other, non-Western themed Stooge shorts, then it would be more enjoyable.

Plus, there's a nasty error on the back of that tape that states MERRY MAVERICKS is Edward Bernds' personal favorite Stooge film, but it's actually PUNCHY COWPUNCHERS. MERRY MAVERICKS was a low-quality effort from him and I bet he and the Stooges knew it, so he would not say that was his favorite short.

Meh! Just may be the worst Stooge tape I've seen.

The Three Stooges At One of Their Best!!
The Three Stooges go "Out West" in these three episodes.

"Out West" (1947): Because of Shemp's 'enlarged vein' in his leg, the doctor recommends that he goes out west. So the three hit the trail and the turn a certain town topsy turvy when the bad guy thinks that they mean a gold vein. One of the best scenes in this episode is where Moe and Shemp try to get Larry free.

"Punchy Cowpunchers" (1950): When the U.S. Cavalry hires the three stooges to break up a gang of border thieves, the Killer Dillons, you can except this episode to be a comedy that can't be missed! I love Elmer who with his Southern drawl, always bumbling along. I also like the part where Nell insists that she's 'a poor weak woman', knocks the lights out of Dillon's henchman, then faints away.

"Merry Mavericks" (1951): The Stooges are mistaken for famous marshals and venture to stop some crooks from making off with hidden loot. I like the beginning where Larry explains to Shemp what vagrancy means. "You take a flower, then you smell it. That's 'vagrancy'".

You gotta have this one, Stooge fans
These three Western comedies (all with Shemp Howard) are among the Three Stooges' best shorts. OUT WEST and MERRY MAVERICKS are very enjoyable, and PUNCHY COWPUNCHERS is outstanding, with a sterling supporting cast and some riotous acrobatics by Jock Mahoney (the dauntless but clumsy cowboy who takes spectacular pratfalls). Guaranteed laughs for comedy fans. ... Read more

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Very much in the tradition of such Columbia Three Stooges period shortsas "Back to the Woods," the 1962 costume epic The Three Stooges MeetHercules is 100% pure Moe-Larry-Curly Joe comedy, with the barest of a ho- hum love interest to detract from the nonsense at hand. Working at the pharmacyof an ill-tempered boss (George N. Neise) and friends of a budding time-machineinventor named Schuyler (Quinn Redeker), the Stooges and Schuyler, along withthe obligatory attractive female, Diana (Vicki Trickett), are transported backto the time of Hercules. Here the legendary hero (Samson Burke) is the enforcerfor King Odius (Neise in a double role), and anachronisms are rampant in anEnglish-speaking ancient Greece.

Twice condemned as galley slaves, the Stooges see that Schuyler now has themuscles but not the self-confidence to rescue Diana and the rest of Greece fromthe odious Odius. Schuyler is tricked into thinking himself all-powerful andperforms many Herculean labors (with many a stuffed animal and some decentbackscreen projection).

Although Curly Joe seems a few notches above his namesake in the brainsdepartment (which is not saying all that much), his reactions at times of realand supposed danger are quite ordinary compared with the old Curly. In fact, itis Moe who takes on the Curly bark at a recalcitrant prop. But the old soundeffects are there to punctuate blows to belly and head, although eye pokes areout, due to parental objections to the influence of the trio, newly popular ontelevision. --Frank Behrens ... Read more

Reviews (10)

It's not Curly or Shemp...but it's the best Curly-Joe
This movie cannot compare to the earlier Stooges, but it is the best thing that Curly-Joe did with them. It is a must for Stooges fans. Everyone claims that the quality of the later Stooge endeavors is poor, due to thier ages, or due to Curly-Joe not measuring up. While these reasons may be attributes, the real problem is that the Stooges were forced to be less violent in the 1960's, thus taking away from them their best material. I still believe that, left to their own devices, the Stooges could have made great movies at the end of their carreers. In The Three Stooges Meet Hercules, you'll see many glimpses of their former hilarity, but it's never showcased. Yet, it's still enjoyable!

A Full-Lenght, Muscle-Headed Feature Film!
Before I saw THE THREE STOOGES MEET HERCULES, I was worried it would be dry and dull. But this actually turned out to be an excellent Stooge movie. When I watched this, I was enjoying the whole 90 minutes. The best part is when Skyler turns out to be Hercules and swings around a lion by it's tail. This is the first Stooge feature I've seen. I hope the others are just as good.

The Best of the Stooges features
This movie is the best of all of the stooges movies made in the late 50's and early 60's. Of all of them it captures the spirit of the classic shorts which made them them one of the longest lasting and most consistant moneymakers (at least for their studios) in the comedy business.

The plot is simple the boys aid a geek trying to build a time machine while keeping the villian away from his girl. The result is a trip to ancient Greece, a meeting with the legendary Hercules and the changing of the Geek to a man.

Pure unadultruated fun. a real winner.

The Stooges battle Hercules and Win out with Top Colors!
In their first film comedy for their own studio:Normandy Productions."The Three Stooges"create their first really funny family film.Here the boys played three bumbling drug store employees in 1962 Ithica,New York.Who try to help their next door neghibor:"Scuyler Davis"(Quinn Reddecker)develop his time machine.So that he can become a success ,pay his bills and win the fair "Diana's"(Vicki Tricket's)hand.But the boys perverse and crooked boss"Mr.Dimsel"(George Neise)tampers with "Mr.Davis'"blueprints and the boys refashion the device in such a way that it malfunctions.Until "Curly Joe"De Rita uses some tranquilizers to help send the time machine,Mr.Reddecker,Ms.Tricket and "The Stooges"back in time to Ithica Greece.Where they inadvertedly help the Evil ancesstor of "Mr.Dimsel"/"King Odius"(also played by Mr.Neise)to upsur "King Ulliuys"From his throne and make him a prisoner of ""King Odius"and "Hercules"(Samson Burke).The boys and Reddecker help The rightful ruler of Ithica escape.But "Hercules"captures our Heroes.And soon they have to try to escape a Greeican Slave Galley Ship,A Two headded Giant,A man eating Bull ,The Greeican Mafia and "Hercules"and "King Odius.Before our heroes and "Dianna"can return to 1960's Upstate New York.The film is full of laughs,thrills and a combination pie fight and charriot chase that is remincesent of Mack Sennett.The only damper are the relationship between Ms.Trickett And Mr.Reddecker.The Two romantic leads.Whose unreal trystings and interferrence with the boys slapstick makes it hard at times to concentrate on The Stooges comedy.Despite this one flaw."The Three Stooges Meet Hercules!"is the team's first forray into family films and it's their best!

Two Big "Nyuk Nyuks" for Stooge Feature
Those who dismiss this great later Stooge film as silly just aren't getting the point. Besides, in 1962 their films were being written to cater to a new and younger generation of fans-mine. Their energy and enthusiasm is evident, and it works both as a kids movie and as a spoof on a film genre that was popular at the time. If you appreciate the Stooges, you'll like this family film. ... Read more

Description

A two-volume Stooge Set hosted by Steve Allen featuring 'Stooge Snapshots,' a behind-the-scenes look at the comic geniuses as well as early footage and recollections from friends and colleagues. The second tape features four classic shorts: 'Disorder in the Court,' 'Malice in the Palace,' 'Brideless Groom' and 'Sing a Song of Six Pants.' ... Read more

Reviews (15)

A history of the Three Stooges
This disc contains four classic Stooges shorts -- "Brideless Groom," "Disorder in the Court," "Sing a Song of Six Pants" and "Malice in the Palace" (all of which are in the public domain) -- and 8 others that were done before the Columbia era and feature either one Stooge or the Stooges with Ted Healy, who they worked with in their early days. The Columbia shorts are great, especially "Disorder," a classic Curly short (the other three are Shemp). Those who aren't familiar with their early work will find some interesting stuff here, including several routines that popped up later in the Columbia shorts. The quality on all is as good as can be expected. But be aware that, since most of these aren't the classic Columbia shorts, the Stooges, as seen here, are in slightly different form from the familiar versions that came later. Still, from a historical standpoint, this disc is invaluable, as several of these shorts aren't available in complete form on DVD elsewhere, to my knowledge. Other than the fact that "Nertsery Rhymes" is b/w instead of color (as it was originally released), this disc is recommended for Stooges fans who are interested in the team's history and their early work. Another nice thing: It's over 3 1/2 hours long, so it's a nice value for the price.

The Three Stooges.The Early Years.
This DVD is great value for the price.Even more worthwhile if your interested in film history.
Four of these shorts are well known classics featuring either Curly or Shemp Howard as the third Stooge.
Some of the other shorts on this disc feature members of the Three Stooges in solo film before they came together as a team.
A couple feature the full Stooges line-up with Ted Healy.
I find the Ted Healy stuff very poor quality,but interesting if you are interested in seeing how their early vaudeville performance would have been like on stage.

poor quality made up by rarities
Buy this if you are interested in Ted Healy's productions from really early Stooge days. If not, skip it. The quality (audio and video) of the DVD is shabby...hence, the low price. There are only 4 of 12 shorts really worth owning, available on other, higher quality products.

Terrific value; great material
What a DVD! This has three hours of extremely rare, hard to find material. And its not filler, like some of the other Three Stooges collections out there; this is all content, baby. The best part about this collection is that it has many of the hard-to-find shorts with Ted Healy.

The only problem is that no effort was made to clean up the video or the sound, and the original prints from which this DVD was made seem to have been in poor shape in places. A new release, with the latest in digital remastering, will be most welcome.

If only there were more stuff like this...
Yes, the picture quality needs work, but this is the earliest stuff the Stooges did. In fact, a lot of it is pre-Stooge work! There are several totally random musical numbers in the non-Stooge shorts. It's particularly interesting to see Shemp work on his own and wonder what his career would have been like without the Stooges; he certainly is a good actor, probably the best out of all the Stooges. And over 3 hours for around $?!? The world needs more bargains like this. ... Read more

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There is good Shemping in all three films in this entry in the Columbia series of Three Stooges shorts. "Dopey Dicks" (1949, short number 122) reruns some old Curly material (no surprise!) in which a mad scientist wants a brain for his evil experiments. Most of the footage is concerned with the boys being chased by the doctor and his evil assistant as they try to rescue Christine McIntyre and escape the blades aimed at their necks. Shemp's reactions are priceless and there is a lot of good fun here.

"Scrambled Brains" (1951, number 132) is said to have been among Shemp's favorites, and certainly what plot there is centers around his need to recover from a bout of hallucinations, all the while planning to marry an extremely ugly nurse he met while under treatment. The gem of this film is a new use of the old "third hand" routine that was a cliché even when Stan Laurel used it in A Chump at Oxford many years earlier. Emil Sitka gets to play a nearsighted doctor who, while inspecting Shemp, leans forward on his rocking chair to make a doll say "Mama" with the usual double takes from one and all.

Shemp himself uses what looks like Sitka's glasses as an utterly incompetent dentist in "The Tooth Will Out (1951, number 134). Having barely passed a one-week course in dentistry, the boys go West to set up practice, and one almost feels the pain as half-blind Shemp stabs wildly at his first patient with a whirring drill. Possibly the idea--not very original to begin with--was influenced by Shemp's nearsighted explorer in the Abbott and Costello Africa Screams only a year or two before this short. --Frank Behrens ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Some of the best of the Three Stooges shorts with Shemp
This volume of Columbia shorts by the Three Stooges is the best collection involving Shemp that I have come across to date:

"Dopey Dicks" is a 1949 short where the boys are cleaning out the office of Sam Shovel Private Investigator, when in works a beautiful woman (Christine McIntyre), who is being followed. She is promptly taken and the Stooges are off to save the day. Behind it all is a scientist who is trying to make a mechanical man but is having problems finding a brain small enough to fit in his creation. That means once the Stooges arrive, and Moe announces he is the brains of the outfit, the chase is on until the end of this above-average two-reeler.

"Scrambled Brains" was made two years later has Shemp suffering from hallucinations and worrying Moe to Larry when he because engaged to Nurse Nora (Babe London), who is the exact opposite of the beautiful Venus he describes. So they drag him to Dr. Gezundheir (Emil Sitka) who recommends piano lessons: the session is nothing, but Shemp playing piano (with four hands) is pretty good. The Stooges then insist on making a call from a phone booth that already has someone (Vernon Dent) in it with a bag of groceries. Then we get to the fateful wedding. Another above-average effort, mainly from Shemp.

The Stooges are incompetent dentists in 1951's "The Tooth Will Out," thanks to a one week dentistry course (only $4). This comes after being fired from a couple of jobs involving dishes and the breaking thereof, at which point they head to Coyote Pass in the west. The climax of this one is Shemp, again wearing glasses with massive coke-bottle lenses, performing on a couple of patients and discovering there are some significant differences between handbooks on dentistry and carpentry.

A lot of the Three Stooges shorts with Shemp involved recycled bits from the glory days with Curly, and while there are a few examples of that in this trio of comedies, most of the best moments are Shemp being Shemp.

One of the Best Tapes
DOPEY DICKS (1950) One of the best Shemp shorts that AMC is not allowed to show. The scenes in the mansion, especially with Shemp, are priceless, especially the scene with Larry with his head in the table. They actually show the shot in the beginning of Shemp leaning up to face the camera after sneezing and dropping a load of stuff in his hands in an extended version of "The Curly Shuffle" on some Stooge tapes. The plot device with a mad scientist trying to get a human head fits better here than in A BIRD IN THE HEAD...

Excellent tape!!
DOPEY DICKS is an excellent Three Stooges short, one of their best. The plot was redone is SPOOKS, but better here. This short includes the same type of gags used in A BIRD IN THE HEAD, which I was not fond of, but this I like.

SCRAMBLED BRAINS is Larry's personal favorite Three Stooges short. I LOVE this. Shemp has some of his best scenes here. There's a hilarious scene where the Stooges have a fight with Vernon Dent in a crowded phone booth. One of the Stooges best.

THE TOOTH WILL OUT is another short I've always been fond of. There are just too many great scenes in this one. If I mention any of them, though, it will spoil this short.

You should definetly order this tape. SCRAMBLED BRAINS is worth the price of the tape alone.

THE DOPEY TOOTH WILL SCRAMBLE OUT
DOPEY DICKS (1950) - The best detective Stooges shorts were made with Shemp, and the streak continues here. Edward Bernds was also a master at making great detective shorts. An excellent short. Shemp's Maine 2468 scene, and the chase in the old mansion are highlights.

SCRAMBLED BRAINS (1950) - This is some of the Stooges best work. A hilarious short with non-stop great gags. The best part is the hilarious fight between the Stooges and Vernon Dent in a cramped-up phone booth. All the Stooges are at their best here, especially Larry, who actually credited this short as his personal favorite. This is one of my personal favorite Stooge shorts as well. Jules White often missed his mark in the shorts he made with Shemp, this this one is a winner right here.

THE TOOTH WILL OUT (1951) - Another great short. The beginning with the Stooges being chased around town by a mad chef is hilarious and fun, the following sequence with the Stooges in dentistry school is good, and the second half with Shemp nearly killing two patients with his nearsighted dentistry skills is great. The second half of this film was actually filmed for MERRY MAVERICKS, but was too long for the short, so director Bernds took that footage out, and turned it into his own short, adding a new first half. The only flaw is that only Shemp is the dentist in the reused footage, but all the boys get a dentist diploma in the new first half of the short. ... Read more

Amazon.com

If there is no other reason for watching "The Hot Scots" (1948, short number 108 in the Columbia series), there is Christine McIntyre dancing a Highland fling with a kilted Moe. Would-be Scotland Yard detectives, the boys consider themselves assigned to a case in the Scottish castle through which they spend most of the film being chased by costumed villains. Other than the dance and some atrocious puns about "Scotch broth" and other obvious allusions, there is little new here beyond the true and tried double takes and physical punishment.

"Fuelin' Around" (1949, number 116) starts with Larry's resemblance to Albert Einstein--or at least a scientist (Emil Sitka)--which leads to him, Moe, and Shemp being kidnapped to a European castle, where they must produce rocket fuel or be shot. When the real scientist and his lovely daughter (Christine McIntyre) are brought in, an escape is planned, and some clever use is made of the "rubber dummy" as Shemp is being pulled up through an escape hole in the floor by the baddies and down by Moe and Larry from below. There is also some villainy from regulars Vernon Dent and Philip Van Zandt and good bumbling from Jacques O'Mahoney.

A cut above average, "Hula-La-La" (1951, number 135) has a movie mogul (Emil Sitka) send pianist Larry, choreographer Shemp, and boss Moe to a South Sea island to teach the natives to dance. There is much talk about adding the boys' heads to the collection of the evil witch doctor (Kenneth MacDonald) in a way that recalls the sadistic comedy of The Mikado; and there is clever use of a moving, four-handed idol. Moe's referring to Shemp as "Red Shoes" nicely dates the film, while Larry using Moe's head as a tom-tom in the closing shot is well done. --Frank Behrens ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Moe, Larry and Shemp in a trio of later Three Stooges shorts
If they wanted to devote one of these Three Stooges tapes to Christine McIntyre, the key female member of the supporting cast for the boys during the Shemp ear, "The Hot Scots" from 1948 would be get a lot of votes. This one has McIntrye dancing a Highland fling with Moe, who is wearing a kilt. The boys ae trying to Scotland Yard (because they are experienced yard men) and head off to Scotland on their own to solve a case at the local castle. Just the sight of McMoe, McLarry, and McShemp dressed in Kilts is enough to make you smile, but this is an average effort where the puns outweigh the slapstick.

"Fuelin' Around" comes from 1949 and has three bad guys out to steal the super rocket fuel formula of Professor Sneed (Emil Sitka). The boys are laying carpets, which has some good gags, when the bad guys decide Larry is the professor and nab all of the Stooges and take them to the State of Anemia. The boys try to fake a formula but then the real professor and his daughter (McIntyre of course) are brought in and the violence escalates until the end. This is an above average effort, mainly because the supporting cast gets involved in the violent slapstick to great effect.

"Hula-La-La" is from 1951 and has the Stooges sent to a South Sea island to teach the natives to dance for a big upcoming movie for B.O. Pictures. Shemp teaches the dancing, Larry plays the piano, and Moe bosses the other two around. The problem is that the local witch doctor (Kenneth MacDonald) wants to add the boys to his collection of shrunken heads. What makes this one the best of the bunch in this collection are the bits where Shemp is hiding under a bed and being attacked by alligators, and when the boys are attacked by a four-armed Asian statue that gives the Stooges a taste of their own medicine. Then there is Shemp's approach to dancing.

At worst the three Columbia comedies collected on "Fuelin' Around" are average efforts from the Moe-Larry-Shemp period. Once again, you will find nothing classic here, but enough funny moments to make this enjoyable if you are a Stooges fan. I always liked Curly a lot more than Shemp, but the more of these later Stooges shorts that I watch the more I am going to appreciate Shemp's comic style. Nobody else was the master of physical comedy that Curly was, so it is not really fair to find Shemp coming up short on that score.

ONE OF THE WORST 3 STOOGES TAPES EVER!!!
These are definitely three of the WORST Three Stooges shorts ever. None of them are funny at all!!! Not once did I crack up laughing like I usually do. This is especially disappointing for those who are fans of Shemp like I am. These shorts were pathetically done. "HULA-LA-LA", which is the worst of the three, was pointless and did not make any sense at all. In fact, some of the main natives were played by white people who just happen to speak perfect English, which is VERY STRANGE and STUPID considering that they are supposed to be South Sea natives.

I strongly advise any three stooges fan, PLEASE DO NOT BUY THIS TAPE!!! IT'S A WASTE OF MONEY!!!

...In fact, I would give it ZERO stars if I could.

Two excellent shorts, and an okay short.
THE HOT SCOTS (1948) and FUELIN'AROUND (1949) in my opinion, are two of the best Three Stooges films ever made. HULA-LA-LA (1951) is an okay short, it has it's moments, but forget the headhunter plot.

THE HOT SCOTS (1948) is in my top five Three Stooges films because it's fast-paced and has lots of funny dialogue. The Stooges apply for jobs at the Scotland yard and wind up getting a job guarding a castle. Footage of this short was used in SCOTCHED IN SCOTLAND (1954) and HOT ICE (1955).

FUELIN' AROUND (1949) is in my top ten shorts because of all the funny stuff that happens. The one problem is that the scene where Shemp is being stretched ten feet is too long and this was fixed in the remake HOT STUFF (1956) which isn't as good as this classic.

HULA-LA-LA (1951) is the worst short on the tape, but still okay. It has it's moments. Could've been better, the worst Shempm film.

Overall, I think the first two shorts are excellent. Too bad they had to put HULA-LA-LA on the tape as well.

HULA-LA-LIN' AROUND
THE HOT SCOTS (1948) - Edward Bernds makes another great detective short here. A lot of funny scenes in the castle, and a great supporting cast, too. The ending is hilarious.

FUELIN' AROUND (1949) - Larry gets a great chance to shine in this short since he's given a little more attention, which I'm happy to see. I always felt he was a little underrated. He has a lot of classic lines here. The scene towards the end with Shemp being stretched out to nearly 5 extra feet is also a hoot. Great short.

HULA-LA-LA (1951) - Another first-rate-er. The only Stooge short that producer Hugh McCollum directed, and he did a very excellent job here. There's a very nice touch at the end with the jungle music that plays in the last scene, being played over the ending credits, instead of the usual "Three Blind Mice" music. McCollum should've been given the chance to direct some more shorts. Even more proof that Columbia giving him and Bernds the gate in 1952 and letting Jules White take over was a horrible mistake.

Sappy Stooges at less than their best.
THE HOT SCOTS; FUELIN' AROUND; and HULA-LA-LA are the three films packaged. Not top Stooges, but enough of their incomparable schtick comes through to make it worth buying. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

This trio of Stooges comedies has Curly's last great routine
This collection of three Three Stoges shorts offers the last great routine by Curly and two lesser efforts, one of which you may find offensive (by contemporary standards), so be forewarned:

"Three Little Pirates" in the 1946 Columbia short that was the second to last of the Moe-Larry-Curly shorts. The boys end up in a palace and are facing execution and the chief attraction here is Curly's routine as the nearsighted Rajah of Canarsie. The second reel gets the boys back to Coney Island where Larry ends up getting knifes thrown at him and there is a big fight for the finale where Moe ends up on the short end for once. I am not sure if this is a classic Stooges short, but it earns bonus points as the last really memorable performance by Curly Howard.

"Uncivil Warbirds" is another 1946 comedy where the Stooges are Southerners wooing their ladies when the Civil War breaks out and then enlist. However, only Curly joins the Confederacy, with Moe and Larry ending up in the Union army. The Civil War is fought out by the Stooges in a smokehouse, where whoever is on the losing side (at that point) gets locked in. These one ends up with a couple of shocks, the first coming when the Stooges done blackface and pretend to be slaves, and the second when they end up helping the South (not so much to rise again as to keep it from falling in the first place, which is an interesting way of having the Stooges end up losing again).

"Back to the Woods" goes back t